Myth or Truth #6 - Orchids like being pot bound? Too much Sun = NO Blooms? Phalaenopsis & more!

[@MissOrchidGirl]

The first 1,000 people to use this link will get a 1 month free trial of Skillshare: skl.sh/missorchidgirl11211 Check out the entire Myth or Truth Series kzbin.info/aero/PLxo6tXzj__mb5KKNhgiEZSByKBsmmJdQX

[@KAMJKJ]

Old leaves are limpy and new leaves are stiff, the above fact isnt applicable to orchid with tons of roots to make all leaves hydrates.

[@chef50001]

I often am unsure of when to rewater (i know you have many videos on this subject) I will see the silvery roots but will feel damp medium in the center so will wait.... you reminded me that there are very few roots in the center so i am waiting too long to water. I have over 20 phals and live in utah in the US. Thanks to you they constantly rebloom now. I love your channel! Thanks for all your info and hard work.

[@farreille6098]

Regarding your question: I do experience the same „limpness“ as Leanne with my Phals! Just a quick overview of my Phals history to understand my assumption on this: I rescued 8 similar ones from my working place. All of them severely dehydrated and with dead roots on them. Over the last 3 months I had to repot them three times unfortunately because first, I was inexperienced and repotted them with their „seedling basket“. So another repot. After that I had a huge mold outbreak. Again another repot and so forth…after that time I experienced that NOT ALL of the rescued ones do have a slight limpness on the oldest leaves. Three of them are doing great and are not dehydrated BUT only have 4 leaves. (-> all the same. No limpness) The rest is in some slight dehydrated form due to the big stress with 6 or more leaves. (-> 2 oldest leaves slightly limp and thinner) I also have another Phal which I bought from a nursery. Totally happy, no stress, no dehydration etc. It has 16 leaves (quite a big fella there) and ALSO the three oldest leaves are slightly thinner and limpier. So long story short it might be (with healthy and stress-free Phals) that it is totally normal for the plant to slowly put more energy to the new growth and really slowly start to not care too much about the oldest part IF the plant has a lot of leaves on it :) (Sorry for the long comment. I couldn’t explain what I experienced shorter :D)

[@melodyekurtz3976]

I have 10 plants and got the same results. Those with more leaves were the most obvious. Most leaves on my 10 was one with 11. 16 ... wow.

[@Carol-l5r]

My lower 2 leaves or just the lowest leaf are softer! 🎉woohoo Great Question I simply figured I was doing something wrong 😊 ❤Carol

[@ziaudeenmahomedsayid8022]

So well spoken, such great content, a melodious voice and presentation, with excellent points... you rock girl!!!😊

[@heidichristensen7919]

Your explanation of root bound makes sense. I have such problems repotting into the same sized pot. I just can’t get them into the pot properly. They lean, I can’t get the medium in there, it’s really frustrating.

[@danacapatina5520]

Hi Danny, yes I’ve noticed that the bottom leaves are softer than the newer leaves on my phals. I thought that is normal and never researched it.

[@Volronalex]

Been a fan since so many years ago. Your voice is so soothing

[@simoncridland5369]

Really enjoyed this video and your explanations Danny. As for the bottom leaf being not so stiff, mixed results here. I have 9 Phals, the ones with 5 or more leaves did have slightly less stiff bottom leaves, but the couple I have with 4 leaves all felt the same :) My myth (or not) would be: not cutting flower spikes to the base after blooming to get secondary flushes slows or decreases the quality of a new spike.

[@tinabee2609]

My old leaves are flimsier! But I was thinking it was because they were dehydrated periodically. They just never "bounced back" like the younger ones after I watered them. I assumed it was the orchid prioritizing the newer leaves over the older ones. I love learning from these Myth video series!!

[@elizabethconroy7665]

Great information I love my Orchids

[@nortakota]

Oh, funny. Your dove is laughing saying Lies at 13:20ish. Hahaha. I appreciate your videos!

[@kerryroyal7489]

I have noticed on my phals the very bottom leaves can be limp too, but healthy

[@elwood9408]

I really enjoy your informative channel, and I don't even have any orchids! Have never been able to keep them alive ...

[@tammyjohnson7401]

Always great information ☺️. Thank you Dani.

[@merjustkor]

My oldest had 5 new babies 😳 I have never seen that!! Only one of 5 died after removing to own pot. I have got advice to give coffee and water baths once a week. Ratio is about 1 coffee and 5 or 6 water. Leftover coffee is what I use.

