Any orchid keepers?

[Radium]

I love orchids (like many, I'm seduced by their beauty and rarity, and the science of evolution behind their amazing diversity), but I don't have much luck keeping them alive. I've been given two orchids in two years so far (both Phalenopsis sp., as far as I could tell), and they both died. Is there a more idiot-proof species or strain? Maybe a temperate species?

 

[The Snark]

Well... I've got about 30 on the porch I haven't managed to kill yet. I can give a general run down on the common tropical orchids. 1, never buy an orchid that is potted in dirt. Those are usually scams, pretty show pieces that are doomed to die. Coconut fiber or similar is the ideal medium. Mature orchids can become pure epiphytes. No growth medium, deriving nutrients from the air and water. Their roots need to breath regardless of what medium they grow in.

The like it hot and humid. They also like to be watered. 6 to 20 times a day but you can get by with once every 2 days if it's very humid. Lost of people will tell you to use filtered water. Lots of people are weird. Any water will do if it doesn't have chlorine. Microorganisms grow on their roots in a symbiosis like the flora in your intestines. Chlorine is not nice to the little zorps at all.

About half our orchids have coconut fiber. The plant drives their roots into the fiber and the fiber stays moist. Did I mention to water then 135 times a day? Essentially, their roots can stay continually moist as long as they also get air.

The other half of our orchids just have their roots sticking out in the air without growth medium. They need to be watered about 334 times a day. And don't forget to water them.

Orchids love to adhere to surfaces. Tree trunks. porous rock, brick. The roots lace to these surfaces which aid in supplying them with nutrients and moisture. It is very common around here to cup an orchid in a half shell of coconut fiber and bind it to a tree trunk.

Only orchids that come from high elevations are cold tolerant. 99% of the orchids found for sale in the US and Europe are from factory farms in the low lands.

You can buy orchid food that helps them to flower but don't expect year round flowers. They normally bloom for 2 weeks to 2 months once a year depending on the species.

Orchids are VERY slow growing. Seedlings are usually kept in sealed jars for 1 to 4 years depending on species. The common orchids sold in the US and Europe are 5 to 10 years old for a 6 to 8 inch tall plant. Kept in humid damp environments they can live about 100 to 150 years.

If you have any specific question a friend of mine near here has one of the largest nurserys and shipping business in the world. I can get some pointed from him.

And don't forget to water them between waterings.

 

[Radium]

Now that's interesting! I was watering my orchids about a cup once a week or misting them once a day (because care sheets and Web sites, which from tarantula husbandry I'm beginning to think aren't the best resource). So, they must have died of underwatering rather than overwatering like I thought. Thank you!

 

[horanjp]

Now that's interesting! I was watering my orchids about a cup once a week or misting them once a day (because care sheets and Web sites, which from tarantula husbandry I'm beginning to think aren't the best resource). So, they must have died of underwatering rather than overwatering like I thought. Thank you!

I wouldn't jump to that conclusion quite yet. Some orchids will suffer for months with no water. I used to work for a florist and I revived several half-leaf and two root Phalaenopsis orchids from near death with a little moisture and a lot of time. With this genus, in my experience, they are 'less is more' with the watering. Water when they get dry, not 'once a week.' It's a feeling, not a strict regimen. People kill plants (and spiders) IMO because they don't understand this dogma.

 

[The Snark]

Most varieties of orchid go for 6 months or more each year unwatered in the wild. They usually have their roots attached to trees to derive some moisture and they are healthiest in deep shade. They simply stop growing and become dormant.

I forgot to mention they don't like direct sunlight. Very filtered sunlight as what light gets down to the trunks and branches of trees in a forest is preferred.

Orchids in the wild are communal, living in great masses on trees, helping each other stay moist. Usually not desirable for showpieces.

Orchids at the orchid farm tourist attraction are watered daily. All those places have huge stock of orchids in back or a connection to a factory farm. When they stop flowering they are usually swapped out.

