tmarin

Just got an orchid, don't really know anything about them. Anybody got any tips for taking care of them? Can't really find any threads regarding them. I'm gonna take a pic of it later its really gorgeous

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tmarin's OUTDOOR GROW '06

bluebloodletter

I would imagine that there probably is a similar forum for them. Orchids are the only other plant besides doob that people put as much effort into cultivating, at least that I can think of.

maybe a Scroogle??

Mendrel

I've got mine in the corner of a room about 5-6 feet away from an old 400w HPS and they're growing ok. Do you know what kind of orchid it is?

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NoneOYurs

um, one that does ok 5-6 feet away from your 400? LOL.

whould this be a picture or your orchid?

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tmarin

Nah I'm not sure what variety it is........Like I said, I'll take a pic once I get the camera back.

So, I'm guessing they don't need much light? I've got mine sitting in front of the window right now.

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tmarin's OUTDOOR GROW '06

pumpkin2006

Ok, so Orchids are leachers. The grow mostly in the tops of trees in rain forests. You have to pot them in wood chips or larger dry organic matter. Their roots can be exposed to air without problems. If they start to grow out the pot then you need to transplant them. Their leafs, along with flowers, will grow then a new set will start and the leafs and flowers will die. Like I said before they grow up in trees in rainforests so you need to have them partially shaded. Look up your variety, but you can go to your local hardware store and they'll have orchid ferts.

tobi

Many species grow "semi-hydroponically". As pumpkin says, they grow mostly in trees (known as epiphytic or climbing epiphytes) though there are varieties that grow in soil, on rocks/sand and the impossible ones that form complex, symbiotic relationships with fungii/mycorrhizae. Epiphytes root in the bark or clumps of organic matter like dead leaves, twigs etc. but feed off water trickling down the tree and over the roots instead of the substrate itself. The roots need to be exposed, they are not harmed by light and actually photosynthesise.

The most commonly available orchid is a phalaenopsis which may be the species you have. They have large, oval leaves with green, surface growing roots. Roots and flower spikes grow from the clump of leaves. The flowers can last as long as 8-9 months.

Orchids are notoriously hard to propagate. Seeds need a specialised environment to germinate, it is very hit and miss. Most nurseries propagate clones either by meristem culture (growing a thin piece of stem tissue in agar jelly, like bacteria etc.) or by creating keiki plants. A keiki (Hawaiian for baby) is like a runner plant from a stawberry or spider plant that grows its own root system and establishes before the stem attached to the mother dies and withers away...like a new plant growing from an umbilical cord.
These grow from the formations of a flowering spike...the spike either becomes a flower or a keiki. They occur naturally though infrequently and are usually encouraged by removing a sheath of tissue from the top of the spike before it get a chance to flower and then treating it with hormones (cytokinins NOT auxins as in other species). The keiki themselves can flower while still attached to the mother plant.

Growing them semi/passively hydroponically is better than full hydroponics as most orchids require very little watering. This means that you don't pump the solution over the roots but allow the plant to draw up what it needs by capillary action through a suitable medium. This is done by planting the orchid close to the surface in a hydroponic medium (hydroton is ideal but whatever medium you normally use will be fine) and sitting the pot in a saucer of nutrient solution. Another way would be to use a pot with no holes in the bottom of the pot but drainage holes about 2"-3" above.
The porous medium wicks up the solution mixed with plenty of air and only replaces what is used by the plant as and when it is used. Any excess solution sits in the bottom of the pot. This kind of slow flow system can suffer from salt build up so flush your system once every month or so.

You can use a full hydroponic system. Arguably, any well designed system should suitably oxygenate the water to prevent plants drowning...but this seems to inhibit flowering (possibly due to overfertilisation or lack of stress....not sure really) plus orchid roots are unusual, more like stems, and they don't have the abundance of little, white root hairs like cannabis for example. They are covered with a kind of silvery felt called velamen which is like a sort of natural capillary matting.

Ordinary veg and bloom hydro nutes are fine for growing orchids but many of the nute companies are creating orchid specific blends. Advanced Nutrients make one, Orchid Focus by Growth Technology is good and comes in veg and bloom formulas.

Here's a phalaenopsis that's 4 years old. It's potted in wood chips in a plastic pot suspended over a deeper clay bowl. I pour the solution in until about 1/2" above the bottom of the plastic pot. It is watered and fed about once a fortnight. It flowered in May and the first flower dropped yesterday, they last for ages :



Here's a closeup showing the difference between the roots and the flower spikes which can look similar to begin with:



Finally, I think there was a father and son team that used to post here that grew orchids in earnest. I think the dad was called Europa...he may be good for some tips.

HortProOrganics

Unfortunately, most orchids are not Epiphytes( growing on trees, rockscapes, and otehr plant hosts), yet there are almost an equal amount of them that are terrestrial( growing in the ground, bogs, aqauatics and even high altitude mediums). And they come in variation of grow instruction featuring light intensity, mediums, fertilizer applications( vegetative, flowering, resting), amount of humidity, and watering.