hello!

[pamelasusan]

Hello,

My name is Pamela and I am brand new here.


Four weeks ago my mother passed away. At her funeral my family received my flowers, including 2 beautiful orchids. One is an Onsidium(sp?) Mtssa. Olec Kanno, and the other a Dendrobium Rung Ru Red.

I am determined to keep them alive, but do not know anything about orchids. I've been following the suggested watering, but on the Rung u Red 2 small leaves are turning yellow while 2 large leaves are drying up and turning brown. What does this mean. I also don't know what type of fertilizer to buy. And one more question......will I need to repot them eventually?

Thank you for your time!

Pamela

[Tobi]

Hi and welcome to the forum Pamelasusan. Great people here with lots of
helpful information. As far as your Miltassia, it is a cross between Brassia
and Miltonia. I grow mine in a east to southeast window with filtered light
if in a south window. They like bright indirect light with temperature of 70-80
during the day and 58-60 at night. I water usually weekly during its growing
season (spring to late summer) and then cut back in the fall when blooming
finishes. You can use a skewer to determine when to water. They should
be on the verge of drying before you re-water. I fertilize every other week
during the spring and summer and cut back to once a month after that.
There are various fertilizers which can be recommended by the other
members. I personally use MSU (Michigan State University) fertilizer which
I buy on line through an orchid vendor. Give it good air circulation.
Good luck

P.S. The correct name of your Miltassia is Miltassia Olmec "Kanno"

[Sharyn]

Welcome to the forum Pamela and my condolences on the passing of your mother. I can understand your desire to keep those orchids alive and you will find plenty of help here on the forum.

I don't grow Oncidiums but I do have a number of dendrobiums. Here's a link to the AOS for some cultural information. Right now our winter is approaching and I've quit fertilizing the dens and gradually cutting down on the amount of water. They have been fertilized over the spring and summer with worm tea. Dens don't like nitrogen, you can use a balanced fertilizer like 20-20-20 or something similar. However, as I mentioned, here in the states, we've stopped fertilizing the dens for the winter period. You should update your profile to show your location so you get the proper information regarding your orchids. Good luck and nice to have you with us.
http://www.aos.org/aos/orchids/page01.aspx

[mayres]

Welcome Pamela - sorry for your family loss - hopefully these two orchids will bring many many years of enjoyment to you and remind you of the good things about your mom. You might check out the american orchid society culture sheets for oncidium and dendrobiums to get you well on your way. Here is the link - http://www.aos.org/aos/orchids/page01.aspx
Of course lots of great people here to help you as well.
Please update your profile to show where in the world you live - it will help as members give you advice as different climates have different culture.
Blessings - Mike