One for LLL on Moth Orchids

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One for LLL on Moth Orchids

Post by Horus »

Just a few tips for you with your Moth Orchids ;)
These pots look very wet because they have just been plunged for a couple of hours to soak the bark

First of all dont be afraid to lift the plant out to inspect the roots and to do a bit of TLC
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Note on this image you can see some yellowing rotten looking roots, these can be cut away.
Also note the shoot with a bright green tip, this is the kind that will either go back into the bark or down between the two pots.
The silvery looking one is an aerial root and will take nutrient from the air, some plants have more of one type than the other.
You can also see a dead flower spike that looks like dried wood, new flower spikes come from between a leaf joint.
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Remove any roots that look like this, don't be afraid to tease out all of the bark from between the roots, wash them under a tap and then carefully add fresh stuff between the roots to re-pot it if you think the plant is suffering.
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Healthy roots growing between the inner and outer pots, they must get light in order to stay green
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Healthy roots growing inside the inner pot
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Re: One for LLL on Moth Orchids

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

Very interesting H. I'm going to have to go over my two orchids when I water them again (or do the plunge) and that is going to be in about 2 or 3 more days as they're pretty dry now. I can see on the 2nd orchid I have that I have dead roots and will be cutting them off asap.

The first orchid I bought is actually not doing badly. It has produced 1 new leaf and is now sending out aerial roots (well 2 anyway) and looks healthy. It is in the smaller of the two pots and 'soon' I'll be finding bigger and better ones.

I went to the plant nursery today. Couldn't see any orchid plant food anywhere on the shelves and the lady who was on the cash was a seasonal worker and didn't seem to know too much. Rest of the staff were out back unloading a truck full of poinsettias. She called back and somebody back there said the type of orchid fertilizer they do carry is Schultz powder and has numbers something like 19-31-20 (I don't remember the last number) but you measure out the powder dry/gallon so I should be able to figure out how many gallons go into the sink and then do a half dose of fertilizer. I'll be watering again soon so will check out a couple of the lumberyard places cause they just might be carrying it.

When I do water I'll pull the orchid out of the plastic pots they're in and check the roots. I've never done this but will have a look see to see what is growing and if it looks healthy or not.

Thanks for the tutorial H (am sure Grandad is taking notes for all the orchids he is now going to start growing!)
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Re: One for LLL on Moth Orchids

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

BTW - when I was in this nursery I wandered about to look at the orchids they were selling and each and absolutely every one of them was planted in a SOLID pot with NO roots showing.

This is a plant nursery that sells re-sells plants they import from a plant auction that is in Vancouver (mainland) once a week. What they don't sell they'll pot up into a bigger pot and can keep it going/growing 'til it sells.

Don't know why I wasn't thinking about it but I will go to Green Thumb nursery tomorrow to see if they have orchid food. It is a real nursery with greenhouses where they grow almost all of what they sell and they do have a store so will head there tomorrow to see what kind of fertilizer they have in stock.

Also intend to check out their orchids to see how they have them potted up.

If I bought an orchid in a solid pot I'd never think to put it into a clear plastic one and/or I wouldn't necessarily look for a plant with lots of roots showing .......

One more IF but IF I can get these orchids going I'll probably get a couple more. I never had any 'til - oh - about a year or so ago as I always thought they'd have too many requirements to grow but they're actually quite hardy and simple.

Will have to see what Green Thumb here carries :)
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Re: One for LLL on Moth Orchids

Post by Mad Dilys »

You chaps have got me interested as my daughter doesn't have much time or patience with plants so her orchids (her favourites) tend to get watered when she thinks of it, and that's it.

I'd like to get her enthusiastic because the environment is so good for their growth where she lives.

However, I've been doing a bit of research and the orchids I'd like to grow are only available from seed. I think I might well be tempted to try and giving it serious thought. :tk
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Re: One for LLL on Moth Orchids

Post by Horus »

I think that Moth Orchids are more forgiving than Orchids in general so that should be interesting :up
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Re: One for LLL on Moth Orchids

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

I can get quite enthused about any plant that produces a flower. I have the regular old generic "tropicals" that provide green in various places (i.e. two huge old snake plants that sit in rather dark corners but faithfully provide a bit of living green where needed) that I like but they don't DO much other than grow and provide a nice visual - BUT - a plant that does something is much more up my ally hence I've always loved amaryllis and even Christmas cactus.

I never grew orchids before a about a year ago as they were not too terribly available here and I always thought they were very high maintenance. Was quite wrong on that front (thanks to H) and now have two. I know beyond a shadow if I can get either of these to bloom I'll probably acquire a few more although what I paid $12 - $14 (somewhere in that range) for in a 4" pot is now closer to double that amount and not being quite a common. What I also MIGHT do is rescue a couple orchids that are no longer flowering hence in the reduced bin at the grocery store where they sell for a couple of dollars. Haven't seen any lately in the category but I have in the past and should have been more on the ball to have grabbed them.

The other plus about orchids is the length of time they do flower. They're definitely worth it for length of time for bloom and their flowering beauty is just that - beautiful.
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Re: One for LLL on Moth Orchids

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

I have been following H's instructions on growing these and I have managed to get two proper orchid pots with holes in the sides of the pots. I only water them once they're bone dry and have put a tiny tiny bit of 20/20/20 fertilizer into the water (haven't actually found proper orchid fertilizer here yet and honestly haven't thought about it when I've been in the States)

BUT

this orchid has finally started to move and I'm seeing this green sprout coming out just above a leaf. I'm not sure if it is an aerial root of a flower stalk. Am hoping it is a flower stalk but ???

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It is about 3" long and is laying on the top of the leaf. It IS growing and actually growing fairly rapidly. This is my first orchid and have had it about 2 yrs now (by my own guess-timate however I do lose track of time)

Does this look like a flower bract? or an aerial root?
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Re: One for LLL on Moth Orchids

Post by Horus »

My guess is that is a root :( sorry
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Re: One for LLL on Moth Orchids

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

Yeah it really has that look to me too - green (like a root), pointed (like a root) BUT I was hopeful it MIGHT look like a flower bract.
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Re: One for LLL on Moth Orchids

Post by Horus »

LLL. I was giving all my Moth Orchids a good soaking today when I noticed this, look closely and you will see what a flower spike looks like. Notice how it looks more green and woody looking than the one in your last post. I notice that this image is also showing some dead wood from last time right behing the new spike, so look along the front towards the right and about halfway you will see the actual point of the new spike which looks more like a tree bud.
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Re: One for LLL on Moth Orchids

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

Thanks H - and "Yeah" I'm growing roots :( It looked pretty much like the other long green roots BUT was hoping. I'd like either or of them to DO something so even growing a root is interesting but sure would be nice for some action to happen.
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Re: One for LLL on Moth Orchids

Post by Horus »

This is the same one that was flowering around Christmas, so as you can see they pretty much have a flower cycle about every 6 months. :up
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Re: One for LLL on Moth Orchids

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

I think mine have a 2+ yr flower cycle........Might move them outside for the summer and if that doesn't get them flowering am thinking a move to the bin is going to fix 'em.
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