What Do I Do with My Big-Box-Store Orchid?

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Posted by @drdawg on
When I lecture to organizations, I always have a "Question and Answer" session at the end. Always, and I do mean always, someone asks: "My orchid (usually one bought at a big-box store such as Lowe's or Home Depot) was in bloom when I purchased it and it has never bloomed again," or "My orchid was in bloom when I purchased it and within six months, it was dead." "What did I do wrong?"

Most orchids, particularly the phalaenopsis varieties, are shipped with sphagnum moss as their medium. Sphagnum moss holds water for a long time, and since these plants may be in transit or sitting on a shelf for weeks, the grower/big-box store doesn't want to have to worry about watering them. Good for them; bad for the buyer. It is difficult, if not impossible, to really know when a plant growing in sphagnum moss needs watering. So, the first thing you want to do when you get your new plant home is to take the plant out of the pot, remove the moss, and replant in an orchid medium. A mix of Douglas fir bark, horticultural charcoal, coconut fiber chunks, and perlite works well. I now substitute expanded rock for the perlite for my plants, but perlite is easier to find in nurseries and/or big-box stores. Just be sure that the perlite is coarse, not fine or medium. What you want is an extremely well-draining mix, one that doesn't retain moisture for long. If you use a pot that is full of holes or slots so that air can pass through, so much the better. Most orchids are epiphytes (air-plants) and their roots need that air.

Be sure your orchid receives good, indirect light. A couple of hours of early morning or very late afternoon sun is OK (actually great), but don't allow your plants to receive direct sun between 11:00 AM and 3:00 PM. Phalaenopsis plants can grow well with less light than the cattleya alliance plants, but generally, the better the light, the better the blooming. Mist your plant every few days to keep the humidity up. From November through February, I generally water my plants one week and then fertilize the following week. I also dilute my fertilizer to 1/2-1/4 the recommended rate. A handy phrase used by orchid growers is: "Fertilize weakly, weekly." From March through October, I continue alternating watering with fertilizing, but I might have to water every 3-4 days. Other than my "baby" orchids, my plants are all outside during the warm months and therefore dry out more quickly.

Don't allow your pot to sit in a saucer full of water unless the bottom of the pot doesn't touch that water. The vast majority of orchids that die do so because of overwatering. The roots literally drown. That's why some people water their plants with ice cubes. The ice melts and waters the plant, but those ice cubes don't overwater. If you want to water with ice cubes that's fine, but don't put the ice directly on the plant or its roots. Sometimes that creates problems. The leaves might be low, almost resting on the medium and often the roots are growing along the surface of the medium. There might not be enough space to use the ice cubes without having them touch the plant or its roots.

Here are some examples of pots that work well when growing orchids.

Thumb of 2014-03-26/drdawg/5a3e33 Thumb of 2014-03-26/drdawg/d4a985 Thumb of 2014-03-26/drdawg/1c1b0c Thumb of 2014-03-26/drdawg/fba7ec Thumb of 2014-03-26/drdawg/210b9f

Many books have been written on orchid care, potting media, fertilizer, etc. It is impossible to cover much detail in a short article such as this one. Contact me via T-Mail, www.tropicalplantsandmore.com, or [email protected] if you have questions.

 
Comments and Discussion
Thread Title Last Reply Replies
orchids by shelleymunger May 3, 2014 1:07 PM 1
orchids and things by scherle Apr 27, 2014 8:02 AM 8

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