Alexis
I forgot to water her for about 2 weeks 😱😱 I really want her healthy so any tips? I can’t find online how to take care of Octavia so I would love so help on how to get her thriving!!!!
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I forgot to water her for about 2 weeks 😱😱 I really want her… | The Orchid Oasis | Communauté Planta
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Lana Layne 🌺🪴🪻🌵🌸Very well draining soil… needs to drain out the bottom. I water mine once a week, and I use a grow light and humidifier. The grow light & humidifier isn’t absolutely necessary for these, but always a good idea no matter what plant it is even if it handles low light
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MeasomerPiThe most important thing to keep in mind is orchids like their water but the LOVE for their roots to dry out. The best way to tell is to look at the roots. Green roots = don’t water. Silver roots = watering time. The type of media dictates how I water. I grow most of my Phalanopsis in bark so they dry out reasonably fast in my growing conditions. When the phal is ready for some water, I soak the pot for 10-15 minutes. Each time I water, I use fertilizer at 1/4 strength. Wait until the media dries out (look for silver roots) before watering again. For my setup, that works out to roughly once a week. For plants in sphagnum, I top water only because soaking causes the sphagnum to take in too much water. These orchids usually are ready for water every second week. Again this is based on my growing conditions so watch your plant to determine when it wants water. Once a month flush with pure water to reduce salt buildup (this is especially important if you are using synthetic fertilizer or have hard water). Put your plant in in bright but indirect light. Direct sun will burn a phal pretty quickly. Too low and you won’t get blooms. I have mine an a west window that is shaded by landscaping. They get absolutely no direct sun. If the edges of the leaves turn reddish you know you are at the max limit of sun for your plant. Since this is a new orchid, the media is probably at the end of its useful lifespan so you’ll probably need to repot when it’s done blooming. I like to repot mine especially if it’s in sphagnum because I just don’t have luck with growing phals in it. Phalanopsis blooms typically last one to three months, so don’t worry when they start to fade. It’s just part of its natural annual cycle. I would cut the inflorescence back to the base of the plant once the final bloom drops. There is a way to try for a second bloom but in the following year flowers tend to be fewer in number and sometimes smaller. Flowering is very taxing process for the plants. The best tip for orchids is learn. Read up on their care if you are so inclined. There are several channels on YouTube with information on orchid care, like Miss Orchid Girl, Here.. but Not, Hello Plant Lovers and Growing Orchids With Roger. Podcasts like Plant Daddy and On the Ledge are useful. The American Orchid Society is another handy resource. I especially like their monthly to do lists. If you really want to dive into the rabbit hole, you can look for orchid societies in your area; nothing can replace interacting directly with growers that have been doing it for years. I find caring for orchids very rewarding and mildly frustrating. Luckily they are tough plants. As long as you don’t drown them, you will do great. Good luck!
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SnowstormWould you soak an orchid if it’s in a mix of spag and bark? Also how do you soak yours without the water touching the leaves? I’ve started running mine under the tap but lost a lower leaf (I’m assuming bc I planted it a bit low in the pot and I think I might of missed some water cleanup)
0 J'aime- MeasomerPi
I would soak and watch how long it stays wet. If it takes a long time to dry out, I’d switch to top watering. I use different size containers when soaking and I use a watering can w/ spout to pour in water. I add enough water to come just under the lowest leaf.
2 J'aime - MeasomerPi
It’s not uncommon for a leaf to yellow after repotting especially if the media type changed.
1 j'aime - Snowstorm
Thank you! I’ll give that a go. I repotted a few months ago from their store pot full spag to a mix but I just used a regular nursery pot with drainage but no side slots. Too soon to repot again with side drainage you think? No blooms but I have new leaf growing on both and a half spent stem on one (waiting til spring to chop it off cuz I saw on MsOrchidGal’s YT that’s a good time to do it) Maybe I should stick to top watering and just be more careful with the spout and avoid getting the medium under the leaves wet at all. I really think I repotted the second one too low.
0 J'aime - MeasomerPi
If at all possible, I would wait to repot. It’s a super stressful event for the plant.
1 j'aime - 1 nouvelle réponse dans l'appli
- Jen
Agreeing with all of the above, just wanting to reiterate that soaking works well in some environments, particularly if your medium dries out very quickly. Just wanted to stress that I would not soak if you don’t repot into a better ventilated (probably slotted) pot. If you don’t have plenty of holes in your pot, the medium will just stay too wet for too long, in my experience.
2 J'aime- MeasomerPi
That’s a good point. Most of my orchids are in ventilated pots and they get reasonable air circulation.
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