so right now i have 4 different phal orchids and two Hawaiian orchids that are the same plant but split, and im going to get another here pretty quick.
they are a little more time consuming than other plants, but not more so than any cham, and they make good additions to your cage because they will flower and thrive in the chams environment. with proper knowledge they can be as easy to take care of as African violets.
though not the best choice of protection or climbing vegetation, they are a simple addition to your chams cage and with a little observance, can be a cheap addition too.
most orchids will sell at 20-40$ a piece, then get taken home and shortly die after the flowers fall off because people do not know how to take care of them.
im no expert, but what i have been doing has been working and all of mine have flowered more than once and are quite happy from the looks of it.
the pictures are slightly bad but bear with me.
step 1) finding the orchid for you: there are a few different types of orchids commonly found, the most being the Phalaenopsis Orchids, and occasionally the Prosthechea or "Psh" orchids. i have had some experience with other species, but they are much more difficult IMO to take care of.
"phals" are characterized by a main plant consisting mainly of a few dark meaty leafs and the flower petals are very round and come in a variety of colors. they seem to be the most tolerant of different temperatures and are the easiest to get to flower often. they love cooler temps 75day 65 night.
"Psh" orchids are characterized by bulbs that have "grassy sprouts" off the bulbs. the flowers often are more slender and star shaped than the "phals."
psh orchids like a little higher temps, 80-90day, 70 night, to flower, but can easily sit in a window with phals at 75ish day and 65ish night and do well, rarely flowering though.
i have 4 phals, the pink and yellow, the yellow and maroon "jaw" (both pictured below), as well as a pure white and a white with purple veins. all but one of my orchids is planted in a sphagnum moss / bark perlite charcoal mix. the other two are the same "Psh"orchid from Hawaii.
watering is the trickiest part about an orchid, but with a few simple rules, it becomes quite easy.
#1 dont drown your orchid. they need water often, but like to have their feet dry out between waterings. im not sayign let your orchid get bone dry, just make sure the soil your orchid is in isnt soggy...
#2 mist the foliage too, orchids live on the sides of trees up in the canopy. they get high humidity and bright indirect light in their natural environment. its easy to simulate that if you put your orchid in or next to a cham cage and mist it whenever your cham gets misted. I will sometime mist mine as often as 4 -5 times a day and sometimes as little as 0-1 times a day and they all do fine either way.
#3 when misting phals, make sure water doesnt collect excessively at the "crown" of the leaves. this can cause crown rot, and from that point its very difficult to save that orchid because new foliage sprouts from the crown. I mist mine fiarly heavily and will grab a towel just to wipe the center if water is collecting too much in the crown.
#4 make sure the soil the orchid is potted in is conducive to some airflow/ easy to dry between watering. as i mentioned above, mine are planted in a bark with some charcoal and perlite with a pinch or two of sphagnum to keep a little more moisture in if the orchid needs it or i forget to water a few days. this way i can water light/ moderatley on a daily or every 3rd day basis. (basically i will mist the whole plant and squirt 5-10 streams from the mister into the soil)
however, if your orchid is planted only in sphagnum moss, then the water retention is much higher and you should water less, misting 4-6 sprays when the sphag dries out on the top 1.5cm or so. the one orchid I keep in sphagnum moss i will pour enough water into the plant to where if i were to wring out the moss only about half would come out easily. keeping the moss more moist than damp, and only watering every 3rd day or so.
step 2) Buying an orchid
when you walk into the store and see the orchids on display, they are quite beautiful... very beautiful in fact, until you see the price tag. 20$, 30$, 40$ i have even seen a phal orchid in bloom for 55$... outrageous and highway robery i say!
there is a simple solution, resist the urge when the first shipment comes in, let other buy off the better looking plants and come back in a week or so. the store usually has no idea how to properly take care of the plant, the flowers will soon drop off the plant and then they cant sell the orchid for as much and soon the prices will tumble.
the white phal orchid i bought, i saw for sale at 40$ in bloom, when it lost its blooms it was only 20. the pink and yellow one was 20 at walmart, i got it for 5 a week later. only thing wrong with it was it needed to be re situated in its pot because it was falling over.
simple strategy to get cheap orchids and with proper care they bounce back very fast.
