Please Help,
much apppreciated, I just splashed out and bought myself a real live potted
orchid,
it is so beautiful and I really want to give it all the TLC it deserves,
any Orchid eperts out there ?
I really need to know which part of the house to put it in, how much
watering[the soil is really dry]
light, temp, all the usual,
Thankyou very much
Gea

--
http://community.webtv.net/AveAveAlt...ROSYHEALINGFOR

"Gea Jones" wrote in message
...
Please Help,
much apppreciated, I just splashed out and bought myself a real live
potted
orchid,
it is so beautiful and I really want to give it all the TLC it
deserves,
any Orchid eperts out there ?
I really need to know which part of the house to put it in, how
much
watering[the soil is really dry]
light, temp, all the usual,

Ooooh, you are on a hiding to nothing with that question.
Experts will want to know 'Species', 'variety', 'country of origin',
...........etc.

But, generally, keep out of direct sun, protect from frost, try to
maintain a 'moderate' temperature and at this time of year, water
sparingly. A humid atmosphere is usually recommended but, apart from
placing a tray of half submerged pebbles nearby, that is not often
practical in the normal domestic indoor environment. If as you say it
is 'beautiful', we can assume that it is now in flower as is normal
for many varieties. Flowering can last many weeks. Do not over water.
Many orchids have 'pseudo bulbs' which act as their own self contained
moisture reservoirs.
The compost should be loose and free draining. Stand the pot on
pebbles or coarse gravel to allow excess water to drain away freely.
Permanently wet roots will rot.
Enjoy.

--
ned

Thankyou Very Much indeed,
you have given me very sound advice,
the plants I have which do best are the ones that I leave alone,
and I can just see that I would have over watered this,
now I can just get "in tune" with it,
thanks again
Gea

"ned" wrote in message
...

"Gea Jones" wrote in message
...
Please Help,
much apppreciated, I just splashed out and bought myself a real live
potted
orchid,
it is so beautiful and I really want to give it all the TLC it
deserves,
any Orchid eperts out there ?
I really need to know which part of the house to put it in, how
much
watering[the soil is really dry]
light, temp, all the usual,

Ooooh, you are on a hiding to nothing with that question.
Experts will want to know 'Species', 'variety', 'country of origin',
..........etc.

But, generally, keep out of direct sun, protect from frost, try to
maintain a 'moderate' temperature and at this time of year, water
sparingly. A humid atmosphere is usually recommended but, apart from
placing a tray of half submerged pebbles nearby, that is not often
practical in the normal domestic indoor environment. If as you say it
is 'beautiful', we can assume that it is now in flower as is normal
for many varieties. Flowering can last many weeks. Do not over water.
Many orchids have 'pseudo bulbs' which act as their own self contained
moisture reservoirs.
The compost should be loose and free draining. Stand the pot on
pebbles or coarse gravel to allow excess water to drain away freely.
Permanently wet roots will rot.
Enjoy.

--
ned

what orchid is it,it should say on the plant label.There are so many orchids
available liking all conditions,from dry to moist,sun to shade,all different
humidity levels etc.
subscribe to rec.gardens.orchids
kenty
"ned" wrote in message
...

"Gea Jones" wrote in message
...
Please Help,
much apppreciated, I just splashed out and bought myself a real live
potted
orchid,
it is so beautiful and I really want to give it all the TLC it
deserves,
any Orchid eperts out there ?
I really need to know which part of the house to put it in, how
much
watering[the soil is really dry]
light, temp, all the usual,

Ooooh, you are on a hiding to nothing with that question.
Experts will want to know 'Species', 'variety', 'country of origin',
..........etc.

But, generally, keep out of direct sun, protect from frost, try to
maintain a 'moderate' temperature and at this time of year, water
sparingly. A humid atmosphere is usually recommended but, apart from
placing a tray of half submerged pebbles nearby, that is not often
practical in the normal domestic indoor environment. If as you say it
is 'beautiful', we can assume that it is now in flower as is normal
for many varieties. Flowering can last many weeks. Do not over water.
Many orchids have 'pseudo bulbs' which act as their own self contained
moisture reservoirs.
The compost should be loose and free draining. Stand the pot on
pebbles or coarse gravel to allow excess water to drain away freely.
Permanently wet roots will rot.
Enjoy.

