Vanda orchids are a beautiful and popular type of orchid that are known for their large, vibrant blooms and fragrant scent. They are native to Southeast Asia and are often grown in tropical climates around the world. One of the unique features of Vanda orchids is that they love to grow in a wood basket. […]
Q: On my orchids if the new roots do not enter the orchid mix when 2-3 inches long, the tip turns brown and stops growing. Could this be due to not misting the plant often enough? A: Insufficient misting and resultant low humidity should not cause the symptoms you describe. Rather, I would suspect that […]
Q: My cattleya are sending up only one flower bud per sheath whereas in the pass there were three or four. I have been fertilizing more often. Also, some plants just don’t want to send out roots from the new growths. They have done downhill. Should I try a rooting material? A: The paucity of […]
Q: The sheaths which form on the new growths of my cattleyas turn yellow and wither instead of producing flowers. Why? A: There are two distinct growth types for cattleyas. There are those that produce their new growth in the spring and flower shortly thereafter while the sheath is still green. The other type also […]
Q: What would cause Cattleya leaves not to flatten out – they stay folded in the center? A: Low atmospheric humidity is apt to cause that condition.
Q: Can water left over from bathing etc., with soap in it, be used to water orchids? We are faced with a possible water shortage and rationing. A: If you bathed with a mild detergent such as Johnson and Johnson baby shampoo, I can see no harm resulting from that water being used on orchids. […]
Q: Please tell me how to get my laelia purpurata to flower. I bough one 5 years ago and it has not flowered. I have divided it into three pots. It does seem to grow very long leaves. I grow it with my cattleyas and other orchids, and it is the only one that does […]
General tips for watering orchids: Increase the pot depth, or pot size, increases the rewatering time. Example: When the pot depth is doubled, the rewatering time increases by a factor of four. So if you want to increase the moisture for the orchid, consider using a bigger pot, or use the same diameter pot, but […]
Q: I mounted my cattleya on a piece of cork. It took six month to root and I almost lost it. All the bulbs are shriveled since they lack roots. What should I do with this plant? A: Generally, to promote roots, keep in moderate shade and mist often. Roots usually grow faster under warmer […]
Q: A green moss-like growth in my potting medium covers the roots. How can I control it? A: Moss is usually not a problem. If the growth is a true moss, do not worry about it. However, if it is an algae or slime mold, then application of a fungicidal spay will keep it under […]
Q: I have a mericlone cattleya. The first time it bloomed, one flower had a partially fused dorsal and left lateral sepal. When it flowered a second time, all of the flowers were okay. But one flower was deformed on the third blooming. What is the cause – virus, Benlate or what? The color on […]
Q: I have grown cattleyas for many years. They grow well but do not flower or even make sheaths. I grow under an array of eight 40-watt bulbs year-round. I believe this is enough light. How many hours per day should they be on in spring, summer, autumn and winter? Maybe seasonal day-length variation is […]
Q: Some people have said the flower produced by keikis on dendrobiums are of lower quality, which includes smaller lower side, shorter flower stem, and also weaker cut flowers than the flowers produced by the mother plant. Is it correct? At what age does a dendrobium plant’s flower production capacity start to decline? […]
Q: We previously grew our orchids in a greenhouse in Chicago. We now grow them in a sunroom in Jacksonville, Florida. We are having problem with the plants staying too wet and developing fungal problems that often kill plants. We are having an especially severe problem with a cymbidium that, despite our continued spaying with […]
Q: On my orchids, if the new roots do not enter the potting media when 2-3 inches long, the tip turns brown/black and stops growing. Could this be due to not misting the plant often enough? A: Extremely low humidity (<25%) usually causes the symptoms you describe. Frequent misting with high-quality water can […]
Q: Are cultural requirements different for charcoal than for fiber and bark? A: You can grow epiphytic orchids in any medium except soil as long as you can adjust your watering and fertilizer practices to the new medium. Water any medium thoroughly and then not again until the medium is dry. The difference in […]
Q: Does geographical area affect the color of blossoms, specially reds? I live in Hawaii. All locally hybridized reds seem to be plum or bluish red and same plants from California growers are cherry red. A: At high night temperatures flower color is less intense because the sugar is used for respiration and anthocyanin […]
Q: Is there any way to hasten or delay flower spike elongation and subsequent flowering, so as to time flowering to coincide with orchid shows? A: Temperature and light control can be used. Higher temperatures hasten while lower temperatures retard flowering. Many people try to hold plants by lowering greenhouse temperatures without shading, and […]
