thinking of purchasing orchids have some questions

I hope i'm not doing the wrong thing by thinking about getting orchids.
They scare me, so expensive, Ok here's some questions.
Oh yeah, I did find quite a few on ebay, for l cent can you believe that, all you almost have to do is just pay the shipping. go figure.

1. How hard are they to raise

2. What's the lowest temp in the greenhouse in winter, they'll survive in.

3. What kinds of pots would you recommend to grow them in? and what size? for a small orchid

4. How often do you transplant?

5. Iknow about the soil, special kind i'll buy at lowes, if I decide to do this.

6. Do you make your own soil? or soiless mix I should say. and if so, what do you use?

7. How often do they flower?

8. How often do they multiply? and do you seperate the pup,/baby after they multiply?

9. Anything else I left out, please feel free to help out, help convince me i'm doing the right thing LOL
kathy_ann

Kathy, here's the situation in a nutshell:
1. Some are easy, some almost impossible. For the beginner, I recommend Phalaenopsis. They need about the same conditions as an African Violet. Orchids of the Oncidium alliance, cattleya alliance, paphiopedilum and cymbidium are mostly accomodating as well.

2. Most do well with night temps of 65 F and days of 75 F. However, some like Cymbidiums , can take down to 50 or even a bit lower. Some Odontoglossums and Paphs can also take down to 50F. Other Paphs, Vandas, some Dendrobiums, do not like the temp to drop much below 70F. Regardless to temp requirements, a 10 F differential between day and night seems to help keep them on tract in regards to blooming cycles.

3. I use plastic pots where possible. Terracotta can work but it is more difficult to know when they need watering. Some orchids are mounted. Avoid these as a beginner. Do not overpot. orchids like being pot-bound. Don't be alarmed if roots grow out over the rim of the pot...that's actually a good sign.

4. Orchids should be repotted at least every 2 years, maybe even yearly. They may not need to be moved into a larger pot. The key to healthy roots is to maintain fresh potting media. Media that breaks down will often suffocate the roots.


5-6. There are orchid potting mixes. Some are too coarse for some orchids. If the roots are large, use coarse bark. If finer roots, use finer bark. I use 1 part medium bark, 1 part fine bark, 1 part perlite and a handful of charcoal for most orchids (in particular the Oncidium alliance), varying it depending on the species. For Phals and Cattleyas, use 2 parts medium or coarse bark. If the orchid is a terrestrial species like Cymbidiums and most Paphs, I use 1 part promix in the first mix described.

7. Most orchids bloom once a year. If very healthy, they may bloom twice a year. Flowers may last a single day or an individual flower may last 3 months! Phals and Paphs are among the longest-lived. Oncidium alliance and Cymbidiums last quite a while as well. Cattleyas are a bit short-lived in comparison, but still last 3-4 weeks.

8. Some multiply rapidly, but most don't. Don't rush to divide them unless they are really robust. Phals and vandas have just a single growth so don't multiply. Some dendrobiums will produce babies called Keikeis. When you see roots developing on them, they can be seperated from the parent.

Sound daunting? Really its not. The keys to success are: enough light (most do well in a direct east window), proper humidity (50-80%), proper temp (that will depend on the type), fresh potting media (repot at least every 2 years) and fresh air (they are dangling roots off trees in the wild!). If you can grow African Violets, then you can grow an orchid.

Good-luck!

These really helped me:
http://orchidweb.org/orchids/culture/

Wow! thanks so much for the indebpth help,

kathy

Great info from Todd.

I would say that while many people find phalaenopsis easy, others (including me) do not. As I tend to underwater, cattleyas work very well for me, although now I mostly grow a lot of lower light orchids. Others like phrags because they like a lot of water. It depends on your growing conditions and growing habits.

Also, I would highly recommend getting (1) blooming or blooming size orchids from (2) a reputable orchid grower. Seedlings can be finicky and some genera take forever to reach blooming size. A reputable grower is also more likely to give you a plant with healthy roots - rotted out roots is a common problem when buying at retail outlets, and you're suddenly saddled with not only a new kind of plant to grow, but also one that needs intensive care to recover. For e.g., you do not want to bother with a phal that has no viable roots left. It's a slow and difficult recovery.

It's probably in your best interest to go to a orchid nursery where you can see the orchids in person and ask an expert which one would be best for you and any other questions.

Before I knew anything, I would have bought the prettiest looking one, probably a vanda, and I never would have known how much humidity it needs that I wouldn't be able to provide in a home setting, with out daily dunking.

I've had no luck with Vanda and the type. Either not enough sun or my temps are too cold. It really pays off to do a little research before you make the plunge, since orchids are a bit expensive for experimentation. On the average, I water once a week...maybe every 10 days in winter to every 5 days in summer. I grow mostly Oncidium alliance, paphs and phals. And I agree, seedling are a long-term commitment...better to start off blooming-size.

