it seems to be dying >.>;

[gummie_sourball]

oh-kay though i'm not new to a forum posting, i am new to growing orchids. my husband got me an orchid plant that's about two and a half to three feet tall. it's flowers are yellow with a purple-brownish spots. i have no idea what kind of orchid it is, but the directions that came with it i don't think are right because it's already starting to wilt and i've only had it for about three weeks. can anyone tell me what's the best way to care for it and what kind of orchid it is? (also two of the blooms have wilted and i've cut them off but it dosen't seem to be helping >.<;; )

[janet_a]

first of all we need to play Name That Orchid. go here

Orchid Photo Identification Guide

and see if you see anything similar.

second, is it just the flowers that are wilting or the whole plant? if it's just the flowers, don't worry; you don't know how long it was in bloom before you got it--it just may be finishing blooming. if it's the whole plant, it may be one of two things: not enough water, or too much water. or it could be other things.

helpful, ain't it?

tell us a few more things--what kind of pot, how big, what kind of stuff does it look like it's potted in, what kind of conditions do you have it in (facing which direction? window or artificial light? humidity? no humidity?) and we can take some more shots at what the problem may be.

can you post a pic of the plant?

[gummie_sourball]

i didn't think to look at the tag...luckely my husband did though. it's a cymbidium orchid. i've still got it in the pot that it came in (which is just one of those plastic pots with a drain pan on the bottom and it's only about half a foot.) because i don't have the right kind of potting soil for it. the soil that it's in though looks like it's mossy with bits of tree bark. it's sitting in my living room facing east (but i keep the blinds mostly closed because we're gone all day and don't want creepy people looking into our house) i live in florida so it's very humid here. it's also not just the flowers that are wilting, it's also the leaves near the tops (it's about three or four of them and they're brown almost a fourth or fifth of the way down.)
i got the plant on valentine's day last month and was following the directions the florest had told my husband. (he said to leave five ice cubes at the bast of the plant to slowly melt each sunday) but when that didn't seem to be helping, i tried to just water it last sunday by giving it about three fourths of cup of water. i don't wanna kill it... T_T

[kmarch]

Hi gummie and welcome to the fourm.

First thing, forget almost EVERYTHING the florist said. I've come across some amazing and strange urban myth-like recommendations for growing orchids, things like put them in a bag under your kitchen sink for a month or put them in your cellar in the winter. I have no idea where these things come from. Yet in one respect, the florist is sort of on the right track with the ice (more on that later) although he/she does miss the target Lets start over at the beginning.

In Florida you could grow your Cymbidium outdoors all year. You'd only need to bring it in on those rare occasions when you get a frost or freezing rain. Cymbidiums like lots of light and so it might not like all the shade it is getting indoors. Have you got a place outdoors where it could get bright, dappled light? Not direct noon-time burning sun but maybe bright indirect light like on the east side of your house?

The best time to repot your Cymbidium is after it blooms. Go to a reputable orchid nusery or other large nusery that sells orchids or orchid growing supplies, there are loads of them in Florida, look one up in the yellow pages or online. Get some medium to large size bark mix suitable for Cymbidiums and a pot, black or clear plastic (clear if available because it will be easier to see if the roots are doing well). How big a pot? Well it depends on how big your plant is. Pick a pot that is big enough to allow for about 2 inches from your bulbs to the edge of the pot.

If the orchid mix you buy is dry, soak it for a few hours before repotting your Cymbidium. Pull the plant out of the old pot and look at the roots. Are they white-ish and crispy looking or are they brown-ish and mushy? White and crispy are good, healthy roots. We will hope this is what you find. If you find any brown mushy ones, gently pull or snip them off. Don't pull mix off if it is stuck to the roots as you don't want to damage good healthy roots but some mix may fall away. Let it go.

When putting the roots in the new pot and mix, I hold the plant and pot with one hand (a bit of a trick if the plant is big) lettin the roots hang down into the pot and drop mix in with the other, occasionally banging the pot on the table to settle the mix in around the roots without me pushing it in and brusing good roots. When i have enough mix in, I press the mix down around the edges of the pot to firm it up a little more. I find this technique (which I learned from someone somewhere, I can't now remember) allows me to get the plant firmly anchored in the new pot/mix without crushing any good roots.

It will soon be the time (if it hasn't already) for Cymbidiums to start sending up new shoots. You might see one at the base of one of the mature bulbs. Cymbidiums like lots of water when they are growing. Water it at least once a week in the summer when it is hot and the plant is growing. Don't let the plant completely dry out. Forget the 3/4 cup thing. Pour lots of water in the top of the pot until it comes out the bottom. You could fertilize too at this stage.