Orchids at the propagation factory farms are usually misted with a nutrient mix 4 to 6 times a day or more for about an hour each misting. The more watering, the faster the growth.

Dormant orchids look dead. They may have no green leaves at all. All of our orchids were dormants, sold dirt cheap or given away from the tourist attraction. Just keep watering them for about 2 to 3 months. Many will start new leaf growth.

The orchids in pots. The pots normally have 1.2 to 1 inch holes all around. Orchids roots will rot without enough air.

During the cool season the factory farms cut back on the watering. Orchids like to have a few months semi dormant. When I say cool I mean down to 50F or even 40F. They should not be watered or only watered at the hottest time of the day when that cold as they will rot.

To tell if you got a rotten orchid pinch the heavy stem/body. It should be very firm. If squishy soft they are rotting inside.

The Japanese have perfected 'snow orchids' that are very cold tolerant. They are also insanely meticulous orchid growers. Think bonsai care. Generally you want to avoid exotic hybrids like that as their care can become full time occupations. They also have what I heard called tunnel orchids. When the plants go dormant or it is desired to force them into dormancy they are kept in dark locations like tunnels where they stay dry and cool.

 

[horanjp]

I just wanted to mention that a neighbor brought over a large Phalaenopsis for my family as a thank-you gift shortly after my post yesterday. The universe works in mysterious ways....
Also wanted to mention that it was helpful for me to use the bark-style orchid soil mixed with a little sphagnum to help retain moisture when I was learning how to keep these. As long as you have REALLY REALLY good drainage, it's HARD to go wrong with the watering. The rotted, destined-to-fail potted Phalaenopsis are nearly always over packed with moss and have poor drainage. The roots green up and grow grow grow when you give them room to breathe. Snark mentioned this, good advice!

 

[The Snark]

Our Orchidisaster. All these were rescued from the trash. The wood lattice basket is the preferred way to grow them here with the plastic ones with more holes than plastic a second choice. There is some coconut fiber in some of the baskets. As long as the roots are watered every day they don't need the fiber. The roots go all over, often into the neighbors baskets.


---------- Post added 06-18-2015 at 09:03 AM ----------

These are very mature orchids. The baskets are about 10 inches across at the tops. They have obviously done their orchid thing, growing into a great mass of foliage and roots. The roots are trimmed back periodically to try to retard their growth a little. About 30 to 40 years old. There is still some coconut fiber in the baskets somewhere but their root systems are so extensive they can go for 1 to 2 weeks between waterings.

 

[Radium]

Geez, you're like the opposite of me when it comes to plants. Even the calla lily in my office never looks that good. Can I come live with you and learn your earth magic?

 

[The Snark]

Geez, you're like the opposite of me when it comes to plants. Even the calla lily in my office never looks that good. Can I come live with you and learn your earth magic?

You mean my penultimate plant killing ability? Quite seriously, I've got what is called 'hot hands' in the orient. Extreme yang. I can't even handle plants without adverse effects. My dad was the opposite, once raising several thousand culled azaleas in near nutrient free sandy loam. Plants cringe when I walk too close to them.

 

[Radium]

You mean my penultimate plant killing ability? Quite seriously, I've got what is called 'hot hands' in the orient. Extreme yang. I can't even handle plants without adverse effects. My dad was the opposite, once raising several thousand culled azaleas in near nutrient free sandy loam. Plants cringe when I walk too close to them.

I'm also extremely yang (for a woman, anyway) - I guess that explains why every plant I so much as glance at turns up dead!

 

[varanoid]

I have kept orchids for a long time now. I originally got into them for my dart frog tanks.

I have a recommendation for a species orchid that you may like to try outside of a vivarium setting. It is by far my favorite orchid I have ever had the pleasure of owning. It's called Neofinitia falcata. It blooms for a couple months a year, and the blooms smell INCREDIBLE. I can smell them from a few houses away. Its very hardy, and can handle extreme heat, as well as freezing temperatures for short periods of time. I sprayed it daily when it was hot out, but sprayed it just weekly when it was cold. Water came straight out of the tap nothing special. Its roots turned a different color when it was absorbing water. Hard to describe but the way the roots looked when wet let me know how thirsty it was.