Wonderful advise from the experts!!!
If I may add - if one can grow plants outside in Summer ( 7b), a very easy way to start is to buy a good healthy plant in the Fall - flowering cattleya alliance.
Keep the plant in an appropriate spot, (under tree etc), it will put out new growth over the Summer. Watering and fertilizing well outside is fairly easy under those conditions. The new growth will be matured and soon ready to bloom by the time the plants have to come back inside. I have some Orchids which flower that way reliably every year starting in October. The key is "fall flowering".

Also, a word of warning, once hooked - one doesn't think anymore about "getting Orchids".
They FOLLOW YOU - in droves....

I really have to say, I'm a little nervous now LOL, Do I really want to do this, LOL, I'm working on a trade now with someone who has over l00 of them, he's going to send me his easy growers LOL i'm leaving it up to him. He knows I know nothing about them.

thanks guys for all the help

kathy

don't be nervous, have fun. Down the road, a plant lost is an experience gained. (I must have gained lots of experience....)

WAIT A MINUTE.... Did RUK call me one of the experts??? Maybe? No?

One you should definably take in to consideration is Epidenrum Radicans, or any of the other Epis.

These are

A) Super cheap
B) Super easy b/c
1) They're cheap and easy to replace just incase
2) You can pot them in anything, even regular potting soil, but I use orchid mix anyways
3) You can put them in full sun without worrying (assuming you've acclimated them in degrees of sunlight first
5) They'll do fine sitting overwinter in a sunny window-you don't need special lights
4) Don't need alot of moisture, you don't even have to mist daily
5) They produce keikies readily for sharing w/ friends
C) Bloom in fall-winter
D) Can get very big, dividing and staking will probably be nessicary unless you're going for a specimen plant

I can't think of anything to say. Oh, they're pretty!

Kathy,

Just a few more tidbits of info on orchids for you. Check out some nice websites that have beautiful pictures of orchids you can order as well as information dispersed throughout the pages of their websites. Some really nice and informative sites include:

1. www.odoms.com (odom's orchids in Florida)
2. www.mauiorchids.com (Exotic Orchids in Hawaii)
3. www.alohaorchid.com (Aloha Orchid Nursery also in Hawaii)
4. www.haikumauiorchids.com (Ha'iku Maui Orchids in Hawaii)
5. www.carterandholmes.com (Carter and Holmes Orchids in South Carolina)
6. www.oakhillgardens.com (Oak Hill Gardens near Chicago, IL)

(There are many, many orchid growers in the USA, and, although I'm not an expert, I really like the Hawaiian sites --more plant for not a lot of money, in addition to getting a "piece of paradise"into your house----as well as Oak Hill Gardens in Illinois because their idea is that everyone should be able to buy orchids, so you will find specimans for $7, $10, etc. Remember, you can always work more or save more to fuel your addiction, er, habit, er, hobby of raising orchids!!! You simply cannot get enough plants to have in your lifetime!

Keep an eye out for informative books like Ortho's ALL ABOUT ORCHIDS, GROWING ORCHIDS by Brian and Wilma Rittershausen, 100 ORCHIDS FOR THE AMERICAN GARDENER by Elvin McDonald, etc. You can never go wrong either by checking into and joining the American Orchid Society (www.orchidweb.org)

Also, keep an eye out for orchid shows in your area all throughout the year. This is the time of year here in Western West Virginia we have orchid shows (two just currently started January 15 in Columbus, OH at Franklin Park Nursery and one at Phipps Conservatory in Pittsburgh, PA. Going to the orchid shows is a marvelous way to get hooked on raising orchids and adding to your "collection". The thing about growing orchids is that "the more you know, the better they grow."

The American Orchid Society puts out a monthly magazine appropriately titled "Orchids" that has beautiful color photos every month and interesting stories about people that got hooked on orchid growing, contributed to the orchid field, etc. Also, there is always an informative article every month about taking care of orchids (what to watch out for in terms of diseases, pests, changing the growth medium, etc.)

Orchids are unbelieveably beautiful plants/flowers and there is always something for everyone with this family of plants. Also, don't get discouraged if a plant or two of yours dies along the way. I have read countless stories about people who, when they first got started in orchids, had their first plant die on them, which then caused them to get hooked on growing orchids because they tried again with a different type of orchid, etc. Many now have collections of hundreds of orchids, have built a greenhouse or an add-on greenhouse to their house, etc.

Good luck and happy growing!

Pete

Wow !! Pete, thanks for all the wonderful help, You guys really make it sound addictive, is it really? LOL I have no room in the greenhouse for l00's of them, my husband would croak if I asked him to buuild on to the l6x32 greenhouse. LOL Plants are like cocacola to me, soo adictive.

kathy

Ebay has orchids really cheap too.