--
ned

It says on the label a Butterfly Orchid,
with quite a lot of information, but maybe not enough
thanks
for the replies
Gea

"Kenty ;-)" wrote in message
...
what orchid is it,it should say on the plant label.There are so many
orchids
available liking all conditions,from dry to moist,sun to shade,all
different
humidity levels etc.
subscribe to rec.gardens.orchids
kenty
"ned" wrote in message
...

"Gea Jones" wrote in message
...
Please Help,
much apppreciated, I just splashed out and bought myself a real live
potted
orchid,
it is so beautiful and I really want to give it all the TLC it
deserves,
any Orchid eperts out there ?
I really need to know which part of the house to put it in, how
much
watering[the soil is really dry]
light, temp, all the usual,

Ooooh, you are on a hiding to nothing with that question.
Experts will want to know 'Species', 'variety', 'country of origin',
..........etc.

But, generally, keep out of direct sun, protect from frost, try to
maintain a 'moderate' temperature and at this time of year, water
sparingly. A humid atmosphere is usually recommended but, apart from
placing a tray of half submerged pebbles nearby, that is not often
practical in the normal domestic indoor environment. If as you say it
is 'beautiful', we can assume that it is now in flower as is normal
for many varieties. Flowering can last many weeks. Do not over water.
Many orchids have 'pseudo bulbs' which act as their own self contained
moisture reservoirs.
The compost should be loose and free draining. Stand the pot on
pebbles or coarse gravel to allow excess water to drain away freely.
Permanently wet roots will rot.
Enjoy.

--
ned

"Gea Jones" wrote in message
...
It says on the label a Butterfly Orchid,

.............. That term usually refers to the 'Psychopsis' varieties.
Do a Google image search on Psychopsis. see what that turns up.

--
ned

"ned" wrote in message
...

"Gea Jones" wrote in message
...
It says on the label a Butterfly Orchid,

............. That term usually refers to the 'Psychopsis'
varieties.
Do a Google image search on Psychopsis. see what that turns up.

PS

"Warm, humid, shady conditions in free draining compost"

--
ned

"ned" wrote in message
...

"ned" wrote in message
...

"Gea Jones" wrote in message
...
It says on the label a Butterfly Orchid,

............. That term usually refers to the 'Psychopsis'
varieties.
Do a Google image search on Psychopsis. see what that turns up.

PS

"Warm, humid, shady conditions in free draining compost"

--
ned

Well, this is really hard to admit.... I got up at 5 am to check if my
orchid was ok,[?]
anyway I had it over the fireplace and I had watered it, [once a week it
says], but it looked as though it was too warm, petals curling a teeny weeny
bit,
so I moved it , the room is north facing,and I have a christmas cactus and
money plants in there , which I generally water just before they wilt away ,
so I will keep an eye on it,
I feel silly , but it is so exquisite,
a complete joy to see something so beautiful
thankyou for the advice, [much needed/heeded]
Gea

On Sat, 8 Nov 2003 20:06:29 +0000 (UTC), "Gea Jones"
wrote:

Please Help,
much apppreciated, I just splashed out and bought myself a real live potted
orchid,
it is so beautiful and I really want to give it all the TLC it deserves,
any Orchid eperts out there ?
I really need to know which part of the house to put it in, how much
watering[the soil is really dry]
light, temp, all the usual,
Thankyou very much
Gea

My mother (83 yrs old) has pots and pots of such orchids, bought over
the years at the local Wyvale g/c, which flourish with sickening vigor
and are in flower for months. She has several species, I don't know
what but nothing difficult or rare, I guess.

She has them in an extension to her living room which has d-g windows
on three sides but a plaster ceiling. The fourth side is open to the
living room. Although the extension has two hot-water radiators in it,
they are small and it doesn't get too hot or too cold out there. The
windows face north, east and south, respectively. On the E and S
windows are venetian blinds which she lowers to protect them from
direct sunshine. The pots are on the sills of the N and E-facing
windows, but not the S window. They're there all year round, i.e. she
doesn't put them outside in the summer, and they don't seem to need
any help in initiating flower shoots. She grows them in proper
commercial orchid compost (mostly large bark chips by the look of it).

She reckons that it's the watering regime that is critical to their
health. She waters them once a week (it's her Sunday morning
activity), by plunging each pot in a bowl of water for about ten
minutes and then letting it drain. She puts a pinch of general purpose
soluble fertiliser into the water (don't know what; probably
Phostrogen or Miracle-grow). No other water is given for the rest of
the week. When they're looking as if they're getting cramped, she
re-pots into a larger pot using more of the same compost.



