Moth Orchid

I have never grown orchids before but have always wanted to. I've heard that they can be difficult and tempermental to grow. However, I read somewhere on the web where the moth orchid is one of the less tempermental orchids to grow followed by lady slippers. Any info I could get would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance and Happy Gardening!

Hi , you have a phalanopsis (moth orchid ) they like med light not direct sun , water in the am . do not let water sit in the crown over night or it can cause crown rot , water when almost dry but not all the way use rain water if you can collect it I fertlize mine and water about once a week but that will vary depending on where you live about every 3rd watering use clear no fert, what is it potted in ? Orchids are tough and not hard to grow , just certain conditions for each type , one of the things you have to watch for is potting medium if in bark that is breaking down getting squishy , as it will hold to much water and cause root rot , overwatering is a problem for a lot of people starting out with them .also overpotting , the pots should be just large enoough to hold the root ball . I won't get into that right now ,If you have any ? just ask glad to help . Gin

Hi Gin, I don't have any orchids yet but was just inquiring as to whether moth orchids are less tempermental than others. I think I have traded with someone on another site for a lady slipper but she wasn't sure if that was the correct name of the plant. What about lady slippers are they somewhat tempermental? What type of potting medium should I use? I believe I heard somewhere to use a mixture of bark, sponge rock, and peat moss. Would melted snow work just as well as rain water? I think I also read on a site where in the winter you should place them on top of a tray of pebbles with some water. What type of fertilizer do I use? Is there fertilizers out there that are for orchids specifically? I am sorry if I am asking too many questions. I have been successfull at growing most anything and would really like to try my somewhat green thumb at orchids. They are soo pretty! Thanks in advance and Happy Gardening!

Hi , the Paphs. (lady slippers ) are grown in about the same conditions as the Phals . They can be grown in the bark mix you mentioned minus the peat,Lowes has a mix already done that is the easiest to use , just the fir bark , sifted ,perlite to get rid of the finer stuff if you can fine the courser perlite that is better if you have to mix your own , Put a layer of styrofoam peanuts, the no melt kind in the bottom of a pot just big enough to hold the roots , either plastic or clay will work as long as it has plenty of drain holes. if you use bark soak it over night before using , some people use the long fibre Spagnum moss . with a layer of the peanuts , then moss then a few more broken up layer of peanuts then more moss , if you tend to over water this works well thay like to be moist and not completly dry out , but with moss you have to be careful of it staying to soggy , they like warm temps . and do well under artificial light . Yep sure can use snow I have to go to that sometimes in the winter lots of shoveling for little water lol . The Paphs. bloom from the top of the newest fan . Hope this helps . Gin :) PS# Lowes has orchid fertiliser and some of the garden centers Wal Mart did have it , use it if labled for orchids per directions , (if you use 30-10-10 or 20-20-20 which is better than the 30 10 10 dilute it to half the strength on the label , use clear water every 3rd watering when you water pour it to it . They really are not tempermental ,can't be if they survive me lol :)

This message was edited Wednesday, Sep 12th 10:41 PM

Thank you Gin! You have helped a lot! I'm glad to hear that they are not that tempermental. I am going to have to print all of this info so that I can have it for my records. Thanks again!

Cathy

Your welcome Cathy , I am not an expert but happy to help if I can . Gin

Hola Cathy- I want to tell you just to make sure- Keep them warm! They do not like cold temperatures!!

Ginge or Luistheorchidman:
I too, am new with orchids. I have two different moth orchids, and I'm wondering, when they get ready to bloom, where will the bloom come from? Will it come from the base of the plant, or the top set of leaves?
Thanks for any help that you can give. :-)
Oscarsdotter

Hi every one,

Gin gave good advice, most orchids are not temperamental or difficult to grow once you realize that they are not dirt loving house plants. In my opinion Phals and Paphs (ladyslippers) are not good beginner's orchids. It is too easy for the beginner to see a problem then panic, overcompensate, and kill them. They are considered "easy to grow" mainly because they require fairly low light and so will bloom in almost anyone's home, but it is very common to overwater them and rot their roots (or underwater them because of fear of overwatering). Ladyslippers grow fairly slowly and they are sensitive to hard water so in most parts of the country you really should use distilled/rain/snow water for them instead of tap water. Plus you only get one flower per year (if the plant was grown properly).

Phals do not NEED to be kept warm. Mine grow and bloom all winter with daily temps ranging from 55 to 65F, and in the summer temps are only ten degrees higher. This is actually the perfect temperature range for ladyslippers, but Phals would do better with temps ten degrees higher still (75-85 degrees).

As a first orchid, I would suggest a Colm. Wildcatt or one of the yellow dancing lady types (Onc. Gower Ramsey, Onc. Sweet Sugar, or Oncidium Aloha Iwanaga). These are commonly sold next to the moth orchids in grocery stores, Lowes, Home Depot etc. They may not be tagged, but if it is yellow it will be one that I mentioned. If it has 1.5-2 inch star shaped brown and yellow flowers with a big red and white mottled lip it is most probably a Colm. Wildcat. All of these have long upright strap-shaped leaves and a swelling (pseudobulb) at the leave bases unlike the Phals and Paphs.

The Colm. Wildcat will grow and flower in moderate to bright indirect light (newspaper reading light), and can dry out and quickly recover (Phals recover very slowly). If roots are rotted from overwatering the plant will usually grow more roots and recover if you repot it. This plant will let you get used to the watering needs of orchids and prepare you for taking care of other types.

Please go to these websites to learn more

www.orchidlady.com

www.ladyslipper.com (possibly off line due to server problems in Manhattan)

http://www.nhm.org/guana/tz-webpg/newplant.htm

Also do a search on www.Google.com for the plants I mentioned in order to find pictures of them.

Oscarsdotter, Although it varies with different Phalaenopsis species, I have found that with the common big multiflowered hybrids the flower spike often starts in the middle of the leaf axil of leaf five (counting down from the top).

TZ_soCal-
Thanks! :-)
Now I'll know where to look!
Oscarsdotter

Okay, one more question if any one will answer. Is it hard to grow orchids from seed? I've heard that you need a little bit of the soil that the seed came from in order to get the seed to grow. True or False and if it is true why?

Orchid seeds are one of the oddities of nature. They are dust-like, and carry very little storeage material(starch) to begin growth, and cannot make enzymes to convert what they do have into usable food (sugar) for about two weeks. A specific fungus penetrates the seed tissue cells and actually enables the orchid seeds to begin growing for those first two weeks. If a seed falls onto an area harboring the fungus (say a tree in the jungle or a pot with an orchid already in it) it then has a slim chance to grow. If you provide a food source with the sugars and minerals the embryo needs you can grow the seeds with no problem (without the fungus), unfortunately this must be done under sterile laboratory conditions so that other fungus and bacteria do not destroy the seeds.

Here is a website with a possible way to do it at home on a piece of bark

http://www.8ung.at/ederer_thomas/orchideen/english/index.htm


Fun to try, but not something to do if you really want orchids fast.

Here is a description of the way nearly all seed grown orchids are produced.

http://ladyslipper.com/ftf.htm

Could I ask a question of a phalaenopsis expert, -whoever you think you are? Is new growth always quite maroon/purple in colour, or am I doing something wrong?
I have them about 18" under grow lights. They look good in all other aspects but this strange almost purple hue.
Any thoughts?

Little expertise needed on this one. That purple color is just suntan. New growth is a little more tender so some types of orchids produce the red color as a sunscreen. It is an indication that your plant is at a good light level.

Many thanks.