baby orchids, different needs?

[trybalpnoy]

just received a baby beallara diana dunn as a birthday gift. and by baby, i mean the bulbs (2) are no bigger than 2 inches. i was wondering if all the tips and growing methods here are the same for "baby" orchids as they are for adult ones that have already flowered or on their way to flowering.

my particular situation:
there's a sponge-like material that it came planted in with its roots clinging onto it so i repotted it with this still attached. used miracle-gro fine bark potting mix. plant is located near open-window sill completely shaded facing south. i added moss on the surface of the mix (will this frustrate the plant? since i only did it for aesthetic purposes). is misting ok too? since my girlfriend seems to be very trigger-happy with the spray bottle.

really anxious and excited- any help on maturing this plant please!

-dean

[trybalpnoy]

oops, i meant to have posted in the newbie section. apologies to the moderators.

[janet_a]

with the caveat that i tend to kill oncs:

you're in SD, you should be fine. i'm not finding much on belleara--maybe it's a miniature and that's a reasonable size for pbulbs?

[kmarch]

There are several people on the forum who raise all manner of seedlings. They can give you some expert advice.

[pikevi]

Welcome to the forum, trybalpnoy.

janet_a: what is the category-SD?. Could not locate it.

Thanks

[mayres]

I'm wondering if there is any chance this is the orchid you are speaking of - currently being sold as seedlings through the internet?

BEALLARA DIANA DUNN 'Newberry' (Mtssa. Citron x Oda. Memoria Helen Scholle) - This clone provides an "odontoglossum" but is extremely warm tolerant. Flowers are four inches or more in diameter. These begin to flower on small plants.

If it is you should find it fairly easy to grow. I'd give it morning sunshine (East exposure would be good) and don't let it totally dry out.

[janet_a]

SD = san diego. a lovely temperate place.

[Fabolusus]

I think the culture is the same, except you will most likely have to water more often. My Diana Dunn is in a mix that was recommended to me at a recent orchid show that is fine bark, perlite and sphag. I go by the "When in doubt, water" rule for this one as it does not like to be dried out at all.

[pikevi]

Ahhhh!!

Thanks. I assumed it is an abbreviation for a category

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

That foam should probably have been removed, but I have found it left in when repotting larger plants.

[trybalpnoy]

thank you fabolusus for the tips. not really sure, but are wrinkly bulbs normal?

[trybalpnoy]

Originally Posted by Cynthia, Prescott, AZ

That foam should probably have been removed, but I have found it left in when repotting larger plants.

i was nervous/scared that i might kill the root system, so i didn't. i'll do so next repotting

[jerrymeola]

I am sorry I did not see this post earlier.

Care of baby plants is very different than the care of adult plants. Young plants need water to be much more constant and should never be allowed to dry out.

Most plants this small are lost from lack of water. It only takes a couple of dry days to trash the plant.

All commercial growers use something to keep seedlings wet. The most common being 100% sphagnum moss and the second type is the foam seedling plugs that you found.

I tried removing them in the past with terrible results (losses as high as 40%). Keep the foam plug near the roots.

The wrinkled bulbs you see are the result of the plant taking water and nutrients from the bulbs to survive. It is also very common on older plants for only the newest bulbs to be free from wrinkles.

I would keep the plant in lower light levels than you would use for adults. I would also keep these on the cool side.

[arleneg]

Glad this thread was started. I just acquired a couple Catt. seedlings from my local orchid society and have been thinking about removing the foam plug. I guess, I'll keep it a while longer.

HOWEVER, a few of the roots have rotted (before I got the seedlings). Should I remove those??

By the way, both seedling are in a pot of sphag moss.

[trybalpnoy]

jerrymeola, you just made my day!

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

I get a lot of Catt plugs from Carmela Orchids, and I do remove the foam, but it is generally easy to do with no damage to the roots, and have had no losses from doing so. Sometimes the foam falls off by itself, so maybe this is something about Carmela that makes it easy to remove the foam.

Removing the dead roots is only really necessary where they are enough in profusion that they displace potting mix. If they can be pulled off easily, I do so, and sometimes I leave the fine string centers to help hold the plant in the pot. Where there are too many, I go in with a sterilized tool to cut them out, as you sometimes find one that looked dead but wasn't.

[Ellen]

Like Cynthia, I also remove the foam (or as much as comes off easily) from Carmela's Catt plugs. Usually the plugs don't have many dead roots.

[Sharyn]

I'm sorry, don't want to appear ignorant, but what is a foam plug? I have a number of small and dwarf plants and I've never seen any kind of plug. Consider me still on the learning curve.

[arleneg]

Sharyn,

It's that green foam material you find at floral shops and usually used for floral arrangements.

[jerrymeola]

Actually it is a growing medium especially designed for growing seedlings

[janet_a]

It's that green foam material you find at floral shops and usually used for floral arrangements.

a/k/a "oasis" (which may be different from what jerry's talking about.)

[jerrymeola]

The plugs (Carmela uses it a lot) are one of the most expensive growing mediums. It is a shame to throw away its benefits.

To get back to what the original poster asked

i was wondering if all the tips and growing methods here are the same for "baby" orchids as they are for adult ones

The answer was NO they do take different requirements. Most importantly is that they need more water and should not dry out for long. This includes Cattleya. Adults can and should dry longer. They require much less light and are usually grown in reduced light to slow drying.

The reason I do not like to remove the plugs is that they retain water directly in contact with the roots. I have 2000 seedlings from Carmela this month and I will retain all the foam.

It is not impossible to grow them without the foam, but easier with it. Sheldon at Carmela's never removes the foam and I find it buried still in all his 4 inch flowering pots. It has no benefit or detriment after about a 3 inch size.

[arleneg]

Jerry,

I stand corrected on the plug material. Somewhere, I heard some people use that green foam material that florists use and thought that's what it is.

I've decided to keep the foam plug on longer on my Catt seedlings , but will try to remove the rotted roots I see.