Any orchid people in here? :)

[Kuzuri]

I was just wondering if anyone else here is growing orchids? I just started about three months ago by rescuing a very sad-looking unknown/NoID Phalaenopsis hybrid from the local grocery store. I had never had an orchid before (my mother always said they were hard to care for and lost their blooms (and thus - she thought - they were dead) the moment they entered the house), but this Phal just screamed "save meeeeee" and somehow ended up in my shopping cart. I figured that since it was going to die anyway, maybe I could save it - and if it died... well... I tried, at least. So I went home and did some research on Phals, and it turned out that they aren't harder to care for than most other houseplants. I had to repot it and it needed fertilizer badly (so badly that it did indeed lose its blooms before I managed to buy some), but apart from that, it quickly got better, and within a month, it bloomed again and has done so for the past two months.

So... now that I knew how to care for them, I rescued three Phals more from grocery stores, all sad-looking then, but alive and very well today. When my mother bought one and it lost its blooms, she also gave that one to me - and one of the Phals turned out to be two plants in one pot, so I split them, so now, I have 6 NoID Phals/Phal hybrids (although two of them are what you would once classify as Doritaenopsis).

But I couldn't possibly stop there! The orchid bug had bitten me, and had bitten me hard! I started researching other species of orchids and wrote down the ones I would like to own - most of them were pretty easy to care for.

And thus, today, I have more than 20 orchids (at least, I will have when the rest arrives in the mail  ), and I've managed to keep them all alive and thriving. I just want to know if there's anyone in here as crazy as me.

[Barbara]

Someone does, I just cannot for the life of me remember who though, hold tight and someone will let us know.

[Rosefriend]

May 12, 2014 14:35:09 GMT Kuzuri said:

I was just wondering if anyone else here is growing orchids? I just started about three months ago by rescuing a very sad-looking unknown/NoID Phalaenopsis hybrid from the local grocery store. I had never had an orchid before (my mother always said they were hard to care for and lost their blooms (and thus - she thought - they were dead) the moment they entered the house), but this Phal just screamed "save meeeeee" and somehow ended up in my shopping cart. I figured that since it was going to die anyway, maybe I could save it - and if it died... well... I tried, at least. So I went home and did some research on Phals, and it turned out that they aren't harder to care for than most other houseplants. I had to repot it and it needed fertilizer badly (so badly that it did indeed lose its blooms before I managed to buy some), but apart from that, it quickly got better, and within a month, it bloomed again and has done so for the past two months.

So... now that I knew how to care for them, I rescued three Phals more from grocery stores, all sad-looking then, but alive and very well today. When my mother bought one and it lost its blooms, she also gave that one to me - and one of the Phals turned out to be two plants in one pot, so I split them, so now, I have 6 NoID Phals/Phal hybrids (although two of them are what you would once classify as Doritaenopsis).

But I couldn't possibly stop there! The orchid bug had bitten me, and had bitten me hard! I started researching other species of orchids and wrote down the ones I would like to own - most of them were pretty easy to care for.

And thus, today, I have more than 20 orchids (at least, I will have when the rest arrives in the mail  ), and I've managed to keep them all alive and thriving. I just want to know if there's anyone in here as crazy as me.

Hi Kuzuri and Welcome to GWD... and well done with your Orchids...

We do have an Orchid thread that various of us add to...

gardenworld.proboards.com/post/282337/thread

I have been growing Orchids for going on 30 years now and can only say that Phalaenopsis are so easy to grow. Some I have had around 15 years although I did have a clear out a few years ago, - the air roots were bigger than the plant, and bought some new ones!!!

Through the years I have grown most varieties but I still stick to Phalaenopsis - they are so easy - I cut back to the first non flowering node after flowering has finished. I water once a week - counting to five, and feed every two weeks with an Orchid fertilizer - otherwise I ignore them totally....they grow incredibly well!!

RF

EDIT: I see you are on my side of the water in Denmark - lovely country , my stepdaughter lives in Flensburg.

[Jilly]

Hi Kuzuri  I've only got 2 Phalaenopsis, but I agree with Rosefriend, I've kept mine alive (and flowering ) for about 3 years now, they're just so easy & I'm rubbish with houseplants.