--
Chris

E-mail: christopher[dot]hogg[at]virgin[dot]net

Gea Jones wrote:

snips ...

Well, this is really hard to admit.... I got up at 5 am to check if my
orchid was ok,[?]
anyway I had it over the fireplace and I had watered it, [once a week it
says], but it looked as though it was too warm, petals curling a teeny weeny
bit,
so I moved it , the room is north facing,and I have a christmas cactus and
money plants in there , which I generally water just before they wilt away ,
so I will keep an eye on it,
I feel silly , but it is so exquisite,
a complete joy to see something so beautiful
thankyou for the advice, [much needed/heeded]
Gea

Have a look at McBeans website http://www.mcbeansorchids.co.uk/. They
are probably the leading orchid producer in the UK. We used to live a
few miles away and visited regularly, just to look at the orchids. They
are extremely knowlegable and very helpful. They'll even repot orchids
for you at a nominal charge.

If you're near enough (they're in E. Sussex, just north of Lewes) or are
ever in the area, definitely visit.

I try sending them an e-mail.


--
Larry Stoter

In article ,
ned wrote:

Ooooh, you are on a hiding to nothing with that question.
Experts will want to know 'Species', 'variety', 'country of origin',
..........etc.

Quite. But the majority of orchids sold in garden centres in the UK
belong to one of a few species.

But, generally, keep out of direct sun, protect from frost, try to
maintain a 'moderate' temperature and at this time of year, water
sparingly. A humid atmosphere is usually recommended but, apart from
placing a tray of half submerged pebbles nearby, that is not often
practical in the normal domestic indoor environment. If as you say it
is 'beautiful', we can assume that it is now in flower as is normal
for many varieties. Flowering can last many weeks. Do not over water.
Many orchids have 'pseudo bulbs' which act as their own self contained
moisture reservoirs.
The compost should be loose and free draining. Stand the pot on
pebbles or coarse gravel to allow excess water to drain away freely.
Permanently wet roots will rot.

Yes, but I have a few niggles. That advice is a clone of that given
to Californians, and does NOT map directly to the UK! I have only a
Phalaenopsis and Cymbidium, but the following remarks apply to most
tropical house plants (including my orchids).

In terms of direct sun, even our summer sun is rarely strong enough
to worry them - yes, I really DO mean that it is comparable to
the light levels in a tropical forest! In the winter, they like
all the sun they can get, and then more. Just don't keep them
immediately behind south-facing, sunny glass in the summer. For
the next few months, however, a south facing window (away from the
glass) is none too much sun.

Similarly, most DON'T want high humidity, ESPECIALLY in cool, dark
conditions. UK relative humidities can be sky-high, and tropical
ones are associated with active growing conditions. In a relatively
cool, naturally ventilated room in most of the UK, the humidities
ARE what Californians call high! Some action may be needed for
some plants, in houses with dehumidifiers, and if the room is very
hot.

At least the orchids I have positively LIKE erratic watering, as
might be expected for epiphytes. So forgetting for quite long
periods in the winter in a cool room is no big deal.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On 9 Nov 2003 12:40:11 GMT, (Nick Maclaren) wrote:

In article ,
ned wrote:

Ooooh, you are on a hiding to nothing with that question.
Experts will want to know 'Species', 'variety', 'country of origin',
..........etc.

Quite. But the majority of orchids sold in garden centres in the UK
belong to one of a few species.

Are they grown in UK or imported from the Netherlands?
The local greenhouses in Rijnsburg specialise in orchids.
It's quite impressive to see 15,000 young identical orchids all in one
greenhouse.


--
Martin

"Gea Jones" wrote in message ...
It says on the label a Butterfly Orchid,
with quite a lot of information, but maybe not enough

Butterfly Orchid, that's Oncidium papilio (do a search for a picture) to be
correct and I doubt very much if that's what you have bought as it's rather
rare and none too easy to grow which therefore makes it a specialist plant.
More likely a Moth Orchid, which is a Phalaenopsis, (again do a search for a
picture) and probably a hybrid. Give it good light (if it gets too much the
leathery leaves will go dark red but still not a problem) but avoid direct
sun through glass in the summer as it will scorch the leaves. Normal living
room temperature is OK but care they don't get too cold at night if on a
windowsill. Water with rainwater at room temperature, after watering let the
compost almost dry before watering again and never let the thick grey roots
stay wet. Feed with half strength feed every few waterings but ensure you
also flush the compost through with pure water every few waterings to ensure
no build-up of salts. Only repot when the existing compost starts to
deteriorate, let the roots wander outside the pot if they want to but take
care they don't cling onto something they shouldn't, they won't come off
without tearing.
They are epiphytes and live high up under the tree canopy in tropical
rainforests attached to tree branches by those thick clinging roots so they
only get water when it rains, only get food when bird droppings etc get
washed to the roots, and never stay wet for long.

