A story and some questions....

[holokai]

Hello,


My name is Holokai and I am new to this site and a brand new orchid owner! So first the story:


About a week ago I was driving back into Carmel Valley to pick up some Heirloom Tomatoes for my Aeroponic system. I spotted a sign saying Orchids for sale. So I pulled over and some nice ladies from the Carmel Orchid society were selling some orchids. For some reason I ended up buying 6.... The ladies were selling off the remains of the Hale orchid collection as their well water had become tainted with Iron and the plants weren't doing so hot. So not only did I buy 6 orchids knowing nothing about them but I bought 6 sick orchids.

Hmm. So I got home and have been researching as much as I can about orchids. I'm much more comfortable with hydroponic gardening compared to soil gardening so it was only natural for me to transfer them all to S/H!

So all of my Orchids are now sitting in their little S/H containers.

Now that the stories out of the way it's question time!

But first these are the types of Orchids I got:

1.Miltassia Dart Star 'Darth Vader' Miltssa Olmec. X Milt Anne Warne

2.Eplc. Don Herman 'Autumn Joy'

3.Paph, Rodney Wilcox Jones

4.Portic Var. 'Peanuts'

5.NOID

6.NOID


So these are the names as I can read them on the little tags. Did I mess any up?

What type of light do these various orchids like? I have them in front of a bay window that gets about an hour of direct sunlight a day. It's usually pretty foggy here in Pacific Grove.

I soaked the Hydroton in rooting solution and have been giving them water only. When can I start fertilizing?

I have Cutting Edge Solutions Three part nutrients and some Grow More, Orchid food.

Will either of these work in a S/H setup?

Finally the leaves are all a pale yellow. The woman I got them from said it was from Iron in the water. Is there anything I can do to help these little guys?

Thanks for taking the time to read this!

Holokai

[articuno75]

First and foremost WELCOME to the forum!!!

I only recognize two of the orchid names that you have and that's the Milt and the Paph. (Miltassia and Paphiopedilum )

As for the NoIDs, It stands for No Identification. Do you know what genus they are?

You have to post 5 times before you can put pics up, and pics would be really great so that we can see what's going on with the leaves. Also if you can update your user profile location in your preferences so that other members can assist you. Different locations=different advice.

I highly recommend going to the semihydroponics section of the forum and reading the information there. There is tons of info and pics. Great stuff. Also Jay is one of our members here on the forum and he grows a lot of orchids in S/H. He'd be the first person I'd ask I hope that this info helps you out.

Also the Mtssa. is an awesome plant! I have one and I'm waiting for mine to bloom!!! It's very cool looking!!!

[holokai]

Thanks for the reply!

I updated my profile with my location. I have also read just about every post here in the S/H section and in the one on Orchid Board. I get a little obsessive when I'm researching something.

I'm excited about the Milt and the Paph as I have found some pictures online and they look beautiful! I still have no idea what Portic Var. 'Peanuts' is.....

[articuno75]

Originally Posted by holokai

Thanks for the reply!

I updated my profile with my location. I have also read just about every post here in the S/H section and in the one on Orchid Board. I get a little obsessive when I'm researching something.

I'm excited about the Milt and the Paph as I have found some pictures online and they look beautiful! I still have no idea what Portic Var. 'Peanuts' is.....

Is there nothing else on the tag at all? You might have to go to the person that sold you the plants to get the I.D. on it. whatever it is, it's cultivar is 'Peanuts'.

[solay]

Hi and welcome. I'm new to orchids too so I can't help much. There are plenty of experts here that can though. Good Luck!

[patticake]

Hi! Good to have a new up-coming addict with us! It won't take long...You'll be hooked! Good luck, and keep us posted!

[holokai]

Thanks for the welcome everyone! I'll try to dig up my camera in the next couple days so I can post some pictures.

[jay]

Hello and welcome to the forum. Way to jump in to a great addiction, both with the orchids and the S/H.

As far as the fertilizing, I fertilize with nearly every watering. I also make sure I flush the pot with every watering to avoid salt build up. When a plant, especially Oncidium alliance, is done flowering I will flush with plain clean water. They seem to build up a little more salts around the pseudobulbs. The Miltassia is in the Oncidium alliance. I don't actually have one of those so I am unable to advise on its care in S/H. Just keep an eye out for salt build up.

Don't hesitate to ask questions. Glad to have you on board.

[holokai]

Thanks Jay!

I've read TONS of your posts in the last couple days while researching. I think I'm gonna start with some half strength fertilizer to see how the plants take to it.