Orchid Qeestion

HI YALL. IM NOT SURE WHERE TO PUT THIS QUESTION BUT I SAW BREEDING AND I WONDER IF THIS BREEDING IS VALUBLE?

MY HUSBAND GOT THIS P TAIDA LAWRENCE FROM KROGER AND HE SAID HE ONLY PAID 12 DOLLAR AND THE TAG SAYS IT WAS 24 DOLLARS. THE FLOWER IS S YELLOW AND PINK STRIPES BUT IT ONLY HAS 1 LEFT THAT IS GOOD

MY OTHER QUESTION IS WILL IT MAKE MORE FLOWERS OR SHOULD I REPLANT IT FIRST IN SOME BETTER DIRT THIS STUFF IS TOO DRY AND THE OTHER FLOWER IS FALLING OFF.

THIS IS MY FIRST ORCHID SO YALL PLEASE HELP

THANX ROX

i am sooooo sorry i had ALL CAPS on. sorry.

Thanx Rox

in my book, paying $12 for an orchid that you like is a great deal (is that what youre asking?). you can google phal taida lawrence and see what you could have paid in order to acquire the plant over the web....


if you dont see any more buds, this spike is probably done. a lot of people try to get the spike to 'branch' and make more flowers, but its a good idea to get the plants to make good leaves and roots so that youll get better flowers next time. when the last flower dies, you can just leave the spike on the plant and until it turns brown...then you can twist it off. or you can cut it off while its still green.

in my opinion, you should change the medium - its a good policy to check the roots of new purchases and then repot the plant into fresh stuff. as far as what 'stuff' to use, people have different formulas. coconut husk chunks, perlite, charcoal, fir bark, sphagnum moss, and more are all used. check home depot...they usually have bags of orchid medium for sale. even better, if you have an orchid nursery in your area, you should bring your plant in....orchid lovers are usually really generous with their information. they would probably show you how to repot your new chid. you could also pick up a few more plants while youre there...
welcome to the addiction!
as far as the 'too dry' issue....orchids like to be kept moist, but not sopping wet. when i water a plant and come back to it thirty minutes later, the top of the medium looks dry. watering is one of the hardest things to get a hang of. a lot of people (including me) stick a bamboo stick into the middle of the pot, next to the plant itself, to get an accurate reading of how damp it is in there. if think you need to water the plant, pull out the bamboo stick....if the stick is still damp, then dont water; and if you cant really tell if its damp or not, then wait another day to water. you can start reading about orchids here. click on 'phalaenopsis'.

oh yeah....this area is meant for people who are interested in making their own seed pods, orchid hybrids, etc. youll generally get more responses about general orchid questions if you post in the 'orchid cultivation' area (right above this area).

once again, welcome, rox!!

Hi Rox!

Glad you are here. Kewpie is right. It sounds like your spike is just about done. Unless it has more buds on the tip, then you can remove it when the last flower fades. Just cut it off with a clean pair of scissors or knife.

The link in Kewpie's post has lots of good information on how to grow your phalaenopsis. You can also read about them here on the River Valley Orchidworks site. When you get ready to repot your orchid, there are lots of people here on the forum who can give you step by step instructions.

Cheers & Welcome!

Brutal_Dreamer

__________________
RVO's OrchidTalk Forums - "Bringing People Together" Help support our Community: Donate or Become an OrchidTalk Subscriber today!
We could learn a lot from crayons: some are sharp, some are pretty, some are dull, some have weird names, and all are different colors....but they all exist very nicely in the same box. ...Hmmm? .

KEESHA TOOK CARE OF MY LAST FLOWER. SHE 7 AND LOVES FLOWERS. I WILL REPLANT MY P. ORCHID THES WEEKEND IF I CAN GET SOME ORCHIDS MEDIUM. I HAVE A HOME DEPOT IN TYLER. I CUT THE STALK OFF ALREADY. MY SISTER SAID IT WAS OK.


THANX YALL FOR HELP ME. YOUR VERY NICE

THANX ROX