When the spike finishes flowering don't cut it off unless it turns brown and
dies. It will flower again from the same spike or if you are very lucky you
will get another plant growing on it.

--
Regards
Bob

Use a useful Screen Saver...
http://setiathome.ssl.berkeley.edu/
and find intelligent life amongst the stars, there's bugger all down here.

In article ,
Bob Hobden wrote:

More likely a Moth Orchid, which is a Phalaenopsis, ...
They are epiphytes and live high up under the tree canopy in tropical
rainforests attached to tree branches by those thick clinging roots so they
only get water when it rains, only get food when bird droppings etc get
washed to the roots, and never stay wet for long.

When the spike finishes flowering don't cut it off unless it turns brown and
dies. It will flower again from the same spike or if you are very lucky you
will get another plant growing on it.

Interesting. I didn't know that. We were given one a few years ago,
and I am absolutely flabberghasted by it. With the attention you
describe (often in the form of benign neglect), it has flowered
spectacularly for 7 months at a stretch! Quite amazing.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
...
In article ,
ned wrote:

Ooooh, you are on a hiding to nothing with that question.
Experts will want to know 'Species', 'variety', 'country of
origin',
..........etc.

Quite. But the majority of orchids sold in garden centres in the UK
belong to one of a few species.

But, generally, keep out of direct sun, protect from frost, try to
maintain a 'moderate' temperature and at this time of year, water
sparingly. A humid atmosphere is usually recommended but, apart
from
placing a tray of half submerged pebbles nearby, that is not often
practical in the normal domestic indoor environment. If as you say
it
is 'beautiful', we can assume that it is now in flower as is normal
for many varieties. Flowering can last many weeks. Do not over
water.
Many orchids have 'pseudo bulbs' which act as their own self
contained
moisture reservoirs.
The compost should be loose and free draining. Stand the pot on
pebbles or coarse gravel to allow excess water to drain away
freely.
Permanently wet roots will rot.

Yes, but I have a few niggles. That advice is a clone of that given
to Californians, and does NOT map directly to the UK!

I have a few niggles, too! ;-)
I am not a Californian, nor was the orchid specialist who gave me the
advice - which has served me well over the last 20 years. I am sorry
if it does 'NOT map' directly to Cambridgeshire. It has proved
satisfactory for Buckinghamshire and Lincolnshire.

I have only a
Phalaenopsis and Cymbidium,

........ Oh. Definitely an expert then. ;-)

but the following remarks apply to most
tropical house plants (including my orchids).

In terms of direct sun, even our summer sun is rarely strong enough
to worry them - yes, I really DO mean that it is comparable to
the light levels in a tropical forest!

A tropical forest can be a very dark and oppressive place and some
orchids will never see direct sunlight..

In the winter, they like
all the sun they can get, and then more. Just don't keep them
immediately behind south-facing, sunny glass in the summer.

Last sentence, agreed. Mine are placed outside in dappled sunshine all
summer.

For
the next few months, however, a south facing window (away from the
glass) is none too much sun.

Similarly, most DON'T want high humidity, ESPECIALLY in cool, dark
conditions. UK relative humidities can be sky-high,

..... rarely, and certainly not .......

In a relatively
cool, naturally ventilated room in most of the UK, (where) the
humidities
ARE what (desert) Californians (might) call high!

Perhaps Kew don't know any better but their 'high humidity' tropical
environments are positively dripping with water. Few domestic
environments come anywhere near close to those conditions. My
suggestion of a bowl of half submerged pebbles is unlikely to create
'high' humidity.

My advice was stated to be 'general'. For me, it has successfully
stood the test of time. If Mr MacLaren's orchids survive a different
regime, then that serves to prove just how tolerant orchids can be and
should lessen Gea's fears.

Gea, as with most things in life, approach them with moderation in
mind, orchids grow in many homes across the UK. They can in yours,
too. ;-)

--
ned