| Phalaenopsis and Cattleya are good to start with. Both are easy to grow and should bloom under home conditions. Rather than starting off with seedlings, which can take a few years to mature (depending on what you mean by seedling), I would suggest that you start with a blooming Phalaenopsis or two. You should be able to get these at a local Home Depot, Trader Joe's, or similar store for $15 or less per plant. That way there'll be no surprises, you'll have instant gratification, and you can practice taking care of them before moving on to more finicky plants or seedlings. The other advantage of doing it this way is that while you're waiting for your seedlings to grow up, your phals will bloom reliably every year.
And with regard to watering, it's not the watering that's challenging, it's leaving the plant alone until it actually needs water again that's a challenge for most people with just a few plants. Once you get your plants, put a post on the forum and people here can give you more info and answer your questions. Welcome to the world of orchid growing!
Last edited by Ellen; 06-10-2006 at 10:53 PM.
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