Sphagnum Moss

What mix should I pot my orchids in?

 

I love, love, love Sphagnum moss for my Phalaenopsis orchids! It is so easy to tell when they need to be watered because when the moss gets dry it gets “crunchy.” What I mean by “crunchy” is that, to the touch, they actually make a crunch noise….like a dry sponge. I know when to water my orchids by touching the moss. If it feels wet like a wet or damp sponge I know NOT to water it. I wait till it feels almost bone dry. Orchids are use to times of abundant water and then dry spells. They don't like to be watered all the time.

When you buy most orchids they have bark on top, which makes it hard to tell when they need to be watered. It is very helpful to have sphagnum moss plus the right clear pots in order to solve this problem.

Note: If you choose to use bark that is perfectly fine – I just prefer moss. And in most places it's hard to find premium moss so if this is the case go ahead and get bark. Bark is not bad – I just like moss better. Also when switching between any type of mix (bark to moss or vice versa) it may shock your orchid a bit so don't be alarmed if the leaves look a bit droopy at first. Give it time to adjust.

What I use:

I started with this Classic Orchid Mix. This mix was especially useful to me, as a beginner, because it is so easy to use! This moss is also good for weak and recovering plants. I now use Imperial Orchid Mix (which is just a simple upgrade) once I got the hang of caring for my first orchids. I love them both but it's good to start with the most simple mix because you get a real “feel” for your orchids.

Background on Sphagnum Moss by my favorite site, rePotme: “It comes from bogs and is harvested, compressed and imported for use in the floral industry. There are many graded levels of sphagnum moss. The quality of sphagnum moss is relative to the length of the strands, how fluffy each strand is, and how much debris is packaged in with the moss. Lower quality moss obviously costs less. The sphagnum moss that is used by the floral industry to line hanging baskets and package seedling plants for transport is typically of a much lower grade than we would choose for use as a media to grow orchids in.

In the growing of orchids we are looking for top quality sphagnum moss with long, fluffy, open strands and good capillary action for moisture. In Taiwan, the largest exporting country of Phalaenopsis orchids, virtually all Phalaenopsis are grown in Sphagnum moss. In cooler climates and in cultivation in the home, sphagnum moss can present some challenges with overwatering. The good news is, sphagnum moss as an orchid medium is highly adaptable. Packed tightly in a pot it will retain a lot of moisture. Packed lightly in a pot it will dry out rapidly. But here is where the quality of the moss really comes in to play. Standard floral-quality sphagnum moss, available from nurseries and box stores and even sometimes advertised as 'orchid moss' is not suitable for growing orchids. Orchids grown in this lesser grade of sphagnum moss will not thrive as they could in a higher grade of moss as this moss compacts and quickly becomes sodden in all but the most arid environments.

For orchids we recommend AAA New Zealand Sphagnum Moss or 5 Star Chilean Sphagnum Moss only. The quality of the two is fairly comparable though many hobbyists feel that AAA New Zealand Sphagnum Moss is fluffier. These two products will be labeled as such, the lesser grades of sphagnum will be labeled as 'orchid moss' or simply 'sphagnum moss'.

It is important to clarify the difference between sphagnum moss and sphagnum peat moss, also called just 'peat moss'. Sphagnum peat moss is not the same thing as sphagnum moss. In a sphagnum bog the sphagnum moss is the living moss that floats on the top of the bog. Sphagnum peat moss is the dead moss that falls to the bottom of the bog. Upon harvesting, the top layer of live sphagnum moss is taken first and then the bottom layer of peat moss is harvested. Peat moss is then processed into a soil amendment that is also a valuable media for orchids but it is markedly different in appearance and texture. Most of the sphagnum moss and sphagnum peat moss we see here in nurseries and big box stores comes from Canada.”

Hope that Helps,

Hannah

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Growing Orchids Outdoors

Can I grow my orchids outside?

Orchids can thrive outdoors given the right environmental conditions that support their unique needs. Orchids are not as finicky as people make them out to be. They can survive in most climates as long as they don't get too cool or too hot.

