First starter Orchid

[Kmac]

I cut and pasted that into my browser to see what you were looking at. Very pretty!

Congrats!

Phals are pretty easy to grow, and I bet you will do great. Good luck!

[kiwiorchids]

i dont think i would start with hybrids and multi-genera crosses like blc etc....
my very first orchid was a cymbidium, which i have now expanded on to have 50 or so. these are easy enough. one thing i have found is that certain alliances and generas suit different people. for me, a few laelia and catt species, cymbidiums, and oncidium alliance including gomeza, maclelanara etc....suit me best.
the key is to try a few of each alliance then decide what suits your growing style and conditions best.
but the no.1 starter plant in my opinion, is laelia anceps, and any anceps varients.
it looks pretty, is quick to flower, makes a good cut flower too, long stems. and can tolerate any amount of light from almost direct sunlight, to 40% sunlight. it is also a cool growing laelia too which makes it a good starter, as most novices dont have greenhouses, like me and ive been waiting 4 years!

[LINDALSHOT]

I'm proud to say I've had my phal a week and....drum roll please....it is STILL alive! Blooms look fine. Leaves are green. It's in a clear pot so I can see the roots. They look green; not vibrant green but they're not brown or shriveled. I've watered it once.

Am I okay so far?

And the book I'm reading says to flush water through the medium occasionally? When should I do that?

Oh, and I have two orchids on order. Should get them late this week.

I've also seen info in books on evaporative pads for humidity. Since I'm in Ohio and we, of course, have the furnace on, I'm a little worried about humidity. But, the only evaporative pads I've seen are the big huge types for in the furnace. My furnace has a humidifier with a pad but I'm thinking there are smaller pads specifically for plants or am I confused?

Thank you for your help.
Linda

[Kassie]

Linda, congratulations on this milestone! Hope your package arrives safely. I got my "first" orchid about a year ago, after taking a break for several years, and I now have about 70.

It sounds like you are doing the right things so far. It is great that you can see the roots on your phal--it will make it much easier to decide when to water. When phal roots turn from green to silvery-white, that's when they are ready for a drink. The time in between waterings will vary depending on the humidity in your house and whether your phal is potted in bark or sphagnum moss.

I've not heard of evaporative pads, but it is good to raise the humidity around your orchids. Some people set their orchid pots on shallow trays filled with pebbles or marbles and then pour water in the tray to just below the pot. You don't want the bottom of your orchid pot to sit in the water.

I quickly got too many orchids to have individual trays. I have most of mine together in shallow plastic tubs (cheap kitty litter trays from the dollar store) with baking racks or pieces of old fluorescent lighting grate to hold the pots above the water. Some people don't believe that humidity trays make a significant difference--at my house when the trays are dry with the humidifier running nearby the humidity is about 50%; with water in the trays it goes up to 60%.

ETA: Flushing is usually done to rinse off excess fertilizer build up. Most people follow the adage "fertilize weakly weekly". There are lots of different orchid fertilizer formulations--it is best to get one without urea. I flush every 4 to 6 weeks, or so.

[orchidsal]

Sounds like your doing just fine and of course you new orchid friend also. Keep this up and you will earn a degree in orchidology! Have Fun! AL

[espranch]

Welcome to Orchid Talk, Linda! And, of course, a most pleasant addiction...Betty :-)

[LINDALSHOT]

My package arrived and I now have two cattelya. They're small but seem to really be growing. With the cold weather here in Ohio, the heat is on constantly so there's not much humidity so I placed them on a sill above the kitchen sink. The larger one is sprouting lots of growth at the base of the leaves near the moss it's planted in. I'm assuming these are more roots. The smaller one has added a new leaf but it was very loose in the pot. It's planted in moss. I hate to repot it but it's almost like it partially pulled out during shipping. But, as I said, very healthy looking and has already put out a new leaf. Should I just let it be?Thanks.

[LINDALSHOT]

Oh, and I took a picture of my phal and am using it as my avatar. Hope I did it right.

My package arrived and I now have two cattelya. They're small but seem to really be growing. With the cold weather here in Ohio, the heat is on constantly so there's not much humidity so I placed them on a sill above the kitchen sink. The larger one is sprouting lots of growth at the base of the leaves near the moss it's planted in. I'm assuming these are more roots. The smaller one has added a new leaf but it was very loose in the pot. It's planted in moss. I hate to repot it but it's almost like it partially pulled out during shipping. But, as I said, very healthy looking and has already put out a new leaf. Should I just let it be?Thanks.