Greetings from the SF Bay Area

[maoandmee]

I'm not only new to this forum but also new to orchids. There were a few plants that would have been thrown out (most of the blooms have subsided) which seemed a shame so I adopted them and now have new worries...are they warm enough, cool enough, getting enough light & water, etc.

I'm not sure it if the orchids can handle the cooler SF Bay Area temperature - daytime temperatures inside are around 65-68 degrees and around 62 at night.

Through research on the internet, I've determine that I have:

1. Dendrobium - a handful of leaves yellowed but the most are still green
2. Cambria Plush
3. Penguin fides
4. Yellow Parade Alpine
5. Bllra Tahoma Glacier Green
6. White Phalaenopsis

I'm not sure if these are the best orchids for a beginner like me, but I'm more than willing to do what it takes to make them happy. Any and all helpful information and suggestions are most welcome.

[bonnober]

Hi fellow Bay Area person - I live in the fogbelt of Santa Cruz and have fair bloom results on my Phaels and Dens. I have a variety of orchids in the lighter corners (south/ southeast) of my house, and so far (2.5 yrs) I just care for them based on reading and intuition... I take em in the shower with me when they are dry (I have a shower head water filter), move em around when they ask me to. Look at them every day very very closely (for bugs and virus spots etc). Name them. Greet them in the morning. Fertilize them once a week - I really drench them with weak solution, and I kind of switch off which ones I use. Most are in moist gravel trays. Three are on wood. Some love to be in the bathroom window until they start to spike, then I put them in the living room near the wood stove, where it is warm in the winter. I'm considering a small greenhouse, or a grow light, as I'm not getting the blooming results I want.

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

The proper names are:

Dendrobium [need to know if 1) the leaves are leathery and stiff and there is evidence of the plant blooming out the top, or 2) the leaves ae thin and floppy, and there is no evidence the plant bloomed out the top, but maybe along the sides of the cane]
Vuylstekeara Cambria "Plush" FCC/RHS/AOS
Odontioda Lovely Penguin 'Fides' (???)
Odontioda Yellow Parade 'Alpine'
Beallara Tahoma Glacier ' Green'
White Phalaenopsis

You may want to add some info to some of your tags. I think all of these plants except the Dendrobium will need very bright but indirect light, or filtered 20% sun, which ever is workable. The Den will need something closer to 50% light. All should be watered just before going completely dry, except that the Den would like to get very dry when not growing or blooming (winter). Watering is critical, so read this:
Skewer use for watering of orchids
We need to know the type of Den you have to be able to talk about temperature, but the rest need the same temp all year, and your temps are good.

[maoandmee]

Thanks for the warm welcome bonnober and you know, I've already begun talking to them -- asking how they are or how was their day. I never thought I'd ever be caring for orchids but I'm actually quite excited at the idea that I just might be able to do this. I have fond memories of Santa Cruz. Many, many moons ago, I did my graduate studies at the University.

Many thanks for the proper names and the watering technique Cynthia. I'll definitely update my labels. I'm quite relieved to hear that my new buddies will tolerate the SF winter temperatures. I've placed my plants over a bed of stones with a bit of water but I was wonder if there is a simple way of gauging the humidity levels short of purchasing a special device?

As for the Dendrobium, it does have stiff leaves and they do feel kind of hard. The flowers are on a long stem at the top of the stalk. The flowers are a beautiful deep purple with a dab of white in the center. There are three stalks - one tall and two shorter ones -- all with leaves pretty much only at the top of each stalk. The rest yellowed and fell off (which was why the office manager at work was about to toss it). But there are still about a dozen blooms left on the long stem. Will those leave ever grows back?

Thanks for all your help!

[arleneg]

Hi & welcome, maoandmee!

The Den. leaves won't grow back where they fell off, but the cane will produce new cane with new leaves. As long as there's bloom on the cane with no leaves, or the cane is still green, it's fine.

I find it hard to gauge humidity without a hygrometer. So I bought one. You can buy one for $20 or less.

P.S. -- I'm a bay area transplant here in central valley...been here for about 2 1/2 years. I truly miss the peninsula weather!

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

Living where you do, I don't think humidity is ever going to b a problem. In Arizona, where I live, it is very a different thing, but still many people don't do anything special for humidy most of the time. The common orchids can pretty well adapt to less than perfect humidity. It just isn't that big a deal. It is much, much more inportant to worry about light and watering, assuming your temps are OK, which yours are. However, I would avoid the warmest growing Phals like violacea.

Your Den is a Phalaenopsis type or warm growing type. This is the easier of the two common type hybrids to grow. Same temperature all year. Dens don't hold their leaves very long. But leaves or no leaves, you want to have 3 mature canes in a row, sometimes 2 is OK, but preferably 3. So don't be tempted to remove old canes just because they have no leaves.

[maoandmee]

Thanks for all the info. I'm so glad this forum exists!! I'm learning so much from just reading other postings. I'll be watching my plants carefully and I'm sure you'll be hearing from me again.