– In general, a frosty night can kill an orchid. So many orchids, depending on where you live, will need to be taken indoors in the fall and winter.

– Also scorching heat will both sunburn an orchid leaf and dry it out too quickly. So your orchid will need be placed in an area that has dappled shade (indirect sunlight). You can tell if your orchid is getting too hot by feeling the leaves….if they are hot to the touch then they need to be moved to an area that has less direct sunlight.

Orchids that especially benefit from growing outside are; Cattleya, Cymbidium, Dendrobium and Oncidium orchids. They love the warmth and extra light due to the fact that they are “high light” orchids. Because of this they may grow better and bloom more reliably when “treated” to the the summer outdoors. We must remember that even if an orchid is said to be “high light” it does not mean the kind of full sun that you expect in say a tomato plant. “High light” is a term that is relative and specific to the light requirements of the Orchid Family. All orchids need “dapple shade” which is essential for “high light” orchids.

If you wish to move these orchids outside in the warm months simply bring them outside in their pots. You will want to really make sure that your orchids don't dry out too much, so remember to mist them and put them humidity trays.

You can also mount them as seen in this post. My grandfather and grandmother love planting their orchids on Florida trees. This is a beautiful way to grow orchids!

NOTE: Allowing your orchids to benefit from the outdoors opens you up to fungus and pests that can wreak havoc on your dear plant!

Pest and fungus can be difficult to control both in and outdoors. If you have pets or children it can also be disconcerting to use certain pesticides to control these issues.

For pest I do the following; You can wash pests off with water but their eggs will remain so I use GET OFF ME! Pest Control Spray made from cinnamon. I spray this on my orchids each time I water my orchids. Also if you notice a lot of flies you can mix this spray with 50/50 with rubbing alcohol to increase its effectiveness. This is a safe substance to use around pets and children.

For fungus see this post; I always have Physan 20 on hand from rePotme.

Hope that Helps,

Hannah

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Mounting an Orchid

How do I mount an orchid?

Orchids grown in nature are amazing! Seeing them cling to a tree is naturally beautiful and it is the way my grandparents have grown them on Useppa Island for years! If you have the opportunity to mount orchids and see them grow as they would in nature, then please do! It is an amazing way to experience an orchid's growth. If you live in a tropical environment it is quite easy to grow orchids, in this way, because of the humidity and ample water.

I have seen this on Useppa Island for years as they grow in the nooks and crannies of trees. Orchids can grow indefinitely and looking back I wonder what year they were planted? Where did they come from? And how long will they survive after the patient planting and loving hands of fellow orchid enthusiasts? I look forward to seeing these orchids, on Useppa, for years to come!

Tree fern, wood, and cork orchid mounting plaques are a wonderful way to display your orchids. Orchids love to “hug” their roots around and through the various mounts. I love orchids because of their sense of community, how they “hug” things and love being near other orchids. The best way to mount your orchid is attaching it with a fishing line, string or wire. Also using a wine bottle filled with sand, sealed with a cork with a Phalaenopsis hook sticking out makes a good sturdy hanger. Click here for a full tutorial on how to mount an orchid.

Below is a pic of my mother's mounted orchid….

It is not as easy, however, to grow mounted orchids in homes because it's hard to give them enough water and humidity. This is especially true with dry air during the winter/heating season. Also it's hard logistically to bring them your sink to water them. This is not to say that you can't do this…you may just need to watch them more carefully then if they were potted. But it will be worth it!

Hope that helps and thanks for letting me share,

Hannah

 

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Taking Orchid Notes

I have a total of 18 Orchids, yeah I know! Once I started this blog everyone kept giving me their orchids once they were out of bloom or if they were dying. I love these orchids and I had to create a system to keep track of them somehow. With so many orchids it is hard to remember when I last watered, fertilized and treated them. I found that taking notes on them is the easiest way stay organized.

Here is some background on my orchids. I repotted 13 of them so far. The other 5 were bought in bloom, off cycle, and I am waiting for them to loose their blooms so I can repot them. And around another 5 were bought in bloom earlier this fall, again not in their normal bloom cycle, and they were repotted but will probably wait till next fall to shoot new spikes.

