Just a Quick Hi

[Bleh]

Well i thought i would say hi,

I have never grown an orchid before, and then my mum out of the blue presents me with one for christmas. She got me a Phalaenopsis, which i gather is one of the easiest to grow and maintain (so hopefully i wont kill it).

Anyhoo, a pic of my orchid is in my avatar im not sure exactly what type of phalaenopsis it is dont know if anyone can tell from that picture or not..

thats all i can think of saying for now tbh ;D .. Edit -- adding a larger pic to this post

[desertgal]

Welcome Bleh, Very pretty Phal. You won't have just one for long as they are very addicting.

Katie

[Bleh]

hi desertgal, thanks for the welcome. I wanna make sure i can keep this one alive first

[mayres]

Key elements on phals.
1) Do not overwater - if unsure, wait 2-3 days. When you lift up the pot it should be noticeably lighter - read about the skewer method of determining how damp your plant still is if you need help on when to water.
2) Do not put in direct sunlight. Good INDIRECT lighting. If the leaves get warm to the touch from sunlight they will burn.
3) Recommend you feed weakly each time you water - use a fertilizer packaged for orchids at 1/2-1/4 the recommended rate.
Just a few thoughts to get you through the initial learning curve.
Enjoy your new plant - VERY NICE!
mike

[Bleh]

Thanks for the tips mayres, ill be sure to keep them in mind. I read about the skewer method earlier, and i think i have some bamboo in the shed i could use.

You guys got me excited about it now

[bomerman]

Hello Bleh...Welcome to the forum... Thats a very pretty Phal... I have one just like it. Just like desertgal said you won't just have one for long... And take mayres advice on how to take care of it. Well thats if for now hope to read more posts from you... Keep on Growing...

[Bleh]

thnx bomerman, i will take good care of it. Im out for the weekend so i have left my mum in charge of watering (i hope she follows instructions correctly). Will be buying some feed this weekend.

I think im already addicted. Im sitting here thinking about my phal :S is that strange? .. oh well, back to drinking

[Bleh]

does anyone know the exact name for my Orchid by any chance? I had a look in the orchid identification section, but cannot see anything which looks the same.

Thanks in advance

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

There are probably thousands of Phalaenopsis hybrids that look very much like yours, so an identfication will be quite impossible. But for you, it will always have its own personality, so give it your own name, like "Number One", or some such.

[Bleh]

lol, i think i shall name it

But i think it will have to be a manly name like erm... EarthCracker

Have a very merry christmas everyone