I took the plunge ...again

OK,went to the home show and bought more orchids

I am gunna kill myself to keep them alive.......

and any advice would be appriciated .My DH is watching these close cause he is convinced that I WILL kill them

this first picture is the group

this is a picture of Den. Wonder Nishii

says atroviolaceum X alexandrae

I would like to grow this one in a hanging basket,one of those wood ones,can I do that?

need help with potting mixtures.......

this is Lc. trick or Treat (L.Icarus X Lc. chit Chat)

what is Lc.????

Its soooo cute.....

the other 2 are not blooming,
Cloned Epi Crystal valley "pinky"
Pa Sukhakilii(?)X Gloriosurn xEmerald

can someone explain to me what I bought????
also bought a Macodes Petola....real tiny,real expensive,but DH loved it!LOL
I need to make a terrarium for it......

Crestedchik

L.c. stands for Laeliocattleya an intra generic hybrid orchid.

Epi is an Epidendrum (although I might be completely wrong there, that's what it usually stands for anyway).

Pa is Paphiopedilum.

Any specific questions CC?


This message was edited Wednesday, Mar 19th 2:04 PM

How do I NOT kill them?

Errrr

You've several genera there so you might find it best to look up their care needs individually.

Don't overwater them, water sparingly in the winter and freely in the summer but they should never be in wet compost. We dunk the pots in tepid water, never cold.

Don't mist the Paphiopedilum! Don't divide it either, they will register their disapproval if you do.

Most (if not all) you have there, prefer to have restricted roots so don't pot them on too soon.

The Dendrobium will grow ok in a propritry epiphytic orchid compost and yes you can grow them in the baskets. They prefer partial shade.

All of them like high humidity, the Dendrobium, Epidendrum and Laeliocattleya will enjoy a misting every day in the growing season. The Paph will need a saucer filled with gravel you can water into to keep the humidity up.

The Macodes likes shade, warmth and humidity.

The Epi, Paph and L.c like a bit of light but don't place in full sun. The leaves will show the first signs that they are in too much light quite quickly.

All a bit of a mish mash I know and I wish I could recommend a good basic orchid book but I haven't yet found one myself!

Oh yes and fertiliser. Find an orchid fertiliser, I know some of the experts will ahve their own mixes and preferences but it's simpler to just find a good basic brand name. They will need quite a bit in the growing season but again you will need to look this up for the individual plants.