5 of the 18 shot up new spikes this fall and are about to bloom! Not all my orchids re-bloomed this year, for a variety of reasons. That might not seem like very good luck but most of my orchids were in really bad shape when I got them (rescued from friends etc.), three actually died due to under watering and lack of repotting from a previous owner.

I number each of my orchids and keep track of their habits. Number 5 is my rock star! I successfully repotted it last year and it has spiked beautifully! Here is a pic of it on January 5, 2012.

It has 15 little blooms off it, including a shoot that sprung from another node. I found this plant abandoned and because it was not in bloom, I can't wait to see what color it's blooms will be!

Here is an example of the notes I take on it…

5. Already bloomed orchid Last bloom unknown before Aug. 201. Repotted on Aug 17, 2011. Went up a pot size. Good condition/Healthy roots. Detected spike Sept 15, 2011. Detected new root on 9/29/11. On 10/4/11 and 10/18/11 set bigger spike on stick. 10/27/11 no new dev except spike is bigger. 11/1/11 2nd spike shot off from 1st spike/node!

I also keep track of when I water, fertilize and treat my orchids. Each orchid has a plant label that I number and then write down everything I do to it. This helps with having so many orchids because I loose track of when to fertilize etc.

FOR EXAMPLE:1/11/11 15, 16 and 17 Got the works (9 day watering difference) *2* 5 just watered (19 day watering difference) *4*

5, 15, 16, 17 are different orchids I have.

“Got the works” means I watered, fertilized, cleaned the leaves and treated my orchids.

“Just watered” means it's the 4th time I have watered my orchid and I don't use fertilizer (or any other product) so as to flush out the salts built up by fertilizing. Click here for a more detailed explanation of why this is important.

The numbers *2* and *4* at the END of the sentence is the treatment sequence it is in…*1* = Got the Works*2* = Got the Works*3* = Got the Works*4* = Just watered

And finally, I also like to see how many watering day difference there is…which is shown in the parentheses above. I find this helpful because sometimes I can tell by moving my orchids where the dry spots in my house are or if I need to increase humidity etc.

Hope that Helps,

Hannah

Feel free to leave comments or questions.

 

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How to Stake Orchid Spikes

My orchid is growing a shoot. Should I stake it?

Staking orchids is easy and essential for growing your standard indoor orchids. Most orchids do not naturally grow up, as we see them sold in our local florist shops. In nature they sometimes grow on trees, clinging to them and sometimes growing down (as shown below). It will not hurt your orchid to stake it, we simply do this because it looks pretty growing in our homes.

Overview

I normally wait till my spikes are at least 3 – 4 inches long and then I gentle attach them to a stake and wait for them to grow even longer before attaching a second clip. They are so fragile at first and will break very easily. This has happened to me before and I was heart broken. Then you can gradually add more clips and manipulate it straight up.

On the other hand if you wait till they are much longer and try to stake them then they can break as well becasue at this time they have hardened a bit. You have to start when they are smaller but be very careful because the new stalk is tender and gradually gets much firmer as it grows.

How to stake an orchid

1. Once your orchid shoot/spike has begun growing it will grow upwards for a couple of inches before it would naturally starts falling. At this time get a stake (I get mine from here) and gently push it in the mix next to the shoot (as shown below).

2. Then take ties/clips to secure it to the stake.

Note: be careful with orchid spikes…as stated above, they are fragile until they are bigger. I recently went to clip the spike of an orchid to a stake and the tip broke off. It was very upsetting. Make sure they are a couple of inches (at least 3 inches) long before clipping them and be very gentle!

There are many ties/clips you can choose from. Here are two examples of basic clips and then some fun clips…

3. As your orchid shoot grows you will need small to large steaks. Gently replace the stakes, with larger ones, as it grows (as shown below).

4. Eventually it will begin to show bulbs and at this point you can let it fall naturally at that top to create an arch, which will give it a nice full look (as shown below).

Below is what your orchid should look like when fully bloomed and staked properly.

Hope that helps,

Hannah

Feel free to leave comments or questions.

 

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Why Won’t my Orchid Bloom?

