Orchid Q&A#38 - Aspirin for Orchids, yellow leaf edges, Vanda winter care & more!

[@michaelcheung7483]

Cheers for the response! It's true, I really don't want to deal with peat moss when sphag is just so readily available as an orchid grower 😅

[@debbiebirdsell1013]

Yes please talk more about Vanda Orchids.

[@debbionmckenzie3026]

Yes yes more on and fertilizing and watering vandas that grow outdoors. I have lots of yellow leaves that drop. (Jamaica)

[@blasianpnay1]

Can you film an updated autumn - winter care video for the vadas + other types of orchids please 😊

[@neraxblack7562]

thank you for the very informative video as always... :)

[@sinine1100]

I believe it was me who commented about the sundew flowers. I feel the "danger" of letting them bloom overstated, at least with the more vigorous sundews (I'll probably remain more careful with something like Venus flytraps, though I believe I have figured those out now, too). My Cape sundew has been in bloom for more than two years in a row by now (minus a few weeks the last time I repotted them), and seems to show no signs of slowing down its spread. That thing is a true weed, both vegetatively and by seed - I've given bits of the colony to everyone who shows interest; it'll just fill in the empty spot in a month or so. (If I would just *kindly* spread some wet peat on the floors, I'm sure my whole house would become blanketed in Cape sundew. I suspect it's plotting world domination as is.) It has smallish blossoms, maybe 8mm across, but they're rather bright magentaish pink on this specimen, and there are about 200-300 of them present at any time on straight (sometimes split into 2-3 right before the buds appear) sequentially blooming stalks, with each larger plant having 2-4 stalks, so in the end there's a constant pink cloud floating 20cm above the plants. The sheer number makes the spectacle. The smaller sundew with spatula-like leaves doesn't blossom/grow quite as insanely, sligtly smaller white flowers, but it seems no worse for wear and has filled the entire pot, regardless. On another note, I seem to have discovered my "cursed orchid". It's this one specific dark red oncidium... (The twenty other oncidium-type plants I have are perfectly happy. But this one? It will find a way to have troubles. The first one kind of came with rot, so it was not all that healthy in the first place, but now this one decided to lose its roots - maybe because of repotting, maybe for some other reason (the other oncidium of similar type I repotted at the same time/stage/medium looks perfectly fine, just finishing up its new, biggest-yet growth)... I also found a mini-phal with very odd rather odd flowers. After some search, it'd appear it has fully peloric flowers. Complete triangular symmetry! And a few weeks before that I found a true "blue" mini-phal -- not one of the dyed ones, a kind of natural lilac, darker lip, lighter petals. Hadn't seen that color on a phal beforehand, only on dendrobiums...

[@pattymorrowparkerparker7789]

I'd love to have some of your cape sundew, I'm really new to this hobby, and I'm so enjoying it. We never have anything but phals in my neck of the woods. Hope you have a great day!

[@o_o8203]

Can we get a care video from Maxillaria orchids (particularly the tenuifolia) and an updated care video for bulbophyllums? I just got a bulbophyllum lasiochilum and I'm thinking about getting a maxillaria tenuifolia.

[@summerrobinson8411]

Like # 36, that Drosera is super cute!

[@augyannafacey7616]

What fertilizer do you use on your vandas?

[@tksixangels44]

For the moss I will dry mine using my potato masher to get out as much water as possible. I put the moss on a tray and let dry. It now sits in a opened box waiting for me.

[@markma3005]

I love the way you grow your Vanda orchids! They look so great in those little wooden baskets. Can you water vandas by soaking their roots in a bucket of water for 15-20 minutes? How often do you need to water them if you use the soak in a bucket method? Also, will vandas be happy if you place them in front of a east or south facing window? Thanks

[@abiraminandagopal5666]

Please do make a video about vanda orchids. Especially keikis. Because I have a keiki in the middle of the vanda stem.... it is producing only leaves and no roots yet. I would like to learn more about how to care for vanda with keiki. E.g. more fertilization than normal?? Etc...

[@TY-ob7fz]

Hi Danny. When you say fertilize only a little does that mean when you're not you give them only RO water ?

[@dansing83]

I have several orchids that have developed small black spots that are very close together; a vanda, a cymbidium and one that is a mini vandatious orchid. The spots are not mushy or indented, but they are spreading. I'm in San Diego. Nights have been cold for last 6 wks, low 50s and they are under a tent on my patio. I live in a very small house so no room inside. What might the spots be? Thanks.

[@o_o8203]

Salicylic acid seems to be involved in disease response. It seems like plants are sensitive to the balance of salicylic acid in their systems since the plant(s) in the study had "withdrawals" when treatment was stopped.

[@oblivione]

Hi! One of my Phals just started losing her lower leaves. So far three has fallen, but I can see the two lowest ones remaining now yellowing at the base as well. Is there anything I can do to save it? Or any tips to avoid this happening to my other phals?

[@luckyrose5651]

Kjersti Myren Nordsveen one of mine is doing the same thing. The stem is not mushy or discolored. I was thinking of taking it out of lava rock, spraying with peroxide and trying water culture. 🤞🏽

[@familhagaudir8561]

12:45 No bugs and the sunken area is dry to the touch? It's probably nothing. Phalaenopsis producing and maintaining flowers will tap into leaves for "material" and energy, especially if light is on the lower side, fertilizing/watering is scarce, or their root system is not well developped (or partly rotten). If they draw ressources unevenly, it will show. (Sunken wet spot, however, would be bacterial rot.)

[@markosshafiq3055]

hi dani. my catt just dropped its flowers and the spike started rotting i realized it too late now the leaf started rotting as well. i cut the pseudobulb until i saw no more rotting tissue and put cinnamon on it. do you have any tips on how i should continue? should i maybe isolate it for a while?

[@oishd6077]

I grow dendrobium phalaenopsis at temperatures as low as 7-8 •C i donot have any problem infact sone are spiking and blooming currently but the catch is at day times in winters temps go to 20• C and at night only it goes to single digits. So i conclude they can take cold for a short time but tgey do grow smaller structures and longerlasting bloom spikes in winter. I usually get two bloom seasons per year from my denphals coz i live in a wierd subtropically mobsoon type of climate.

[@nickolasinsley7454]

aspirin with plants is used to stimulate roots

[@janetwilliams9257]

What kind of bulb should I use?

[@rinchu909]

I have a question.. would appreciate all your opinions! I bought a Phalaenopsis a while ago and it was doing well, it had a lot of blooms and roots and after the flowers fell off, I cut the flower stem. It grew a new leaf and then started creating a new flower spike. Sadly I had a sudden move and didn’t want to get rid of it, so I tried to pack it as carefully as possible and now it looks very sick. It’s small spike got broken so I cut it off and the leafs are very floppy and leathery.. it has some yellow parts and white spots. Please help! I don’t want it to die.. I now live in a very hot and sunny climate so tips for that kind of region would be so appreciated 💕💞

[@Justusorjustone]

At 5'c any orchid will die or get seriously set bACK,if keep them in this temp even for 10 days,except some cool growers,like cymbidium, den nobiles and may be some species phaphs,or some species,i think even miltoniopsis ,masdevalia will also not appreciate 5'c temp...

[@KAMJKJ]

1st😎 today too early and today 2 videos I guess