Q: What is the best way to re-root orchids that have lost their roots for one reason or another? A: A traditional wisdom dictates that plants can be encouraged to root by providing a moist and warm atmosphere while keeping the medium on the dry side. This enables the plant to remain turgid (not wilted) […]
Q: One of my cattleya developed a sheath, whereupon I discovered two buds inside which were completely black. Please comment! A: This is rather common. You should examine sheaths regularly, and when shadows of the buds appear within, you can cut the top 1/2″ off the sheath. This will allow the buds come […]
Q: New growths on my Cattleya orchids turn black and die or never grow to full size. The mature growths are wrinkled. I would appreciate any suggestion. A: From your description, several problems can be inferred. The blackening of the new growths on orchids or their failure to mature usually indicates starvation of […]
Q: With what can I clean the leaves of my orchids to remove white residue left from watering? A: The white residue is probably calcium from your water supply and best can be avoid by keeping the water off the foliage. If that is not possible you can treat your water to reduce the […]
Q: I water by immersion of the entire pot into water containing weak fertilizer. Can I add a bactericide like Physan 20 to the regular watering? If so, at what concentration? A: I have been doing exactly like what you describe for a couple of years. It is to prevent mold and algae growth inside […]
Q: Quite a large amount of bark enclosed in a plastic bag for about a year is covered with a whitish mold. Would this be harmful to my orchids. Would a fungicide drench be wise such as Physan 20? A: It looks like your bag of bark was wet when filled, hence the fungus growth. […]
Q: My cymbidiums need help. The new leaves cannot support themselves. They fold over about halfway along the length of the leaf. This fold turns brown and hard. Some of the leaves have a long split running lengthwise down the center of the leaf. A: From information provided my best guess is that you […]
Q: I am growing cattleyas in a window greenhouse. Many leaves and bulbs have started to become wrinkled and creased where they originally were smooth. What causes this? A: Wrinkled leaves and bulbs are a sign of dehydration. The plants are not receiving enough water. This can be because of low humidity in the home, […]
Q: I placed a large flowering cattleya on a shaded, covered patio. Flowers last a long time but developed small black spots all over the blooms. What caused this? A: Petal blight, caused by a Boltrylis fungal species, is common during cool, damp weather where there is inadequate air circulation. Phalaenopsis and Catttleya-like flowers are […]
Q: I have a vigorous bifoliate Cattelya orchid that is outgrowing its wood basket. I am unsure how to repot it because its roots woven through and around the basket, making it impossible to remove without severe root loss. The medium and the basket are still in good shape. Could I just pot […]
Q: I have been having trouble with small snails (approximately 2mm) eating new roots on orchids grown in my house. What can I use to get rid of them? I have tried some snail baits, that I bought from Home Depot, several times without success. A: Small snails are often difficult to […]
Q: I have several Cattleya and Oncidium orchids which refuse to bloom. They are outgrowing 6″ pots and are in heated greenhouse with a 55F minimum temperature. I am sure they receive enough light because they are right next too some Brassavola digbyana and Brassidium, which bloom profusely. I feed very two weeks with a […]
Q: A neighbor has put up a vapor light on his three-story house that stays on all night. My cymbidiums are 100 feet away, yet it is not dark. Will this cause problems in their blooming? A: Cymbidiums are temperature-responders as far as flowering is concerned. I do not know of any […]
. Q: When I purchase a new Cattleya the next new growth that is produced is almost always smaller. It is usually smaller and not as broad. These new plants rarely flower on these smaller growths. Could the problem be associated with gross underfertilization or excessive sunlight? A: Diminishing size of pseudobulbs […]
Q: What are the symptoms of black rot? What causes black rot and how do I deal with it? Is it contagious A: There are two black rots, one cool weather type and one warm-weather form, each caused by a different blade. They are contagious and can be spread. The warm-weather type is […]
(Photo courtesy of Ed Merkle) Q: Does Phalaenopsis gigantea have different growing requirements from other phalaenopsis? I have had mine for about six months on a light-cart. It has not grown or spiked. Its leaves are a very pale silvery green. A: Pale, silvery green leaves are typical for this species, which must […]
Q: I bought a new cymbidium a couple of months ago. It had two spikes and many buds and the buds almost reached opening size. Then during a month, one at a time, the buds yellowed and dropped. Why? One of them struggled to open with curled sepals. A: A number of […]
Q: Which orchid is responsible for producing the vanilla bean? A: The fruit of vanilla is botanically called a capsule, although we often refer to it as a bean. Many species of vanilla produce vanillin, the active ingredient in vanilla, but Vanilla planifolia yields the highest quality flavoring and is the on most […]