Tuckins1
Ideal_Rock
- Joined
- Apr 13, 2008
- Messages
- 8,614
WOW!! impressive photographic collection!justginger|1356698179|3341362 said:My BIL is an orchid enthusiast, but he doesn't grow them - he finds them in nature. He produces yearly calendars of them and everything, not unusual for him to drive 5 hours each way to get a photograph of a particularly rare orchid.
This is his page, in case you're interested in looking as much as you are growing: http://orchids.chookman.id.au/
ChronoChrono|1356721427|3341600 said:I joined 2 orchid forums but have not been active for the past few years since I've been able to get my orchids to bloom year after year. I'll have to go digging around to see if I have the forum names.
ETA
Big Leaf Orchids
Orchid Forum Orchid Care Wild Orchids
they get about 2 hrs of morning sun from the east. i don't know the answers to the rest of your Qs...Chrono|1356747753|3341920 said:Too many variables for a single recipe.
Type of orchid? Each orchid type has very specific and different needs.
What is the potting medium?
How much light does it get, when and from what direction?
How high or low is the humidity?
All the conditions above will dictate how much to water, when and even how to water your orchids.
Tuckins1|1356695412|3341345 said:I am a (very) amateur orchid grower, and I am looking to become more knowledgeable. I tried to Google some forums, but i'm not sure which one is the best. Which ones do you use (if any)? Thanks for the advice!
Cut it off at the base...Tuckins1 said:How do you deal with the flower spike after the blooms fall off?
Tuckins1|1356820683|3342446 said:I have a few Phals... I have had them for around 5 years or so. One of them has sprouted 2 clone plants, and one has actually bloomed. My problem is once the blooms all fall off, I can never get them to bloom again. I have re-potted in a good orchid potting medium, I water as often as needed, never letting them get totally dry and crispy, but net keeping them super wet. They get indirect sunlight (south/ west facing side of the house) all day long. The leaves are a healthy color, and they are sprouting new, strong looking roots. I think my problem is what to do with the old, dead roots. Prune them? How much? How?
Tuckins1|1356887972|3342877 said:I have tried cutting the spike, leaving at least 3 nodes. (I watched some videos on youtube.) They never re-bloom, and the spike always ends up shriveling and dying. Am I broken? Is it something that I am not doing right to get them to re-bloom?
I don't know the humidity, but the ones in the kitchen fare batter than the ones upstairs, I think due to moisture in the kitchenChrono|1356911936|3343131 said:Tuckins1|1356887972|3342877 said:I have tried cutting the spike, leaving at least 3 nodes. (I watched some videos on youtube.) They never re-bloom, and the spike always ends up shriveling and dying. Am I broken? Is it something that I am not doing right to get them to re-bloom?
Let's try something a little different this time if it ever blooms again - leave the spike untouched. In the meantime, can you share a few growing details?
1. How much sunlight and how strong?
They get south/sw facing, indirect sunlight all day long
2. How many leaves and how long and broad?
They have 6 leaves each, 8-10 inches long (approx) and 2-3 inches wide
3. What is your day and night temps?
Daytime temp is 70-72, nighttime is approx 68
4. Do you fertilize? How much, how often and with what?
I have orchid fertilizer, but rarely use it
5. Do you know the humidity level where the orchids are?
Chrono|1357148783|3345537 said:Your plants sound very healthy. There are several possibilities of why they are not flowering:
1. Insufficient light
Seems like they are getting enough light from your description though. Are they getting about 12 hours of sunlight? Are the leaves a bright green or dark green? Dark green means they are not getting enough light. If they are looking a bit reddish or blotchy, then they have sunburn and need to be shaded more.
The leaves are a fairly bright/ medium green tone. No dark splotches.
2. Nutrition
Can you take a look at the fertilizer and tell me the type? There are 3 basic "readings" which are Nitrogen - Phosphorus - Potassium. N is for leaf growth. P is for root and flowering, K is general growth. You can use 30-10-10 if potted in bark and 20-20-20 for other types of potting medium. You can do it every week with your usual watering, only that it must be very diluted. Flush once a month with plain water to prevent salt buildup.
I have a few types of fertlizer, none of them say N, P, or K. The bottle just says "Orchid Food" for growth, so I guess it would just be "K"...
3. Temperature change
Spiking tends to occur in response to a cooler temperature change. Your temperature looks to be too constant. Have the temperature at night in the low 60s for a few weeks before bring it back up to the low 70s. I've read recommendations as low as in the 50s but I've never heard of the tropics ever being that cold at night.![]()