My orchid won't bloom. What is wrong?

Okay so you successfully repotted your orchid and it is the following season and your orchid will not bloom!! What is up with that? Most likely your orchid is out of balance in either light, roots, growth, season and/or natural stimuli. Here are a few reason why this may happen;

1. Maybe it's light. Hands down the most common reason that orchids fail to bloom is insufficient light. My Phalaenopsis orchids are usually happy with the filtered light in my windowsill but many other varieties need more light. Dendrobiums, Oncidiums, Cymbidiums and other types of orchids need much more light. They may need supplementary grow lights, which I don't use…. I just put them in a brighter window.

You can normally tell if your orchid is getting too much or too little light by looking at their leaves. Below is an example of what a Phalaenopsis orchid leaf should look like with the correct amount of light. It should be shiny and bright green.

You may ask, “What will your orchid look like with too little light?” The leaves will be a dark forest green instead of bright green. Below is an example of this…

On the other hand unlike a tomato plant, they can't handle full sun. A bright window has much more shade then if they were outside. Windowsill light is called “dappled light” and works well for most orchids.

You may ask, “What will your orchid look like with too much light?” The leaves will be a light yellow-green instead of a bright green. They can also get sunburned… Both are shown below. You can see the yellow leaf and the scorching on the other leaf, from too much sun (which looks like a big brown spot).

2. Maybe it's the roots….

Orchids work in balance between their roots, leaves and blooms. If your roots are healthy you should get good blooms. Many times I have seen a gorgeous orchid with deceptively beautiful leaves and flowers but when I went to repot, I found a horrible root system. In this situation even though the leaves and flowers were pretty the plant would surely die (or would have really suffered) if not repotted.

Horrible root systems are linked to overwatering and/or lack of repotting. You orchid roots need ALOT of oxygen to survive and thrive. Without oxygen orchid roots will smother and die. It helps to have pots that you can clearly see their root system (shown below). Your orchid should have healthy green roots, as shown freshly watered below, on the left. In between watering they will look like the picture on the right a slight white/green which is also good.

Orchids are different from normal house plants….you can't plant an orchid in normal soil, they need unique soil. I get all my soil/mix from rePotme. And even their mix, which I think is the best, will break down over time and will need to be replaced through repotting. Orchid mix will always need replacing because orchids need fresh mix to thrive. Orchids will not have enough energy to bloom if their roots are suffering. Remember its a balancing act!

3. Maybe it's new growth… There are two types of growth patterns for orchids; sympodial and monopodial.

Monopodial orchids; Phalaenopsis (which I have ALOT of) and Vanda are the most common. They grow off a single central stem with leaves on either side. Each leaf should be at least as big as the leaf before it. There should be at least one or two new leaves per year.

You should look for the next bloom spike on monopodial orchids from the base at the underside of a leaf (usually 2 or 3 leaves down from the newest leaf) and on the opposite side as the prior bloom spike.

In order to keep blooming over the years, monopodial orchids such as Phalaenopsis need to put on new leaves each year. Over time, as the orchid grows in size and strength it will send out a bloom spike on each side of the stem simultaneously.

Sympodial orchids; These orchids have multiple growths and should grow 1 or 2 new growths per year. A newly acquired orchid may have 4 or 5 stalks, most with leaves, with the bloom coming from the largest stalk. The “stalks,” on these orchids, are called “pseudobulbs.” If your orchid is thriving you should see a new pseudobulb emerge from the base of the previous pseudobulb near where the orchid bloomed. During the leaf and root growth period (not the bloom period), usually in summer, this new pseudobulb will ideally grow to be at least as big or bigger than the one that just bloomed. The next bloom spike will come from this new pseudobulb. You should be looking for your orchid to grow big, healthy new pseudobulbs because they will be the source of the next season's bloom. Good light, fertilizer and water are also keys to healthy new growth. Over time, as the orchid grows in size and strength it will grow multiple pseudobulbs which can all spike at the same time creating an abundance of gorgeous flowers!

