By July, most spring blooming orchids have completed their flowering cycles and most orchid plants are in a growth cycle, producing new leaves and roots needed to generate the energy they need for next spring’s bloom cycle. Continue reading “It’s hot in July!”
Category: culture tips
If you are a grower of orchids and wish to make your orchid plants thrive and rebloom, orchid culture might be an important topic to you!
Time for Phalaenopsis spikes!
Most Phalaenopsis plants naturally bloom in the spring. Of course you see them in the stores year-round, but most of those plants have been forced by the grower to bloom out of season. Even those will revert back to blooming in the spring for you. Continue reading “Time for Phalaenopsis spikes!”
Repotting a Phalaenopsis
Improper potting kills more home-grown orchids than any other factor. Potting for your conditions is the most important orchid-growing skill you can develop.
This is the first repotting video and several more will follow. I started with Phalaenopsis for multiple reasons, primarily because more than half of the orchids in cultivation are Phalaenopsis. Also, Phalaenopsis are very easy to repot so it made sense to start here. I intend to follow up with repotting videos for Cattleyas, Oncidiums, and Dendrobiums.
To repot a Phalaenopsis we will need a plant, a pot, and some mix. In many cases removing the mix from the roots will be more involved than it is in this video; be patient, remove any rotted roots, and be carefull with the healthy roots. Before you begin, wash your hands carefully, especially if you have handle other orchid plants. Viruses are easy to transfer from one plant to another during repotting.
The size of the pot is very much dependent on the size of the mass of the remaining healthy roots, which we do not want to damage. But also, do not be tempted to overpot. I prefer to use pots no larger than about 6″ or 6 1/2″ for Phalaenopsis. Larger pots tend to stay too wet in the middle, which can rot the roots and kill the plant. If you cannot fit the rootball into the pot without damaging the roots, you may have to do some root pruning.
What media should I use?
This is a common question but a tough one to answer without including the words “it depends…”. Continue reading “What media should I use?”
Pots and other containers
I think it is safe to say that most orchids are grown in pots. While other types of containers might be more appropriate for some types of orchid plants (wooden or plastic baskets and various kinds of mounts to name a couple), pots are widely available, inexpensive, and easy to use. Continue reading “Pots and other containers”
Orchid Potting Introduction
While potting orchids might sound simple, there are several important things to consider if you want to be the best grower you can be. Orchid potting is one of the most important skills a good grower must master. Continue reading “Orchid Potting Introduction”
Dendrobiums
One huge family of orchids that is often overlooked by home orchid growers is the Dendrobium family. This family is extremely diverse and very widespread in Asia and while some might not be suitable for your collection, other definitely are.
Continue reading “Dendrobiums”