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  • #21
The environment the plants will be in is my home on window sills. I don't have a greenhouse yet (I'm thinking about making a basic one with PVC tubing who knows) but anyways is this a problem? I do have a grow chamber but I was liking the idea of having them as house plants. So climbing roots isn't a bad thing eh?
 
  • #22
Nope. You have to think these guys grow on trees for the most part. They are not conditioned to grow confined in pots. Some species are easier than others to "tame", but others will ramble out the pot just as fast as you put them there. Hmm Bulbos come to mind there. I have two plants both are devision of the same larger plant out in my GH. Doth ar planted in the same mix, but one has roots growing down into the mix, and the other has all its roots on tip. Now the one with them on top is getting more light. Thats probably the reason. Its drying out faster so its sending up arial to catch the humid air instead of the humid mix. No big deal though. Just as a general rule repot every plant you recieve to get a general idea of health. Think of it as in introductory physical.

My GH is made from wood and PVC. It has lasted, but I have had to modify it and recover it every year, since I use the cheap drop cloth plastic. Now I am going to rebuild it with all wood and probably use siding for the sides and just have a clear roof. I duno yet. I am still gathering wood.

When you do window sill orchids it has been said to put them in a try with gravel or some ther means to suspend the orchids over a body of water. You do not want them sitting in the water, but you want them to be over the water. Many people use trays filled with peagravel. Then they fill water in the gravel till its just below the pots that is sitting on the mound of gravel. Now I have heard some people say this doesn;t raise the humidity inthe are and some say it does. So take from it what yo will. I do knwo you have to flush the trays once a week to keep the water fresh. Also orchids in the house tend to dry out QUICKLY. I have orchids in flower in the house and they need to be watered like every other day because of the AC. I let them sit longer sometimes, but they are bone dry when I water again. Makes for short flower life if left to be dry too long. The grow chamber would be a good idea to grow the plants in and then take them out to display flowers, but its up to you. You will have to make sure the windosills are getting enough light for the species your trying to grow, or else you will be frustrated with no flowering. Orchids will grow just dandy with less than optimal light, but refuse to flower. So, you need to learn to read your plant. Phals are op with green green leaves and gereraly flower, but Catts and lealia hybreds and even oncidium and dendrobium hybreds need to have a yellowish green tint to the leaves for good flowering.
 
  • #23
conversly, in terraria they can stay moist too long. i gotta switch all my media in fact because i didn't anticipate they would stay that moist for that long.
 
  • #24
So these guys prefer something to grow on rather than in? You say they like to be moist yet don't like to sit in water correct? Could you get by by using an airy media such as bark/coco/perlite where there is good drainage? Or perhaps a straight up mix of peagravel and grow it like a bamboo?

Very interesting at the least.
 
  • #25
people grow them in everything you could imagine, including ceramic pebble things. they like to be moist but they should (for most of them ) dry out in between waterings.
 
  • #26
Right. I've been doing some more reading. Has anyone tried the double-potting method with these plants?

I was thinking along the lines of getting a ceramic pot with no drain holes. Fill this with peagravel. This will also act as a water tray. The pot the orchid is in would be filled 1/3 with peagravel then top it off with Coconut Husk Chips. Then place the orchid in the bigger ceramic pot. How does that sound?
 
  • #27
they shouldn't sit in water.

just put them in a pot/basket. it's not complicated.
 
  • #28
Ok ok ok...
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I was just thinking if humidity might be a problem indoors, instead of getting a water tray and put gravel in it, I could just double pot it.
 
  • #29
Outsider this is the exception to the rule of not having orchids sitting in water.
Semi-hydro orchid cultivation. I have some plants growing in this and the roots that grow down into the water are fine and healthy as can be. You might want to try getting some of these pots. I just have to warn you. You MUST start out with healthy plants when converting over to this form on potting. Because the old roots are not used to this type of potting they normaly die off and get replaced by new ones. And also there are some plants that do not like this culture. Feel free to experiment in potting any way you see fit just realize that deviating too much from the norm at first can kill alot of plants. Atleast untill you get the hang of growing orchids and orchid rescue if you doo get a plant in decline. Feel free to keep asking questions. These are good and I will help answer the best I can.
 
  • #30
Sorry guys, but I'm gonna start poking at that annoying bubble.

