New Phalaenopsis help

[yourkid]

I just received a new Phalaenopsis and think its in a very small pot. The total leave span is probably 18 inches, the pot only have a 4 inch circumference. The plan will be indoor in a business office which doesnt vary in temp. I would guess it to be about 72 or so in here. There is no exposure to sunlight but other plants thrive in this flourescent paradise. Moving the plant is not an option.

The top roots that I can see are wraping around the container. I can see seme dead/dying roots.

It has 8 nice flowers and 13 buds on two seperate branches. Only one branch (the top branch) has flowers, both have buds. The leaves are a very nice green color, not too dark green. The bottom two leaves have a very slighly yellow to them.

Should I repot this plan? It was purchased from a wal-mart like store yesterday.

If you need more info, please let me know. I killed 1 orchid already and would like to keep this one around....

[digitalgate]

it all depend how you water the plant. How much light you can provide. more light
more heat => supply more water. (fertilizer)
if you can't do that ask someone to do that for you. (service charge involved)

otherwise, you can kill a few more plant till you get lot of experience that way you get
your green thumb..

[yourkid]

I dont know how to measure how much light it gets. I would say the lighting is very good. I have several flourescent lights at my desk and the place is well lit. They turn the 10% of the lights off for about 8 hours at night. There is NO sunlight what-so-ever.

As far as watering, I read that its good to let it dry between waterings, so I plan to water once a week. I use Mirical Grow fertilizer, mixed to the package's recomendation.

[tizzycat]

yourkid welcome to the forum. If you could post a photograph it would be helpful in determining whether the orchid needs repotting; But regardless of anything else I would be inclined to pospone repotting until the plant has finished blooming.

[mayres]

First of all, regardless of how you believe there is lots of light, there isn't enough for even a phalaenopsis (which is a low light plant) IF there are no windows. It doesn't want direct sunlight, but needs bright INDIRECT light from windows. YOU CAN grow phals under fluorescent lights (I do), but you need to have them inches from the bulbs - which unless you set up a fixture strictly for your plant(s) is not going to happen in an office environment. You can enjoy your plant while it blooms in this kind of setting, but don't expect it to flourish long term.
In general phals would prefer a pot too small than too big. Many (including myself) typically repot phals as soon as possible after acquisition, not because of the need to increase the pot size, but in order to inspect the root condition (and cleanup if/where necessary) throughout and change the media out to whatever we are most comfortable with. Phals can be transplanted at any time without serious effects - even when blooming. Lots of air roots is common for these plants - even right after or soon after repotting. In the natural these plants grow on trees and they are constantly sending out roots looking for places to attach themselves.
The quickest way to kill a phal is to over water (too often) and/or get water into the crown of the plant late in the day and rot the crown. What kind of media is your plant in and how often are you watering? Of course don't let it set in a pool of water either.

[yourkid]

I will water it once a week.

Currently it is in mulch that has some chunks and some finer material.

I have a bag or bark mulch that says "specially formulated for Epiphytic Orchids". I know I dont have that kind of orchid, but it was the best I could do locally. I could mix in some potting soil or motting mix as well if necessary.

I do have flourescent lights at my desk that I could put the plant directly under (a few inches). Would I need to do this when the plant is flowering or just when its in a growing stage?

[digitalgate]

chances are that light might not be enough. Put your hand over the plant. Do you see a
distinct show. If you see a fuzzy shadow. The light is not enough. You need good light for
the plant to grow well. Hope this help

[yourkid]

If I just set it at my desk, I see a fuzzy shadow but I wouldnt say its because the light isnt enough...there are several light sources. I wouldnt argue that that light is strong enough to support growth.

The light under my desk though provides a distinct shadow when I cover the plant.

Would I need to keep the plant under "high" light conditions while its flowered, or only during the growing stage?

[PhalPal]

Phalaenopsis is an epiphytic orchid; the bark mix you describe is fine. Never use or mix potting soil of any kind with an orchid because their drainage needs are too great. We pot orchids for our convienence but in nature they grow on trees with no potting substance at all. I move mine to lower light conditions (like my family room) when they are blooming so I can enjoy the flowers. When it is done blooming, you can move it to one of the lights you have on your desk placing it inches from the plant.
One of three things will happen: The plant will thrive and bloom for you next year, the plant will just grow leaves but it will not be getting enough light to produce flowers, or the plant will die. It's worth a shot!

It's never a good idea to pick a day and water on that day. Watering needs change with the plants activity, what type of medium it is planted in, room temp, heat from lamps, a million reasons. I'll include this little tip for you; it's cheap and fool proof. http://www.orchidgeeks.com/forum/orc...f-orchids.html
Keep us up on your progress! We might be amazed that you could grow a Phal in an office with so little light.

And welcome to the forum!

[mayres]

A light on your desk over your plant (inches) is a great idea - it actually needs about 2X the length of day that you will be working (I give mine 16 hours of fluorescent light per day most of the year) - so if your office light is out when you are not in you may need to somehow put your desk light on a timer and extend its lighting period. It also requires a period of darkness - so continued light is not good. Providing supplemental lighting now will give your plant extra energy for growth and future flowering - it will not help the current flowering cycle - the sooner you provide the light it needs the sooner it can be building up for the future - the choice is yours. Enjoy!