And another newbie here...

[sandra]

Hi all. I've just started buying orchids for the first time. I live in So. Fla., where the weather is great for these beauties but I'm a little (alot) unsure of taking care of them. I've been reading a lot of posts here and have gotten a lot of tips and advice....so glad I found this site. I've recently purchased a dendrobium that was in a 4" plastic container. I transferred it (very carefully) to a 5" clay pot and used medium sized bark. The plant is flowering and flowering....looks beautiful.

The one question I haven't been able to find the answer to is HOW MUCH WATER to give it next weekend. I haven't watered it yet as it was drenched when I purchased it. And when I do water it, should the watering be around the plant, away from the center and on the bark chips?

As well, I bought 2 Phalaenopsis or Paphiopedilum. I don't recall which these were. There wasn't a tag on either plant and no flowers. I bought them at WalMart - they were having a sale and another customer who said he was an avid grower of these, said they were in excellent condition and would start blooming in a few months. As well, I repotted these from 6" to 8" pots, cut back all the rotted, soggy roots and surrounded them both with lots of orchid bark mix. I haven't watered these either and when I do, how much water do I give to these sized potted, potential beauties...if I don't do something wrong first?

I obviously know not enough yet but don't want to become defeated by doing something wrong before I even start out. Thanks to all in advance for your advice!

Sandy

[sandra]

Sorry to have posted this question that seems to have been answered numerous times before. I just found the answers to these questions......skewers!!!!

[mayres]

Did you soak the bark before hand? If not, you will probably want to soak your pots in a container of water for awhile each time you water until the bark gets conditioned to start uptaking more water. Also, generally orchids want to be in as small of pot as the roots will fit - especially dens and phals. Too large of pot on phals generally means the contents do not dry out fast enough and you get root rot. The dens like to be crowded in order to encourage bloom. Yes, skewers are great for the beginner to learn when the media inside the pot is actually dry. Once you have done it for awhile you will be able to tell by the weight of the pots. enjoy! mike

[sandra]

Thanks much Mike for this tip. Are you saying, potted plant and all in water? How high should the water reach and for how long should I keep them submersed?

Though the pots are larger than the ones the plants came in, not by much except for one. There wasn't enough room to surround the den thoroughly with bark but for the 2phals, there was about a fingers worth (or a little more) to work with. I packed all the plants very tightly on Saturday....should I take them out and repot in smaller containers?

And one more question if I might. One of the phals roots appeared completely rotted....no healthy appearing roots whatsoever. (The plant itself looks healthy but what do I know? There are 2 new shoots/leaves and so far, so good.) I carefully removed all the old bark, cut back the roots to maybe a 1/2 inch and then potted in new bark, new container. Should I have done more than this? Should I have run this part of the plant under water or cleaned them with some sort of solution?

[kmarch]

Dear Sandra,

I see you have a giant, frisky cat as your avatar. Just last Sunday, I was watering orchids in my bathtub (as one does) and stepped into the bathroom only to find our black cat Oscar with a suprised look on his face and his nose about 1cm from a thoroughly chewed dendrobium leaf.

With about 500 orchids and only 2 cats you'd think the cats would be out numbered. Not so.

-Kevin

[sandra]

What a cute little story Kevin. I loved it!

Well, so far for me it's 2 cats and 3 orchids! Once I get into something though, it'll soon be a ratio closer to yours. My two girls, Lilly and Bunny (cats) had to check out the orchids as soon as I put them on the patio and they've decided to let them live. Now all I have to do is figure out a way to keep them living and once I know what I'm doing, there will be no stopping me!

P.S. By chance, do you happen to know the answer to my watering question?

[mayres]

When soaking I would let the container of water slowly come up near the top level of the bark. Living in Florida you might have a challenge keeping your phals in bark? I don't know this personally, but I have heard that with all the warm weather in your area it could be challenging - you will potentially have to water more than those of us who live in cooler climates - but be careful not to overwater too - note the skewer method that is noted in this forum. Eventually, if you continue to grow phals, you might want to experiment with another media or two with your phals - so far it sounds like you are doing the right thing. If the humidity stays up to descent levels your damaged roots should quickly grow back. After 4-5 times of soaking your bark you will probably be able to just pour a good quantity through and the bark will retain an acceptable quantity? If you continue to soak the importance is to occastionally run lots of water through to wash out extra mineral accumulations. Some people like to add a few drops of Superthrive (root stimulant) to their watering - especially when a plant needs some help in recuperating from previous use. The extra pot size at this point is going to depend upon your expertise in watering accordingly - sticking a bamboo skewer into the media where your roots are at will help you determine if the center of the pot is adequately dry to prevent additional root rot.
On the subject of cats, I have all my mother's cat chewed orchids - they look like they have been through a war! :-) As orchids grow rather slowly it takes many years to visually recover from this kind of battle - from which the cats always win. Good luck and enjoy! mike