New Orchid Mom!

[MidnightOrchid86]

Hi, my name is Krystal, and I'm new to Orchids! I have always thought that Orchids were beautiful (but hard to care for) flowers and so I never seriously considered getting one yet. Now, I have three. My first was given to me (healthy) on Feb 13th as a present from a close friend who knew I liked this flower but was afraid to spend the $25 on it in case I wasn't a good "Flower Mom". It was instant love. Three days ago I bought two more Orchids because they were being sold for only $10 a plant. They are slightly wilty in the leaves (hence the price decrease), but one has four big buds along the stalk, and the other was just starting to have droopy flowers. I don't mind if they lose their flowers because right now they are not the healthiest of plants, I just want to get them <i>back</i> into good health. For now I will just lurk and eventually may pop in with some questions. :-) Any and all beginners advice about how to rehab the sickly plants is appreciated. The leaves are dark green and some of them are kind of drooping, but there are two or three smaller, darker leaves below the large top leaves that are not droopy and I'd like to keep it that way! And the flowers are starting to droop on all but the sickly plant with the buds. They are a Phalaenopsis variety, so I don't know if this is regular dropping season or not? Thanks again! I'm glad to have found this place!

~~K

[BunnytheOrchid]

Welcome! I hope you find lots of useful information here, I definitely have I'm also fairly new to orchids (I got my first one about a year ago), but I believe that dark green leaves are a sign of too little sun/light. I've gotten those mixed up before , but I'm 99% sure dark leaves mean the plant needs more light. If the flowers are beginning to close and drop, you might want to take the plant out of its mix and check the roots. That will let you check the shape the roots are in and put it in a fresh mix. If the roots and leaves look relatively healthy, it may have just simply ended its flowering cycle. I hope this advice helps a little bit Good luck, I hope they turn around for the better!

[Rocinante]

Originally Posted by MidnightOrchid86

I have always thought that Orchids were beautiful (but hard to care for) flowers and so I never seriously considered getting one yet.
~~K

Welcome, Krystal! I too, thought the same. I told the saleswoman who sold me my first orchid, that I would probably kill it within a week. The lady said "Nah, these things thrive on neglect!" (That's not exactly true, but not a lie either.) So, since it was a charity drive for cancer research at Sloan Kettering Memorial Hospital, I bought one. I guess I paid about $20 for it. I have since found that they are pretty hardy survivors (unlike touchy Bonsai, with their sensitive root systems). And almost a year later I'm addicted! You will be too...
One small word of advice though, it is better for your sense of confidence to buy healthy plants, until you gain some more experience at orchid culture. And you don't have to pay so much! You can find healthy and cheaper at places like Trader Joe's or Home Depot for $14.99 and in some cases even less online.
If you check out some of the numerous Phalaenopsis posts on the board you will learn a lot. Read the sticky on how to upload pictures (it's easy).Post a few more times so you can upload some pictures of your ailing Phal. From there, there are numerous orchid pros here on board more than willing to help you with their expertise.

[articuno75]

Hi Krystal and welcome to the forum

You know it starts with one, then two, then a few, and before you know it you have what we call the orchid addicts sickness. Very nice illness indeed, and I see that it spread fast for you.

When I first started I thought the same way. I think everyone here as started out thinking "They're too hard to care for." A lot of people think this and truthfully I think more people would have them if thought otherwise. Follow the culture sheets, read the threads and ask questions.

We're here to help.

[arleneg]

Hi & welcome to the forum, Krystal.

Yes, orchids are addicting! Within 4 years, I went from 1 to 100+ (lost count)! But I truly enjoy all my 'chids. I'll be adding a few more by end of next week.

[dipasquo]

Hello - welcome! I brought my first orchid (also a Phalaenopsis) home about 18 months ago (it was a wedding centerpiece give-away), so I'm still very much a beginner. Now I have about 30 that I have accumulated from various places. I have had a number of people give me orchids that they'd bought at Trader Joe's after the flowers were spent and I've had no luck with them. They have grown very little if at all, and some of them have simply failed entirely. Maybe it's just me, but I've heard from people who know much more than me that plants that make their way to big chain stores frequently come from places where the plants are over-bred and where they are selected for being cheap and easy for the grower not necessarily hearty and long-lived plants.

On the other hand, plants that I have bought for not much more money at boutique plant stores have done much better. In fact my favorite place to shop for bargains is the "second hand" rack at these stores where I buy post-flowered plants for just a few bucks each. I've had good luck re-blooming plants that I've rescued from places like this. I'm pretty lucky to have a bunch of good choices around me, but I'd encourage you to see what you can find in terms of a local shop. You'll also likely to get a lot more help from the proprietor of a local plant store on what kind of plants might be a good fit for you.

Enjoy!

[fred]

hi MidnightOrchids86

welcome to the forum
please click the link below and download the Culture Sheet from the AOS

American Orchid Society - Orchids

I hope that helps you

[PhalPal]

Hi Midnightorchids86!! Welcome to the forum. I too think you should take your orchid out of the pot and look at the roots. Leaves will droop if they are dehydrated, but sometimes no matter how much you water it won't help because there are no roots to absorb water. Healthy roots are round and plump, usually green. Bad roots are brown/black and flat. Go to American Orchid Society to download culture sheets on basic care for your Phal as a start.
I look forward to talking with you more!

[Tobi]

Hi and welcome to the forum Krystal. I agree that you should examine the root system
on your Phals. If they are not healthy, as PhalPal stated, you are not getting sufficent
water and nutrients to your plants. Please post some pics when and if you can, so we
can see the condition of your 'chids.