In summary
keep watering, soil, light and temps in mind and your orchids should do well, all these things can be achieved if the orchid is placed in a good location in your chams cage and you mist the orchid along with your cham.
happy hunting
they are a little more time consuming than other plants, but not more so than any cham, and they make good additions to your cage because they will flower and thrive in the chams environment. with proper knowledge they can be as easy to take care of as African violets.
though not the best choice of protection or climbing vegetation, they are a simple addition to your chams cage and with a little observance, can be a cheap addition too.
most orchids will sell at 20-40$ a piece, then get taken home and shortly die after the flowers fall off because people do not know how to take care of them.
im no expert, but what i have been doing has been working and all of mine have flowered more than once and are quite happy from the looks of it.
the pictures are slightly bad but bear with me.
step 1) finding the orchid for you: there are a few different types of orchids commonly found, the most being the Phalaenopsis Orchids, and occasionally the Prosthechea or "Psh" orchids. i have had some experience with other species, but they are much more difficult IMO to take care of.
"phals" are characterized by a main plant consisting mainly of a few dark meaty leafs and the flower petals are very round and come in a variety of colors. they seem to be the most tolerant of different temperatures and are the easiest to get to flower often. they love cooler temps 75day 65 night.
"Psh" orchids are characterized by bulbs that have "grassy sprouts" off the bulbs. the flowers often are more slender and star shaped than the "phals."
psh orchids like a little higher temps, 80-90day, 70 night, to flower, but can easily sit in a window with phals at 75ish day and 65ish night and do well, rarely flowering though.
i have 4 phals, the pink and yellow, the yellow and maroon "jaw" (both pictured below), as well as a pure white and a white with purple veins. all but one of my orchids is planted in a sphagnum moss / bark perlite charcoal mix. the other two are the same "Psh"orchid from Hawaii.
watering is the trickiest part about an orchid, but with a few simple rules, it becomes quite easy.
#1 dont drown your orchid. they need water often, but like to have their feet dry out between waterings. im not sayign let your orchid get bone dry, just make sure the soil your orchid is in isnt soggy...
#2 mist the foliage too, orchids live on the sides of trees up in the canopy. they get high humidity and bright indirect light in their natural environment. its easy to simulate that if you put your orchid in or next to a cham cage and mist it whenever your cham gets misted. I will sometime mist mine as often as 4 -5 times a day and sometimes as little as 0-1 times a day and they all do fine either way.
#3 when misting phals, make sure water doesnt collect excessively at the "crown" of the leaves. this can cause crown rot, and from that point its very difficult to save that orchid because new foliage sprouts from the crown. I mist mine fiarly heavily and will grab a towel just to wipe the center if water is collecting too much in the crown.
#4 make sure the soil the orchid is potted in is conducive to some airflow/ easy to dry between watering. as i mentioned above, mine are planted in a bark with some charcoal and perlite with a pinch or two of sphagnum to keep a little more moisture in if the orchid needs it or i forget to water a few days. this way i can water light/ moderatley on a daily or every 3rd day basis. (basically i will mist the whole plant and squirt 5-10 streams from the mister into the soil)
however, if your orchid is planted only in sphagnum moss, then the water retention is much higher and you should water less, misting 4-6 sprays when the sphag dries out on the top 1.5cm or so. the one orchid I keep in sphagnum moss i will pour enough water into the plant to where if i were to wring out the moss only about half would come out easily. keeping the moss more moist than damp, and only watering every 3rd day or so.
step 2) Buying an orchid
when you walk into the store and see the orchids on display, they are quite beautiful... very beautiful in fact, until you see the price tag. 20$, 30$, 40$ i have even seen a phal orchid in bloom for 55$... outrageous and highway robery i say!
there is a simple solution, resist the urge when the first shipment comes in, let other buy off the better looking plants and come back in a week or so. the store usually has no idea how to properly take care of the plant, the flowers will soon drop off the plant and then they cant sell the orchid for as much and soon the prices will tumble.
the white phal orchid i bought, i saw for sale at 40$ in bloom, when it lost its blooms it was only 20. the pink and yellow one was 20 at walmart, i got it for 5 a week later. only thing wrong with it was it needed to be re situated in its pot because it was falling over.
simple strategy to get cheap orchids and with proper care they bounce back very fast.
In summary
keep watering, soil, light and temps in mind and your orchids should do well, all these things can be achieved if the orchid is placed in a good location in your chams cage and you mist the orchid along with your cham.
happy hunting