4. Maybe it's the season….Orchids naturally, bloom on their own schedule. Most likely it will not be the time of year it bloomed when you bought it because it was forced (off-cycle) into bloom at a nursery. You will find that most orchids grow new leaves and new roots during the summer, grow spikes in the fall and bloom in the winter through spring.

Most orchids will only bloom once a year but some bloom twice or more. Your blooms can last weeks or months while others can last only days. Some basic research about the type of orchid will identify what to expect. My Phalaenopsis orchids usually bloom once per year and their blooms can last for months. Once their flowers have fallen off they may have a couple of extra flowers emerge from the end of the bloom spike and bloom again but this has been rare for me. I also have Dendrobiums, Oncidiums and Cymbidiums- they usually bloom once or maybe twice per year with spectacular blooms that last a month or two.

5. Maybe it's natural stimuli – in nature, orchids have natural stimuli that indicate to the plant that the growth season is over and it's time to bloom. The two main characters of natural season are a dip in temperature in the Fall and gray days resulting in lower light. Some orchids are temperature sensitive and some are light sensitive.

Orchids that are sensitive to temperature are triggered to bloom by the natural cooling that occurs in the fall. This drop in temperature signals to the orchid that the growth period (new roots and new leaves) is coming to an end and it is time to get ready to set a bloom spike, as shown below. If your like me, you grow your orchids inside where the temperature is fairly constant. If this is the case, orchids can be deprived of the natural cues and will be reluctant to bloom. You will need to trick your orchid into realizing its Fall by giving it temperatures in the 60's for a brief period (1-2 weeks). You can do this by cracking a window near them. I found this very successful with my orchids.

Orchids are also sensitive to light and can have their natural cycle disrupted by leaving lights on, after dark, in our homes. As much as possible turn the lights off, at night, when your orchids are in your homes.

Hope that Helps,

Hannah

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Cutting an Orchid Stem

Should I cut my orchid stem back, after it's done blooming?

This post will cover what you should do with your orchid stem once your orchid is done blooming. When I say “done blooming” I mean ALL the blooms have fallen off and your orchid stem is turning brown. The stem may only turn brown half way down the shoot or it may turn brown completely. The picture below is a Phalaenopsis spike dying back after blooming, it is brown half way down the shoot.

After your orchid is finished blooming you WILL want to cut off the shoot (stem) that produced the blooms. You will want to do this because the process of an orchid blooming takes energy from the plant. By cutting the shoot back it conserves any energy that is still going towards the shoot which allows the orchid to focus its energy into growing new leaves and new roots. Orchids work in a cycle between new roots, new leaves and the production of blooms.

You have two options in this scenario;

• Option #1 – (THIS IS THE METHOD I USE) Cut the orchid stem at its base, way down by the leaves. By cutting the shoot back entirely it allows the plant to gather more energy for a greater bloom next year. I always use this option because I am looking for a fuller bloom in the coming year. I especially do this with a young plant or one with a smaller or weak root structure so that it can gain a bit more energy for the future. I also don't wait for my orchid stems to turn brown. I immediately cut it back once the blooms have fallen.
• Option #2 – Cut it back right below the brown part of the stem. If you choose to cut the shoot halfway (just below the brown part) you may have more blooms sooner because sometimes orchids do give off a second bloom, from a dying shoot, but it will often result in smaller blooms. In this case you would want to cut it right above a node (shown below). I know alot of people who choose this option, IF the plant has a large root system. That way it allows the plant to potentially branch off an existing shoot.

A node looks like a half envelope on the orchid shoot.

How do you cut an orchid stem back?

• You want to use a clean sharp cutting tool
• Clip the shoot
• Then sprinkle cinnamon, yes the natural stuff in your cabinet, on it to help it fight off bacteria. Cinnamon is a natural bacteria fighter:)
• At this point you will also want to repot your orchid because your orchid will focus on growing new roots and leaves as it prepares for new flower spike in the Fall. By repotting it you are giving it fresh new mix that has extra nutrients (all orchid mix breaks down overtime and needs to be replaced).

Here is a great video, from http://www.repotme.com that will guide you in cutting back your orchid stems.

Hope that helps,

Hannah

Feel free to leave comments or questions.

 

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