[@haileymurphy1126]

I actually have a phal that is going on to be nine years old! His much older leaves do flop quite a bit and are less stiff. I rescued a couple phals recently that are MUCH younger than Phil the Phal, and their older leaves are limp-ish as well,just not as much as my "old man".

[@charlotteralff769]

Counting down from the top, leaf numbers 6 and 7 are less rigid. Leaf # 5 on three phalaenopsis orchids are turgid, not flopping at all.

[@richardzubroff16]

My old leaves seem just ans solid as the new.

[@sarieputh5319]

My Phaleanopsis Orchid, which I havefor about two years and reported in a quite bigger pot, seems to have a bit more floppy leaves. I added more medium to help with the water retaining and some slow release fertilizer, and hope this will help it revitalize. It is also Summer in South Africa, which can get really hot. But im checking in on it regularly.

[@anitaventer5952]

I'm also in South Africa 😁 I need to repot mine

[@johnlee5215]

Thanks for explaining these myths. One thing that I do wonder, is it OK to pot an orchid into a pot that is too big for the orchid? what would happen if you do that? Thanks.

[@SewWhittle]

Great video. Also, where is your phone case from?

[@micheleshave323]

I have so enjoyed watching and learning from your videos as I am very new to orchids. I think it would be so nice to see more of you than just your hands. It would make the videos even more enjoyable and connected. Thank you again for your wonderful and enthusiastic videos🙏

[@marjieestivill]

Re limp older leaves on well-hydrated orchid: Have noticed and wondered why the older bottom leaves of both my large and miniature phals are softer than the rigid younger leaves. Yet, none of my polychilos orchids go limp in the older leaves, ever. I’ve grown since 6 yrs ago, Dani has been my mentor and muse. I have 48 now, 22 are phals, the rest are paphs, dendros, cattleyas, oncidium and oncindinae. Have always wondered why those older phal leaves are softer. Assumed It was a problem of some sort but not bad enough to hurt blooming. Really glad to see us talking about it!

[@tantrumane]

the older leaves are almost always more limpy on my phals, yes! but since i buy almost 90% of my phals as sale plants and then recover them, there are some orchids that have not so many leaves at all, and basically these ones try to keep absolutely all of their foliage fully hydrated as long possible to longer the leaf's lifespan and to get more light that way, so i guess it also depends on one plant's needs at the time. note: no blooms and almost no new leaves for these ones, they only produce roots.

[@darproud8570]

I buy mine on sale too!! One of mine was in terrible shape when I got it on sale and I've never even seen it's flowers. It's in spike now! So exciting!

[@KensacART]

Very informative as always, thanks a lot.

[@tia7134]

Danny, please would you do an update on your African violets?? I would love to see the progress on the seedlings!!

[@MissOrchidGirl]

It will take a while with the seedlings, but a new AV video drops today! 🥳

[@ammorales1524]

Hello! How often do you fertilize your orchids (regimen)? what is the best fertilizer for orchids in general? Thank you!

[@clari1125]

On my phals the lower leaves are slightly bendy (not shriveled or dehydrated) they’re still thick. Whereas the new/ top leaves are very stiff.

[@jessicabey275]

i miss the orchids in bloom series

[@MissOrchidGirl]

Orchids in Bloom is never coming back, at least in the old format, as people were not watching it. I will explain it in Wednesday's video, be sure to not skip it.

[@jessicabey275]

@@MissOrchidGirl I won't miss it! 😁

[@Just_Lurking8]

Danny, is it true that it’s better for the orchids, to not have the decorative pot ?

[@HoneybeeCocobutter0806]

The lower leaves on mine are only limp as they are dying off. Other than that they seem firm.

[@mjohnson317]

The bottom leaves of a couple of my older phals do seem to be more limpy with age.

[@ravensdotter6843]

How do orchids do with artificial lights?

[@masroorqasim8240]

Hi Danny! Can you please let me know how to differentiate between Dendrobium Nobile and other other Dendrobiums

[@CrochetxStab]

I’m glad you go against the whole “orchids like to be pot-bound,” idea. I’ve seen some extremely pot-bound orchids around the internet, and even if the roots are alive they don’t seem happy.

[@madelinemoreau7692]

I read something that said, "orchids will think they are dying and will pump out blooms". Yikes, that's not what I want to put a plant through

[@darproud8570]

I've never willingly set up an orchid to become pot bound. Then when I started hearing that they prefer it, I freaked out since none of mine were pot bound. But I would have to say that all of mine are happy and doing well and spiking, just the way they are :)

[@tho5632]

is watering at night bad for the orchids? I have a lot of orchids and I was hoping I can water them in the late afternoon/evening ... Please tell me what you think and thanks.

