hi, new to orchids

[storm143]

Hi everyone. I am pretty new to growing orchids but am beginning to get hooked. Unfortunately I don't know what I have as I inherited a collection of about 20 orchids and even more cacti from a friend who died recently and suddenly.
I knew nothing about orchids, but these were my friend's pride and joy. Though he loved sharing his orchids, he never troubled his friends with the details. When I first got them, the leaves were dark green but now they are a lighter, more vibrant green. Many have added new leaves, and several that seemed dead have come back to life. It is amazing to see this change and know that I at least have a chance of carrying on my friends legacy of sharing the beauty of orchids. I read one article that said the best approach is to keep a close watch on the condition of the plant and adjust watering schedules as needed. It is invigorating to see how quickly they respond to changes in their surroundings and care.
I have been watering about every five to seven days, and they seem to like it that way. I have been keeping them near south facing windows, but not directly in the window to minimize any possibility of scorching. So far I haven't seen any negative reaction to that, and I have had them over three months now. But I need to learn more about the best methods of caring or them, which is what brought me here.

[kmarch]

Dear Storm,

Welcome to the forum. Lots of friendly folks here and lots of experiences to share so you should be able to get help here.

It sounds like you're headed in the right direction with your plants. Only 3 months is not much time to know if they like what you're givign them but if some of them are growing it's a good sign.

You can find out what types of orchids you have either by posting pics of them (we can at least tell you what genus they are or what family of orchids they're in) or if you know what the blooms look like, look through our photo galleries for flowers that look similar.

Once you know what you have you can go to the American Orchid Society website (www.aos.org) and download free culture sheets to learn how to take care of your plants. You may find you're already givign them what they like best!

And finally if you have questions, ask, ask, ask!

[Tobi]

Hi and welcome Storm. Sounds like you got quite a little collection there.
Sorry to hear about the passing of your friend. I'm sure he will be happy with
your care of his orchids as I'm sure you will develop the passion that we share
growing them. The advice that Kevin gave you will definitely get you started
towards good growing for them. Did your friend have any tags in his collection
to help us identify them?

[storm143]

Nope, no tags- I'm flying blind. My friend Daniel knew each one by heart and never troubled his friends with the details. He also had a night blooming Sirius (sp?) that had recently flowered. I'm planning to get some pictures so maybe some folks here can help me identify them.