[exasperatus2002]

Originally Posted by kmarch

san ghosh01, Sharyn and PhalPal are spot on. The first and most important thing when buying new orchids is to know the cultural conditions you already have in yoru home or growing space and then buy orchids that will thrive in those conditions.

WHAT CONDITIONS DO YOU HAVE TO OFFER?
LIGHT: Do you have high, medium, or low light? Are you growing in your home? Northern or Southern Hemisphere? If you are in the Northern Hemisphere, and of you have a south, south-west, or south-east window, you have a high-light space. If you have an east or west window, you have medium light spaces, if you have a north window, you have low light spaces.

TEMPERATURE: What are the night-time winter low temperatures in yoru space? What are your day-time summer high temperatures?
Here are the traditionally accepted night time minimums for the temp categories:

Cold - 50F or below (10C or below) minimum temp
Cool - 50-55F (10-13C) minimum temp
Intermediate - 55-65F (13-18C) minimum temp
Warm - 65-70F (18-21C) minimum temp
Hot - above 70C (above 21C) minimum temp

HUMIDITY & WATER: Some orchids need high humidity while others are happy with the ordinary humidity levels found in the average home. If you're growing in your home, you may want to avoid high-humidity orchids. The same with watering, some orchids want lots of water (constantly moist) while others like to dry out. Still other orchids need to be heavily watered or not watered at all depending on the season. So what kind of "waterer" do you think you should be? Are you a busy person who can't be bothered to remember to water? If so choose an orchid that is dry tolerant. Are you a meticulous person who is likely to pay attention to your orchid's watering requirements? If so you'll probably do well with just about any watering needs.

HOW TO SELECT A GOOD PLANT
Once you have found a plant (or plants) that need the same conditions you have to offer (and you'll probably have a lot to choose from):

LOOK AT THE LEAVES: They should be fresh and healthy looking, firm and clean. Sometimes a little spotting it normal but look at the undersides of leaves and in the tight areas of the pseudobulbs and leaves and see fi there are any signs of insects. If you see bugs, choose a different plant.

LOOK AT THE POTTING MIX: It should also be fresh looking and should not be muddy, or too broken down or decomposed. If the mix is broken down, roots could possibly be in poor health. Is the plant firm in its pot? A loose or wobbly plant could indicate poor or damaged roots.

LOOK AT THE TAG: The name of the orchid can give you a lot of information on how to grow it. Is it a species? A hybrid?

ASK QUESTIONS: Talk to the vendor about any plants you have questions about. Tell them what conditions you have in your growing area at home and ask for recommendations for plants that might grow well for you.

All that info should get you off to a good start. If you have other questions let us know and we'll see what we can do for you.

Happy growing!

Great info. I actually just joined your forum today looking for this lighting info. I live in Pennsylvania and have my orchids in a southern window but and looking for a new house which might not have a good southern exposure like I have now.