[@darproud8570]

I happened to see this and thought maybe I'd let you know that sometimes I water in the evening. I'm just super careful about it. I don't let the water get too high as to get into any leaf joints. I let them dry out on the kitchen counter so I can remember to check that there's no excess moisture anywhere that shouldn't be. I wouldn't say I have ALOT of orchids, but enough to where sometimes I just can't help but have to water at night to keep a running schedule.

[@chemenginecat3940]

Same here, I always water at night. I’m very careful not to get water in the crown or stem, though. My house stays at the same temp all day because of heating and air conditioning, so it doesn’t matter when I water them (no cold nights to prevent evaporation). I run water through the pot, then place them on a rack in my shower, where they stay all night until I get up and put them back on the shelves. Been fine for 5 years now.

[@miriammonte4423]

What causes yellowing of orchid leaves

[@iiTzHaroon]

My phalaenopsis has been a wonder ever since I got it almost two years(ish) ago it has always been in bloom, I believe this is because i kept watering it too much causing rot in the middle it lost all its leaves until it only had one left which turned yellow and very floppy it bent down in half I was expecting it to die. It lost every root except for two air roots which I'm caring for and its put out two baby kikis, one of those is now producing its 2nd leaf hope the clones flower all year round

[@MissOrchidGirl]

Hi, all Phalaenopsis at the flower shops are man made hybrids. They've been bred to flower a lot.. too much sometimes. Flowering all the time without vegetative growth depletes an orchid of energy, it's unnatural. I personally prefer to cut all spikes after a few months of blooming and let the orchid rebloom once a year. Good luck!

[@PetraEmmy]

Thanks for this video Danny! I would like to know if banana peels are a fertilizer for our beautiful orchids?

[@erikm8372]

In my experience, the only useful way to use banana peels at home (in a garden setting) would be to soak them for a few days in a bucket of water, to extract the potassium; You can google "banana peel fertilizer" for various methods... But this is only useful if the plant is getting ready to flower. For standard, everyday leaf growth, nitrogen is needed. Fish emulsion, some seaweed ferts, etc. So, unless you want to, it's not always worth it. I've tried lol. Keep in mind that if you soak the peels in water, it may attract gnats and might smell after a few days. Basically, soak for a week, then strain the liquid out through a strainer, cheesecloth, or a screen. A good way to utilize the peels is simply digging a hole, near some larger trees/plants outdoors, and have it be like a direct 'compost bin'. This is useful with any veggie/fruits scraps, I've found. in nature...fruits like bananas; also flowers, leaves, bird/monkey poop, and even dead animals build up over centuries in the forests. these cover the trees, and whatever doesn't get blown or rained off will become compost for epiphytic plants - ferns, orchids, bromeliads, aroids, jungle cacti, etc. So it's highly fast-draining, and highly nutritious. Hence why home gardeners use chunky bark mixes (low nitrogen) and fertilize less, but more often (half strength/weekly).

[@Staczee18]

I live in California and here the weather is dry and humid. So it’s difficult to choose the best schedule for watering and using fertilizer or not. I rescued 8 orchids from my job and nursery. I am having a root dying issues in all of them. Idk if I overwatering or watering with fertilizer. I used all repotme products and still having this issue. There roots were all fine before I repotted. So now 3 orchids have no roots, 2 of them were in bad shape of dehydration when I got them and some leaf rot too. I felt sorry for them is why I bought them, but they had a few good roots. It just pains me that this is happening I love my orchids with it without flowers too much. Any suggestions? I was thinking not to fertilize anymore and not watering once a week like I normally too. I potted with moss and bark chips.

[@lodendadul2978]

Watering depends upon your location and it has no fix timing. Be judge by yourself. Even when medium looks dry, it might be holding some water.

[@Just_Lurking8]

I have been told, that if an orchid is not healthy, or in stress,we shouldn’t fertilize it…

[@rhodealexandre6583]

You have: - dry and humid weather (did you mean Dry OR humid?) - Moss in your medium - Weekly watering - dying roots + leaf rot? What is your lighting and aeration situation? Do you add fertilizer with each watering? I might be wrong but I think that they are suffering from too much moisture.