While the blooms are pretty, it's really the smell of this orchid's flowers that blow you away. Its especially fragrant in the mornings, evenings, and when you water it. It's intoxicating, and EVERYONE who has ever caught a whiff makes sure to write down the name before they leave the house. I don't offer it, they demand it.

Every time mine has bloomed it has created a seed pod. I have always wanted to give orchid flasking a shot. This would be the species I would try flasking with due to the success that I have had with it as well as the fact that they are fairly expensive, at least relative to phalenopsis orchids.

For the record, I have never had much luck with phalenopsis orchids. I can keep them alive, but they bloom the one time and that is it.

 

[Liverwort]

Hey, I have a Neofinetia falcata in one of my vivs! If you don't mind, could you tell me why mine has had nearly all of its roots go brown, but still gain 1 new pup? I'm not too concerned because the mother plant grew a new pup and is growing new roots that are green, but still, I'm curious. I originally had the base wrapped in loose sphagnum for a couple months, but yesterday I took it all off because I felt like it might've been cutting off airflow too much.

 

[The Snark]

Hey, I have a Neofinetia falcata in one of my vivs! If you don't mind, could you tell me why mine has had nearly all of its roots go brown, but still gain 1 new pup? I'm not too concerned because the mother plant grew a new pup and is growing new roots that are green, but still, I'm curious. I originally had the base wrapped in loose sphagnum for a couple months, but yesterday I took it all off because I felt like it might've been cutting off airflow too much.

Orchids will tell you want they want and what they are going to do. Great masses of healthy roots growing it's happy and propagating. Brown roots: I need air! Green roots, young and growing or lichen/algae forming. (May be symbiotic and even help nutrient capture.) Keep in mind nearly all orchids can go entirely without water and just a few roots wrapped in the bark of a tree. They will simply dial back, letting roots and foliage die off and conserving moisture in the tuberous stems until they get regular watering.

There are N Falcata fanatics world wide. One nursery here specializes in them. People will pay ridiculous amounts of money for them and there is a thriving rental business where you can rent them during the flowering phase.

Flasking. If you've got the patience for that you're probably an expert at meditation, sitting for days at a time contemplating your naval. Some orchids take 4 years in the flask.

 

[varanoid]

Orchids will tell you want they want and what they are going to do. Great masses of healthy roots growing it's happy and propagating. Brown roots: I need air! Green roots, young and growing or lichen/algae forming. (May be symbiotic and even help nutrient capture.) Keep in mind nearly all orchids can go entirely without water and just a few roots wrapped in the bark of a tree. They will simply dial back, letting roots and foliage die off and conserving moisture in the tuberous stems until they get regular watering.

There are N Falcata fanatics world wide. One nursery here specializes in them. People will pay ridiculous amounts of money for them and there is a thriving rental business where you can rent them during the flowering phase.

Flasking. If you've got the patience for that you're probably an expert at meditation, sitting for days at a time contemplating your naval. Some orchids take 4 years in the flask.

This. This orchid will not do well in a viv without a great deal of air circulation to dry it completely out. Brown roots sounds like root rot.

I'm no expert in meditation but would still like to give it a shot some day I like this plant that much.

 

[The Snark]

If a root is brown and feels slimy, dry it out. Never discount the viability of an orchid.

Pictured, the end of the root is brown and withered. But plenty of air and allowed to dry between waterings, three new rootlets popped out.


Here the roots are telling you what the plant needs. All the new roots are growing towards the shade.


Please take note, these are near complete epiphytes. They aren't growing in a medium. The medium, coconut husk, was only used to get them started. Then it's air, water and shade and they can live entirely as air plants.