Past Threads for begginers

[Da Chef]

Hello Orchid Geeks!
i am new to this forum and a complete orchid cultivating virgin. i wanted to do some reading before i put a lot of time and care into my orchids.
i am sure there are plenty of beginner guides on here, but it's hard to sift through the threads when the forum is as large as it is and find them.
are there any threads anyone remembers that take things step by step for the complete beginner? how about some grow journals? i have looked up the germination process that is done in flasks, but is that the best way to start? am i better finding a cutting somewhere?
so where are the best beginner guides on this forum? am i better off just buying some books?
thanks guys!

[Sharyn]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

As a beginner to orchid culture, I would suggest that you buy yourself a fully grown orchid. Flasking and starting from cuttings is not what I would consider a beginner project. These days, orchids are relatively inexpensive and I think you'd get a better learning experience with an established plant. In Florida, you should have no trouble finding orchids for sale.

Once you buy an orchid, get a culture sheet here or from the AOS.

A good place to start is the page for Newbies: http://www.orchidgeeks.com/forum/orc...n-for-newbies/

Also, Newbie questions threads: Newbie Questions - Orchid Forum Orchid Care

[Plucky Purcell]

I guess it depends on what you want from orchids and what type you're dealing with. Do you have any orchids? If so, do you know what type? One of the most common stops when trying to figure out what an orchid needs it to look through the cultivation sheets is the AOS website. They have culture sheets for the 13 most common orchid families available to non-members.

As far as this site is concerned, just open up a category and look for the sticky threads at the top of the list. The sticky threads tend to have a lot of good information for growers in all phases.

I would suggest that you start with healthy adult plants instead of purchasing seedlings or flasks. Small plants require a lot of attention to keep them thriving and a lot of patience.

Welcome and Good luck!

[mayres]

An excellent beginner book is Ortho's All About Orchids - you can get it on amazon for about $10 Amazon.com: ortho all about orchids
OR you can also get copies at many big box stores or other places that sell plants and have a handful of helpful beginner books.
If you get bitten by the bug BAD (be careful! If you've gone to the point of checking out a forum you are WELL ON YOUR WAY! ), the next step is to look into joining a local orchid society - LOTS of great benefits here - make new friends, talk face to face with growers and sellers in your immediate area, etc.
Oh.......and by the way - WELCOME!
Hope to be seeing you and your orchid pics in the future!

[kmarch]

I second mayres' recommendation of Ortho's All About Orchids. It remains one of the best basic orchid culture books I know and even after 12+ years of growing, I still go back to it.

Also check out the culture notes and orchid care threads found here: Orchid Care Cultivation - Orchid Forum Orchid Care

[jay]

Hello and welcome to the forum.

If you are looking for a good place to begin on this forum, I would start with the "Stickies". They are at the top of each individual section and cover a lot of the material in those sections.

After that, I would do a search in the forum for certain topics you are more interested in.

If you still don't have an answer, then just post a question. If there is a thread that a member remembers that covers your idea, they will usually link it for you.

Good luck.

[hulaorchid]

WELCOME to the forum!! I also love the ortho book!