[@Staczee18]

Thank you everyone for your advise, I agree there is probably too much moisture. California varies day by day of dryness and humid days. My lighting is on the South side and I have white sheers to block straight sun. I will just let the bigger plants dry out completely before rewatering, smaller phals I’ll just water weekly, they dry out quicker.

[@rhodealexandre6583]

@@Staczee18 sounds like a plan. Good Luck

[@michaelmarella3462]

Is it true that seedling orchids need more water than if they were mature?

[@michaelmarella3462]

Is it true that species orchids are more difficult to grow than hybrids.

[@southpark3501]

0:43 ---- I guess there is some truth in that heheheh. Too much sun - in terms of intensity of the light - could certainly prevent orchids from blooming, because that can prevent an orchid from surviving. That is, an orchid destroyed by intense sunlight won't be able to do anything - including blooming.

[@ЛенчеЕфремовска]

Pozdrav ubavo👍😀👍

[@Lavdinova]

Thank you for this video. Since we are going in to winter season can you tell us more about dendrobium nobile orchids. Specifically what to do with some very old canes. I have one orchid which has been with me for about 3 years. It gave about 10 canes and is getting very wobbly and hard to deal with. Do I need to cut or separate the older canes?

[@patlambert6787]

When repotting an Orchid, can you choose a pot that is to big? Is it safe to choose a slightly bigger pot so you don't have to repot for a good while?

[@MissOrchidGirl]

Hi, yes a pot big enough to hold 2 years worth of root growth is ideal ☺️

[@chrysav.3896]

Hi, Danny, you are top! Thank you so much >3 May I ask if I could pot a vanda in bark in a lechuza pon and thrive there? Is self watering pot a good idea with vandas?

[@MissOrchidGirl]

Hi, it may do ok, I would hesitate a bit with Vandas, normal pots are much safer ☺️

[@chrysav.3896]

@@MissOrchidGirl thank you so much ❤️

[@colleenfaitro613]

I have a orchid for a year and I take care good care of it. It has had 3 new leaves and many roots but have yet to have another bloom. I did repot with the medium you suggest. Any suggestions? The leaves are dark green and look very healthy. I have also fertilized it.

[@rhodealexandre6583]

Increase his light exposure. Not stronger light

[@laurakb196]

Mine set spikes when the nighttime gets cooler and we turn down the heat at night creating a temperature difference. Last year I stressed all of them by not watering near enough during our hot dry summer, after the second watering when I started taking care of them again most started spiking. Not saying you should purposely stress your plants only that they are tough, slow growing and accepting of neglect. I admit I never get double spikes with my lackadaisical care.

[@anggrekindonesia]

Daun doreng 😘

[@darproud8570]

I have a weird question if anyone wants to answer it for me... I have a cattleya I potted about eight months ago. Doing fine but I've noticed that I basically potted it at a 45 degree angle instead of straight up and down. Will that bother a cattleya?

[@MissOrchidGirl]

Hi, no don't worry, very few things bother Cattleyas ☺️ the new growths will lean towards the light source, or upright, when they form.

[@darproud8570]

@@MissOrchidGirl Thanks so much!! By the way, I started watching your videos after I almost killed my very first phal. I thought she was a gonner but I still have her and she's great, literally all thanks to your knowledge. Sense then, I have so many more including oncidiums, dendrobiums, and my one sweet little cattleya. Thank You!!!!!! ❤️

[@shahriarlandi1230]

Hello , I have an orchid. Started growing roots few weeks ago, but suddenly those stopped growing and the tips turned black. How should I fix the issue? Recently, I sprayed the pot with hydrogen peroxide several times to get rid of fungus gnats

[@erikm8372]

maybe don't spray the peroxide too many times in a row... like, I do use hydrogen peroxide as well; I try not to use it several days in a row if that makes sense. it really does kill gnats though... the black roots are possibly a sign of rot, as in, excess moisture - make sure you water once a week, with half strength fertilizer, and let it completely dry before the next watering. :-)

[@MissOrchidGirl]

Hi, hp doesn't solve the core issues, it's more like a bandaid. If roots turn brown or black it means something burns them, either old broken down potting mix, organic overloads breaking down, hard water deposits or excessive fertilizer deposits. I would address those and maybe even repot. Good luck!

[@kendravoracek3636]

💚💚

[@shmuelleib2537]

Is it true orchids are toxic?🤔

[@bhumphries1360]

I'm really not a superstitious person. But when I saw 666 likes, I had to be the 667th like. Plus, you know, I also REALLY like this channel!!❤️