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maroonmudskipper

Is my orchid normal?

13 years ago

Hi, I'm very new to orchids (been at it for about... 26 hours) and reasonably new to houseplanting in general, but I bought what I think is a Phalaenopsis orchid at the grocery store on a whim yesterday, and in the course of my research I'm beginning to worry about it. It looks strange to me.

It has one yellow/red leaf, and it looks tall and bamboo-y compared to all the pictures I've seen. The leaves are also unevenly colored, but that might be from sitting in a brightly-lit grocery store for who-knows-how-long.

The flowers also look... sticky?

Comments (9)

  • 13 years ago

    Here are some close ups of the plant

    {{gwi:181139}}

    {{gwi:181140}}

    {{gwi:181150}}

    {{gwi:181153}}

  • 13 years ago

    It's a dendrobium orchid and the flowers are almost done. Make sure you take the plastic bag off the bottom. Put it in a bright warm location and water about every 5 to 7 days, making sure the media dries between waterings. I set mine outside in a bright but not direct sun location in the summer. They love it, just watch out for squirrels, they love them too. Some of mine will bloom a couple of times a year. Good luck.

  • 13 years ago

    Chilover is right. You have hybrid Phalaenopsis type dendrobium. This link to the American Orchid Society should help you care for it. Happy growing!

    Here is a link that might be useful: DenPhal Culture

  • 13 years ago

    Thank you both!

    Question about light... I live in Hawaii, so my house is about 115% windows. I set the plant in the sitting room, across from a big window, but we don't get a lot of direct light into the house because we've got houses on either side of us, and in the back yard, and I don't want to put it in the living room (southeast facing, front of the house so no obstructions) because the only furniture there is a coffee table, and with two kids, that's kind of inviting disaster. The plant, in its current installation, is getting reasonably bright, but mostly indirect, sunlight all day. Is this going to be enough for it, or should I petition for a tall stand to keep it out of harm's way?

  • 13 years ago

    Your plant should be a breeze to grow in Hawaii. If outside, a good position would be tied to the eastern side of a Palm Tree Trunk. Inside, somewhere with very bright light, like where I am trialling one now. North windowsill (Southern Hemisphere) getting hours of sunlight screened by 80% Shade-Cloth type blind.
    They are rated as difficult here.

  • 13 years ago

    Do you have a patio? Put this plant outside and it will grow like crazy. These plants like stronger light than the middle of your living room. Put it in a window, if necessary. But the best location would be outside. Once it starts flowering you can bring it in the house to display it. Flowers last a long time on these plants and they are easy to grow.

    Follow Greencurls link.

    Jane

  • 13 years ago

    I think this plant needs a good soak in water for 30 mins?
    Where I am, I water my den. phals daily morning and evening (spraying at roots and foliage in the morning and roots only at the evening-not advisable I know).
    I realised I was underwatering my dens.
    What happened was, the canes of my dens all shrivelled. Keikis were also growing. The leaves on the mature canes started to wrinkle.

    Couple of weeks I started soaking my dens weekly in weak orchid NPK for 15 mins on the suggestion of an experienced grower. Few days later after that 1st soak, the canes all became noticeably fuller. There was a noticeable change in the foliage green. All the shrivelled qualities and wrinkles were gone. The longer I soak them the more they seem to love it. Just last week, 3 keikis appeared within the same plant!

    My orchids are all placed outdoors and they get hit by direct sun in the afternoon.

  • 13 years ago

    Hard-cane dendrobiums should grow like weeds in your climate Maroon. I agree that it would be better outdoors. It can take a couple of hours of sun, but not a full day.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Trini Garden

  • 13 years ago

    Thank you everyone! I feel a lot better knowing my orchid is normal...

    I picked up what I know is a phal today (the nice people had actually labeled their plants!), when I was at a nursery on the hunt for orchid food... It's just about to blossom, I couldn't resist...

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