Throughout the spring and summer you should get a new growth. Cymbidiums usually bloom once a year and it is the cooling off of autumn that triggers their blooming and they bloom in winter and early spring. In Florida this may not happen until winter (perhpas some of the Florida growers could add comments here). This is where the ice somes in. If your autumn is staying too warm, your Cymbidium might not bloom. To try to simulate the cool autumn nights, some people put ice on top of the mix (not touching the plant) in the evening and the melting ice cools the roots and the air around the base of the plant which is where the flower spike will grow. So while the florist had the right idea, the time was all wrong. Don't use ice when the plant is in bloom, only use it in the autumn/winter and even then only if the temps are not dropping. Why the florist said to do it on Sunday is a mystery. I don't know what is important about icing a plant on Sunday.

Now that oyu know how to take care of your Cymbidium, lets address the fading flowers and yellowing leaves. It is very possible you received your orchid in full flower, correct? The blossoms last only so long, like all flowers, and fade and drop off. It is very possible you received the plant when the flowers only had about 3 weeks of life left in them. Cymbidium flowers can last 2 months or more. Don't worry about the fading flowers. Once the flowers are gone and the stem has dried up, you can cut it off.

Fading leaves are sometimes normal and sometimes a sign of trouble. If the dying leaves are on an old growth, this is common. I just had an old growth on one ofmy Cymbidiums loose all of its leaves. If the roots look healthy when you repot or if the dying leaves are on an old growth i would not worry. If the dying leaves are on a new growth or if you find many rotted roots the plant needs some help. Repotting and finding a place where the light is better will help. Others may have some other additional advice ot post here so look for their comments as well.

Is all of that helpful? I hope so and hopefully this time next year you'll be telling us how beautifully your Cymbidium has rebloomed for you!

Cheers,

-Kevin

[Vivienne]

Kevin - thank you for all the information. I too have a valentine gift Cymbidium that really needs to be repotted. Something I have been rather nervous to undertake... currently waiting for the blooms to fade. Your information certainly helps ease my anxiety.

-Vivienne

[kmarch]

Dear Vivienne,

It's a pleasure to be helpful. I too was pretty nervous about repotting about the first zillion times I did it. I still don't enjoy repotting Cymbidiums mostly because they are bigger plants and it can be a real chore. Fortunately Cymbidiums are pretty tough plants with big thick roots so can handle a bit of abuse.

Have you hooked up with a good orchid society in your area? Most orchid societies I know of have a potting workshop about once a year or every other year to give hands-on practice. Some orchid shows and festivals also will give demonstrations.

One thing that helped me get over my fear of repotting was seeing how much better many of my plants did after I repotted.

Cheers,

-Kevin

[Vivienne]

Kevin - no to joining the local society. They meet on Saturdays and I generally work Saturdays. I do have a local Orchid shop that I've spoken to about it. I think I will probably head down there for some assistance with the Cym. I'm fairly comfortable with repotting my Phals, but this Cym is a big project!

- Vivienne

[Sharyn]

Vivienne: Love the Cym. I wish I had room for them - they're so gorgeous. I'm still feeling my way around and haven't included any cyms. in my collection. Yours look great. Keep up the good work and keep us informed.

[gummie_sourball]

Originally Posted by kmarch

Hi gummie and welcome to the fourm.

First thing, forget almost EVERYTHING the florist said....

Is all of that helpful? I hope so and hopefully this time next year you'll be telling us how beautifully your Cymbidium has rebloomed for you!

Cheers,

-Kevin

first off, thank you so much for all the information. orchids are one of my favorite flowers and i really didn't want to kill the first plant i actually got. about the putting ice on the plant on sunday thing: the florist had told my husband that i was suppose to put ice cubes on it every sunday as a way of watering it (meaning watering it only once a week) and doing it that way wouldn't cause me to flood it and make it wilt. i'm not too sure about putting it outside for two reasons though: one, the area i live in dosen't have a lot of shade anywhere except on the front porch (which faces east ironicly....) and secondly, i live in a bit of a bad area and i'm worried about it getting stolen....although my neighbor does have some hanging plants outside that have been there for awhile and they seem to be okay, so it might not be a bad idea....also the tag i got with the plant says it needs "30-10-10" fertilizer in the spring and summer and "6-30-30" fertilizer in the fall and winter once a month. is that the correct kind and how often i need to fertilize it? and when i first re-pot it, would it be a good idea just to plant it in fertilizer instead of potting soil? (i'm not sure because that's what i've done with all my other plants and they're doing pretty well from it)

