Orchid Care Guidelines

PLANT HEALTH

• When removing an unhealthy root or leaf, always cut an infected areas well into the healthy part of plant.
• If your plant receives direct sunshine and leaves feels warm to your cheek, it is in danger of getting a sunburn.
• Leaf color can tell you if your plant receives an adequate amount of light.
• Leaf substance (stiffnes) can tell you if your plant getting enough water.
• If leaves seem weak and you know that the plant getting enough water, don't increase watering, Check the conditions of the roots.
• Applications of contact pesticides, such as Safer's soap, always needs to be repeated every 7-10 days for 4-6 weeks.
• Good bugs in/on your plants include lady bugs, centipedes and spiders.
• Honeydew (sugar water droplets) as the tip of the flower petals  on the flower steam or on the age of thick leaves is a sign of health.
• Some orchids produce little plantlets on their flower steam or on place of flower steams. These are called keikis and can be detached and potted once the roots are  1.5 to 2 cm

REPOTTING

Most orchids potted in bark need to be repotted every 18-24 months in fresh media. The best time to repot is when the new growth is just starting to grow roots.
Soaking roots in warm (20-25C or 70-80F) water will make them more pliable.
Be careful not to break roots as wounds are potential sites of infection.
Cinnamon can be used on cuts and beaks as a fungicide/bactericide.

• Use only disinfected tools (1:10 bleach/water solution or saturated tri-sodium phosphate or use a Bunsen burner or propane torch to sterilize)
• Consider root mass when determining new pot size. If you are removing a substantial portion of the existing root system due to rot, you may not to move up a pot size.
• Choose the size of media components according to root size and water retention as needed by a specific genus.
• Always mark the date you repotted the plant on the tag.
• NEWER THROW AWAY THE PLANT'S NAME TAG!

MEDIA

Lava rock (use to add weight at the bottom of a pot; not recommended as a general growing media)	Pre-mixed media (usually contains bark, sponge rock, charcoal and chunky peat)
Fine fir bark (use for orchids which like evenly moist media)	Coarse fir bark (use large pieces for orchids which do not like evenly moist media)

Orchid Genus	Media Type
Cattlea	Medium to coarse fir bark
Oncidium	Coarse free-draining medium
Dendrobium	Medium fir bark, coarse perlite
Zygotepalum	Medium coarse mixture of fir bark, perlite and charcoal that drains well
Miltoniopsis	Fine to medium bark, charcoal, coarse perlite, chunky peat
Odontoglossum	Fine bark and charcoal for pots less than 5”, medium fir bark and charcoal for larger pots
Cymbidium	Medium fir bark and charcoal, perlite
Paphiopedilum	Fine fir bark and charcoal, perlite
Phalenopsis	Fine fir bark and charcoal, perlite
Masdevallia	Sphagnum moss or Fine fir bark and charcoal

If you have any questions do not hesitate to ask me, and I will ask as soon as possible.