In a greenhouse in Albuquerque, New Mexico, I was given some horribly sad, complex Cattleya type hybrids. They were covered with a layer of soft scale over every surface of their leaves and pseudobulbs, they had NO live roots, the pseudobulbs were soft and extremely dessicated. When I first had a look at them, I thought to myself that there wasn't much chance to rescue them. But, since they were, "good as dead" I decided to try to revive them.

First I removed most of the dead roots, rhizome, and pseudobulbs; then, using a pressurized stream of purified water I blasted every trace of the scale from the plants; then I placed them into trays of water (previously prepared - see description below), until just the leaves and top 1" of pseudobulb were protruding; I checked them several times per week to observe their progress.

Epiphytic and terrestrial water rehabilitation tray:
- white polyethylene undrained tray 4"W x 4"H x 36"L
- 1/2" layer of shredded redwood bark (Sequoia species)
- 3" of low mineral water, D.I. or R.O.
- generous amounts of live, growing Sphagnum moss to float on the surface
 
  • #31
your growing methods never cease to amaze me pingman. good job!
 
  • #32
Orchids are some of the easiest plants to grow.  They love humidity but many cope quite well with dry air.  Some can't be over-watered and others hate having their feet be wet for more than a few minutes.  Some like intense sun and others are fine with deep shade.  My orchids have no idea what a greenhouse or pebble tray or semi-hydro even are.  I have no doubt they'd like to get acquainted, but it isn't gonna happen. I just don't have the room and/or ambition.

Just get orchids and and see what works for you and what doesn't.  Trade away the ones that don't seem happy and try others. I only got one Catt to bloom, ever, but that's to be expected with my not-bright-enough growing conditions. I've never had much success with those phalaenopsis-type Dendrobiums from Lowes and such places, but I suspect they don't appreciate the too cool spring and fall weather I force on them. I've never had any luck with the Oncidium hybrids and intergenerics and I have no idea why. Because of the variable often low humidity, I do best with thick-leaved plants. Thin-leaved ones often accordion. This could go on and on.

Because my orchids go outside for the summer, I tend to pot them in coarser than usual mixes because a week of rain can devastate a normally-potted orchid.  I no longer have any orchids in empty orchid baskets.  They've done much better since I stuffed some orchid mix among their roots.  I have several mounted orchids, but the low indoor humidity in winter can be tough on them.  I put my orchids out too early in the spring and leave them out too late in the fall because I've decided a few more weeks outside is more good than a few degrees of cold is bad.

Everyone does things a little or a lot differently.  But the rules-of-thumb, in my opinion, are that less water is safer than more water; less light is safer than more light; less fertilizer is safer than more fertilizer; and less pot is safer than more pot.  Orchids come from marginal places that other plants generally don't grow and are adapted to having less.
 
  • #33
The results I posted earlier in this thread are just as much a surprise to me as anyone. It just goes to show that despite our best intentions and flawless logic, that nature's creatures have a mind of their own and don't read any books on how they should grow.
 
  • #34
Well I still got a few days before I repot. I just ordered some Coco Chips and some NZ LFS.

I'm still reading up on various cultures on this forum and on google. I'm trying to find the best method for keeping it humid/moist without being too wet and also giving me some freedom from the mister.

Got a quick question on water wicking. This may be blatantly obvious and I apologize for that. But am I correct in assuming that if I lined the bottom portion of the pot in pea gravel that there would be relatively no wicking action unless there was a lot of water supplied in the tray?
 
  • #35
A lot of orchid growers use styrofoam packing peanuts. That's what I generally do too, covered with a little coco fiber to keep the mix from settling around the peanuts and ruining the effect. It not only prevents wicking but also improves aeration. Sometimes I use angular rocks or pieces of broken pots for extra weight. But I always use the coco fiber to keep the orchid mix out.
 
  • #36
[b said:
Quote[/b] (Outsiders71 @ Aug. 20 2006,7:18)]But am I correct in assuming that if I lined the bottom portion of the pot in pea gravel that there would be relatively no wicking action unless there was a lot of water supplied in the tray?
Yes, I've experienced this phenomenon, lost a few plants from drying out while there was still some water in their tray, afterwards realizing that I had a layer of gravel in the bottom of their pots.
smile_k_ani_32.gif


I never did that again.
 