[janet_a]

Originally Posted by gummie_sourball

also the tag i got with the plant says it needs "30-10-10" fertilizer in the spring and summer and "6-30-30" fertilizer in the fall and winter once a month. is that the correct kind and how often i need to fertilize it? and when i first re-pot it, would it be a good idea just to plant it in fertilizer instead of potting soil? (i'm not sure because that's what i've done with all my other plants and they're doing pretty well from it)

i'd say go with a more balanced fertilizer to start. the 30 number is for plants in bark, as bark absorbs the nitrogen.

you shouldn't repot into soil at all; as kmarch said, a large or medium sized bark would be better. orchids are epiphitic or semi epiphitic; they like their roots to get lots of air.

give this a skim:

http://firstrays.com/potting_media.htm

and then go to a plant nursery (not the florist's shop) and check out the various mixes available.

some popular fertilizers include jack's (30-10-10 IIRC) and schultz (more balanced) and MSU if you can find it (very balanced.) all else fails, plain old liquid 10-15-10 houseplant fertilizer will work too.

[kmarch]

I like Janet's fertilizer advice better than the advice given on the tag. One important thing to remember about fertilizers is that in spring/summer you can use one wiht a high first number (like Jack's 30-10-10) but in autumn and winter, if you fertilize at all then, use one with as small a first number as possible. That first number represents nitrogen. High nitrogen is good in spring/summer when the plant is actively growing. In the autumn/winter the plant is blooming or resting and doesn't need nitrogen.

-Kevin

[janet_a]

also, fall and winter etc are relative terms; my "fall" is kmarch's "spring", and then there's NoFla vs. SoFla so... i tend to just sort of watch the plants, and up the fert when they seem to be growing more vigorously.

but kmarch is right--forget the tag and the florist's advice.

[gummie_sourball]

okay, i'll have to stop by a garden shop this weekend or something. (just to reiterate, i'm looking for something that resembles tree bark a mulch instead of actual soil right?) but i'm still not too sure if i can keep it alive.... >.>;

[janet_a]

it will say it on the bag--fir bark, or bark nuggets, or "orchid mix" which i frankly think doesn't have enough bark in it; when i do a mix, i throw in a spoonful of that just for the clay and charcoal, but i go majority bark.

this sort of thing should be with all the bagged potting soils. sometimes it's also labelled as a decorative top cover. for instance:

http://www.schultz.com/ProductCatego...s/PottingBark/

http://www.schultz.com/ProductCatego...nts/OrchidMix/

happy hunting!

(oh, and do NOT buy something that's actually labelled as "mulch"--that stuff is often from poor quality wood, like leftover telephone poles and things, which have been treated with creosote or other chemicals. that stuff's ok as a ground cover outside, but you wouldn't want to pot in it or have it in your house. so don't be seduced by the really cheap fifty pound bag of mulch. )

oh--and you may want to go to a nursery or someplace that deals with lots of orchids and look how their cyms are potted. (local botanical garden maybe?) also, keep an eye out in your area for nurseries that are holding orchid festivals--they'll often have repotting clinics or offer free repotting and you can see how some of this is done.)

[prisana]

wow, the info on cym is really useful, I only have 1 Cym and have no idea how to take care of it in this weather, it had 2 new growths when I bought it , but one rotted. Then 2 more new growths, again one rotted. I have it outside in part sun, the overall health of the roots and leaves seem to be fine, I just don't know what happened to those 2 growths. But thanks to you, now I have a brand new info to work with, thanks guys.

[gummie_sourball]

okay but what about the fact that the flowers are dying. should i keep cutting them off when they wilt or should i just let them fall off themselves? and how big of a pot should i repot it in? maybe somthing about a half size bigger then it's current one? or something even larger then that?
also so when you're using an orchid mix and you mentioned throwing a spoonful of something in for the clay and charcoal, can you give me more details on that as well?

[kmarch]

Dear Gummy,

Don't worry about the fading flowers. Re-read what i said about them in my long post above.

I'd use a pot big enough to leave 2-3 inches between the edge of the plant's bulbs and the edge of the pot.

Regarding the orchid mix, i believe Janet was refering to the fact that most pre-mixed orchid mixes have some clay and charcoal in it. Clay to hold a little moisture and charcoal to keep it fresh. I believe she's saying that she uses plain bark with some orchid mix thrown in.

Janet, please correct if i am wrong.

Cheers,

-Kevin

[gummie_sourball]

oh-kay i must have missed that last part about the spike. thankies so much for all the advice and i'll definitly take care of it asap.