Help Me

[lil jelly bean]

Hi......please help me

I have ordered and received some Vanda Kultana Blue Orchid seedlings. They arrived in a flask, i separated them and have potted them individually. I have them on a sunny window ledge, i have put them in orchid potting soil with sphagnum moss on top but they do not seem to be doing well, they are rotting at the roots. To wet perhaps, should i remove the moss? change the soil? water less?. I paid allot of money for them and don't want them to die. Can you please please help me.

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

I have never succeeded, but I think I know why. The plantlets need to be sprayed with a fugicide/bacteriocide. Some use neem oil. Second, the plants do not need normal light, but less until they are blooming size, then they need more light to bloom. Third, the plants NEED high humidity. Find a clear plastic shoe box or baggy or something to raise the humidity. I am sure I will have no problem when I finally get around to trying again. I never did any of the above. No wonder I failed. Cynthia, Prescott, AZ

[lil jelly bean]

Thanx for your help Cynthia
I NOW have mine on a sunny window ledge shaded by a bamboo blind, they are supported on mesh for roots to grow through in little pots on a tray of water for humidity with stones in the tray under the pots to keep water away from roots. I have asked many people about this and it seems to be correct.....so now we will see how they grow

[jerrymeola]

Cynthia's advice is good. For beginners you should realize the difficulty in growing any orchid from a flask.

Commercial growers grow their's in a "laboratory" not really a lab but an area very different form a greenhouse. The conditions they need are very different.

I am a commercial grower and find that the reduced price of a flask is not worth the effort. Four inch tall plants can be bought retail for under $4 and are a lot less work.

For a hobbyist the idea of buying 25 plants in a flask at about $1 each retail does not seem to be a bargain to me. This is a hobby and I am not suggesting that hobbyist should not buy a flask but everyone should realize the difficulties and decide if they want the challenge.

With any young plant the growing condition needs to be very consistent. Moisture needs to be consistent or the plant dries out. The plant lives but what you do not notice is that the plant is stunted for a while. A plant that should flower in four years can take 8 or more if the growing conditions are not stable.