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04-23-2008, 09:49 AM
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| My first Orchid! This morning my two bosses gave me the most beautiful orchid for admin proffessionals day. It is a Dendrobium grown by Costa Farms in Florida. I have no idea how to begin to take care of it. For starters it came in a plastic cup (sleeve) with holes in the bottom, set into a clay pot, with something that looks like spagetti as a medium. Am I supposed to plant it in the clay pot? It is in full bloom with more blooms not opened yet.      |
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04-23-2008, 02:27 PM
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| Congratulations on your first orchid! Try this site for basic culture sheets to get you started: AOS | Home Feel free to ask when you have more questions or concerns; this is a great group of 'geeks to guide you through orchid parenthood.
__________________ "If Nothing Ever Changed, We Wouldn't Have Butterflies." |
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04-23-2008, 04:44 PM
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| Oh dear! Your bosses have no idea what stress they may have exposed you to! Once in contact with orchids, you are infected for life! You could sue them for stress! We have loads of experts who can point you in the right direction for dendrobiums! Just don't stop at that species Judi xxx |
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04-23-2008, 05:11 PM
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| Hi Kham07734 and welcome to the forum. First of all before you can post a pic, which will be helpful as to what type of Dendrobium you have, can you tell us where the blooms are coming from. Are they along side the nodes on the cane or are they on a long stem (inflorescense) at the top of the leaves? Dendrobiums require different care depending on what type you have. If you have a name on the tag that would also help us to determine the proper care for it. From what you are telling us about the media, it sounds like it could be in some type of sphagnum or coconut-husk fiber.. But once again a picture would be really helpful if you can post one.
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04-23-2008, 05:26 PM
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| run away! run away!  very quickly, no, you don't need to repot it. dens in general like to be a bit pot bound. it was likely in the plastic pot at the nursery, and was put in the cache pot to make it look nice and keep it from tipping over. are there holes in the clay pot? if not, you will need to take it out of the clay to water it; don't let it sit in water. if it was shipped from FL, it's probably dried out; take it to the sink, pull the plastic pot out, and pour several cups of tepid water through it. it will run right out--that's fine. let it drain a few minutes and then it can go back in the clay pot. do you have a window or are you under flourescents?
__________________ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ http://www.oneplusyou.com/q/v/caffeine ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Apart from the utility of binomials for standardizing reference for effective communication, Laelia Speciosa is a tad easier to pronounce and spell than its Atzec name chichiltictepetzacuxochitl." --Alec Pridgeon |
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04-23-2008, 05:29 PM
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| Congrats on your first orchid and welcome to our nutty family. I look forward to hearing more about your orchid, and pictures of it too. |
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04-23-2008, 10:17 PM
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| Hello, this forum will help you out so much! Since I joined it last week I have spent all my free time that was not devoted to studying, my son, and the orchids- reading all the posts old and new. In comparison to the other orchid forums I have come across -this one is by far the bestest! I just can't stop reading posts! I'm sure you'll probably find yourself in the same position and before you know it you'll have a room full of orchids!
__________________ Kortney "Nani ga miemasu ka"-White, Tekkonkinkreet http://kidaorchids.blogspot.com/ |
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04-23-2008, 11:17 PM
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| Quote:
 Good to have you with us! Look forward to chatting with you!!!
__________________ Patti  |
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04-23-2008, 11:38 PM
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| Hi kham07734  welcome to the forum I hope that you enjoy your stay here with us  we have a great caring lot of members with heaps of knowledge so don't be shy ask all the questions that you need to  we are all here to help you with advice |
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04-24-2008, 12:12 PM
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  Wow! I didn't know they had given me a another child to raise. Just when I thought I was getting finished! My orchid is long and lanky and has loads of blooms shooting out a long stem about 16". It has about 5 unopened blooms and I think one opened yesterday, sometime after I got the plant in the morning. I hope this to be a sign that it likes it here. I have a large window in my office which you will see in the pic. I'm concerned about the air conditioning though. I was looking at low end desktop fountains which I was wondering if one nearby would help provide the orchid with the humidity it will need and giving me an excuse to buy a fountain. I'm not sure of it's name but think it resembles a pink burana that I saw on the net. The blooms are actually more purple than pink.. |
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04-24-2008, 12:34 PM
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| Welcome to the forum!! Your den looks similar to my Den Cleopatra and my Den Karen. The only difference is yours are slightly bigger and a little more white. It is beautiful though!!
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04-24-2008, 02:53 PM
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| What a beautiful flower!! Don't let us orchid crazed characters scare you, but keep in mind that many of us started with one little innocent orchid from work! They are enchanting plants and I am sure someday soon it will be discovered that they put off some type of airborne narcotic that just makes us HAPPY. The best part is....you don't need to send an orchid to college or pay for it's wedding.
__________________ "If Nothing Ever Changed, We Wouldn't Have Butterflies." |
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04-25-2008, 04:30 PM
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| Hi and welcome to the forum!!! I have 9 Dens (I think, lost count  ) I give them tap water and they're fine, growing new growths now and everything. 
__________________ Jenny~  |
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04-25-2008, 04:57 PM
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| Very lovely Den. You have a Phalaenopsis type Dendrobium (NOT a Phalaenopsis). It doesn't need a winter rest like the nobile type do. Water when almost dry and feed about every other week when in bloom or actively growing new canes. Needs lots of bright light to rebloom and good air circulation is always a plus. It would be difficult to identify since there are so many crosses with that color unless you had a specific ID from the grower. Enjoy because once it gets used to its environment, it will grow and can bloom 2-3 times a year with the right culture.
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04-26-2008, 02:18 AM
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| Thanks for the info Tobi! I have a few Phal-type Dends and I had no idea they could bloom more than once a year. That's an exciting thought! |
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04-26-2008, 10:20 AM
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| I think you should definitely take it home so that it doesn't get lonely at weekends Also someone may unintentionaly drown it should you go on holiday! Also, you may find that it should have another orchid companion, or 2, or 20! to keep it company |
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04-26-2008, 11:46 AM
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| Kham07734 - When I lived in Cinci (Hyde Park), I used to water my orchids with tap water. I only had 2 phals and an oncidium then, but they all did well. If I remember, the water was not that bad. Very nice flower on that too. Welcome aboard! |
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04-26-2008, 01:37 PM
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| I bought some orchids from a breast cancer sale at work about 4 weeks ago. I won't tell you how many I have now. Orchid love can strike suddenly. LOL! |
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04-26-2008, 05:56 PM
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| Well, I have several orchids and 8 children. You can imagine how much time my plants receive! I really DO love these plants and want to do "right" by them. Additionally, I care for my 82 year old Mom, who has just developed a love of the orchid. We now collect them together! For the past couple of years I have "rescued" dens from the grocery store. They are done blooming and I have them in a window facing NW--in hot Florida sun. The tiny glass square containers are only 3inches by 3 inches. The plants look really fine and I water regularly, but the medium is now getting algae in it. If they looked bad I would attempt my first repotting, but they look good. New shoots are coming off the sides. What do you all think? |
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