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[RockyTopReptiles]

Hello everyone,

Ive been into reptiles and amphibians for quite some time now and ive recently wanting to get into orchids, ive got one that was given to me that was in not so good shape. We trimmed all the dead leaves and roots back and re-potted it in hopes that it will make it. Now that ive started looking into orchids, ive decided to start growing them and possibly propagating them . My mom has a huge collection of succulents, daylillys, brugmansias, etc... so we will be trading for some (I hope). The only real question I have is do you all buy pre-made orchid soil or mix your own?


-Aric

[articuno75]

Hi Rockytop and welcome to the forum Nice to meet you.

A lot of us on the forum buy pre-maid medium, and a lot of us make our own, so it goes both ways. Many here are mad scientists who like to try different things and see what works best for them and their growing enviroments.

[kmarch]

I mix my own.

Check out Ortho's All About Orchids. This book contains a helpful section that describes (and shows pictures of) many different mix ingredients and tells what each does. This then helps you know what ingredients to mix to meet the cultural needs of various kinds of orchids.

[Debbie Hayden]

Aric, since I'm new at growing orchids, I chose to use an orchid mix especially for Phals.(since thats what I grow, so far). It already has the right components, and hopefully in the correct ratio. Good Luck!

[flowerchild]

Welcome to the forum Aric!!! What kind of reptiles do you keep? My passion is for orchids , but we also have 2 leopard gecko's, one who's name is actually Eragon(tubbie is her nickname cause she is 2" around and her tail is 1" around , the other is Isabella(skinny minny for short cause she came to us at 5 yrs old and 1/4 the size of Eragon who is only a year old). I hope you enjoy the forum and find lots of useful info, but I am sure that will happen!!!!

[RockyTopReptiles]

Originally Posted by flowerchild

Welcome to the forum Aric!!! What kind of reptiles do you keep?

Thanks for the welcome, here I currently keep ball pythons, carpet pythons, andean milksnakes, cornsnakes, bearded dragons, leopard gecko and a blue tongue skink. I also volunteer in the herpetology dept at the local zoo, so im around and work with a few hundred there!

[arleneg]

Hi & welcome to the forum, Aric!

I mostly make my own potting mix, usually has coconut products in it due to its moisture retentiveness. i live in a low humidity environment so I need to mix in something that retains a good amount of moisture.

[RockyTopReptiles]

Thanks for the welcome everyone, ive been researching orchids for the past few days now and I still have some questions.

Do I put the plants in a windowsill and watch the leaves to make sure they have the right amount of light, or can I put them outside on my porch during warmer months and use some sort of fabric to make a shade screen?

Do I water the plants good and wait for the soil to completely dry out before I water it more?

and my last question for now is, are they really hard to grow and get to bloom?

[RockyTopReptiles]

We wnt to a local orchid greenhouse today to look around and im blown away. I didnt realize there were so many orchids. I ended up getting a nice orchid with two "stems" with buds, the tag says its a (Dtps. Orglade's Benchmark x Phal. Spring silk) x Dtps. Orglade's Rose Apple. I was told this one needs medium light and to water it good after the soil drys out. Its sitting in the kitchen on a table in the middle of the room with a big sliding glass door there for natural light, will this be enough light? I also got pics of the orchid greenhouse I can upload on here if thats ok.

[kmarch]

Originally Posted by RockyTopReptiles

Do I put the plants in a windowsill and watch the leaves to make sure they have the right amount of light, or can I put them outside on my porch during warmer months and use some sort of fabric to make a shade screen?

The answer to these questions depends on what directions your windows face and what kinds of orchids you have. In North America, generally south windows are high-light, east and west windows are medium-high to medium (with the west windows usually being warmer), and north windows are usually medium to low light.

Different orchids have different light requirements. Phalaenopsis (your Dpts. is one of these) like medium light. They don't care for direct light, the prefer indirect. They would do well in an east or west window. If you put them in a south window, don't put them directly in the window or use a sheer that diffuses the light.

Originally Posted by RockyTopReptiles

Do I water the plants good and wait for the soil to completely dry out before I water it more?

Again it depends on the orchid. Some orchids want to dry out between waterings, but this habit will kill other orchids. Your Dpts. will want to be kept gently and evenly moist. Never soggy but never completely dry. Read the thread on the "skewer method," a way to help you tell if your orchid needs to be watered of not. One of the most common beginner mistakes is over watering.

Originally Posted by RockyTopReptiles

and my last question for now is, are they really hard to grow and get to bloom?

It depends on whether you give the orchids the culture and conditions they need. If you do, they will grow and bloom nicely for you. If you do not, they will struggle.

It sounds like you need ot get a good orchid culture book and probably some good culture sheets. I recommend Ortho's All About Orchids. It's the best book I know for beginners. Even after 10 years of growing, I still refer to it to refresh my memory on some cultural basics.

I also recommend you read the orchid culture sheets on the forum and at the American Orchid Society, especially the one on Phalaenopsis since oyu have one.

Give those culture sheets a read and if you have questions let us know. We'll be happy to help! We love to see people loving orchids!

[RockyTopReptiles]

Thanks for all the info. Ive got a nice big metal rack in one of my reptile rooms and want to turn one shelf into a plant rack for orchids, can I use artificial light? I only plan on getting Phalaenopsis and possibly some Paphiopedilum if they have the same light requirements? If I can what type of light should I use? Ive read about a double fixture with one cool tube and one warm tube working with orchids? Sorry if im asking so many questions, I think I may have been bitten by the orchid bug.

[pikevi]

Welcome to the forum, RockyTopReptiles.