  • #37
[b said:
Quote[/b] (herenorthere @ Aug. 20 2006,3:28)]A lot of orchid growers use styrofoam packing peanuts. That's what I generally do too, covered with a little coco fiber to keep the mix from settling around the peanuts and ruining the effect. It not only prevents wicking but also improves aeration. Sometimes I use angular rocks or pieces of broken pots for extra weight. But I always use the coco fiber to keep the orchid mix out.
What do you mean by to keep the orchid mix out? I also have the cocofiber on hand.
 
  • #38
it sounds like he places the cocofiber over the peanuts to keep the orchid mix from setteling in around the peanuts and the peanuts mixxing in with the mix.  

Outsider I think your really over thinking growing orchids bro.  Chill out grab a cheap orchid and just grow it man.  Take what you already know and apply it.  You have been told everything you need to know in this thread.  Your doing what I do on a routine basis.  You try to over think things and have to know everything before you get started.  Its not a bad thing, but it does lead to getting way ahead of yourself.  Chill out take a breath and just grow it man.  You have to learn to crawl before you can walk.  Take the orchids you have and put them in a plastic pot with peanuts on the bottom and a standard orchid mix from lowes. and let it go.  Watch the plants.  Thats what I think masive merryclone plants are good for.  Learning curves for people because they can be easily replaced.

Well, I just reread your post again and you said you ordered cocchips.  OK those are good, but make sure you rinse the Heck out of them.  They are loaded with salt from what I hear.  Use them just like a standard mix from lowes.  Don;t go trying to do anythign fancy at first.  Remember you need to learn to crawl before you walk or run.  With orchids in the house and low humidity your going to need to water about every 2 days anyway.  Just water the entire plant and soak the pots in water for about ten min when you do water.  Just water in the AM so that water in the folds of the leaves will evaporate before night fall.  The biggest thing I find with orchids is that they ned air movement.  Have a fan on in the room to circulate air.  Orchids are rather addaptive plants.  Why do you think they are so successful in the wild?  The only reason they are getting endangered is from developement and over collecting, but they are the largest group of flowering plants in the world, and the only continent they are not found is antartica.  Your more than likely growing hybreds.  That is good because thye are already addapted to cultivation.  So Chill out bro.  Plant the orchids in the coco peat and then watch the plant.  If you find its getting disincanted after a few weeks try to water it more.  Provided the mix is drying out.  Sometimes you can over water and rot the roots then the plant looks like it is being under watered.  So there was just an important leason.  If you find a plant going down hill unpot and check the roots.

I will end this with a personal story.  You will be here too and be able to help someone else later.  I bought the most expencive orchid so far.  A paph Rothchildianum.  I paid 30 bucks for a 3 inch pot 4 leaf plant.  Rather small seedling, but like you I never wanted to start with expencive plants only to kill them.  So I took a chance.  I figured I had enough experience to risk the price.  I consider that expencive for a seedling.  Normal seedling cost at that nursery was 10 to 12 for a 3 inch pot.  Ok So I do as I normaly do and unpot it when I get home and went ahead and potted it in a 4 inch pot so I wouldn;t ahve to disturbe it later and it could grow.  I added some seedling mix I bought at a local nursery to the mix the plant came in and potted it up.  Well It was in that for about a week and I was watering as normal.  About every 2 days in my hot green house.  I don't have a wet wall to cool it so its routinely gets up to about 90+ in there even with all the fans and exhost fan running.  Well the lower most leaves started to die, and I was down to 2 leaves.  I started to think I just waisted my money.  So I asked questions on another board and while I was waiting for a responce I decided to unpot the plant.  Bam I found my answer.  Even though I was watering about every 2 days.  The mix was not holding any water. It was running thgouh and that was it.  The top 1/2 inch was wet, but everything else was bone dry!.  I took that mix and added some milled LFS and repotted.  I am proud to report the Roth is growing a new leaf and looks like a second fan will be getting started soon.  

So the leason there bro is don;t worry about killing an orchid that you only paid a few buck for.  It happens to the best of us.  Save your big purchases till you have experience and know how to read your plants.  I can;t stress that enough.  Learn the plants language.  Learn what to look for and what the different things your plant are doing mean.  Don't stress yourself out trying to grow orchids.  This is suposed to be something to enjoy not something to cause you greef.
 
  • #39
if you can grow D.Capensis you can usually grow a phal or even better a Oncidium
smile_n_32.gif
.
Alex
 
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