I received 3 Trader Joe-type orchids for my
birthday party, and would like to combine
them in one container for a sort of orchid "forest".

Have never dealt with orchids before,
so wonder if my plan is even feasible.

Would like to remove them from their original
(small) pots and transplant them together in one large,
handsome, SHALLOW pot.

Questions:

1. Can this kind of TJ orchid take transplanting?

2. If so, how far apart must 3 plants be?

3. How deep must soil/orchid mix be? Ideally, the
look I want is shallow, but would this work?

4. Should I add (good) garden dirt to the orchid
mix from original pots?

Any wisdom, links, etc. gratefully accepted.

HB

Hypatia Nachshon writes:

I received 3 Trader Joe-type orchids for my
birthday party, and would like to combine
them in one container for a sort of orchid "forest".

Have never dealt with orchids before,
so wonder if my plan is even feasible.

Would like to remove them from their original
(small) pots and transplant them together in one large,
handsome, SHALLOW pot.

Questions:

1. Can this kind of TJ orchid take transplanting?

2. If so, how far apart must 3 plants be?

3. How deep must soil/orchid mix be? Ideally, the
look I want is shallow, but would this work?

4. Should I add (good) garden dirt to the orchid
mix from original pots?

Any wisdom, links, etc. gratefully accepted.

I'm growing Stop and Shop orchids.
I have one plant blooming for the 4th time now.
Each year about XMAS they start then bloom for 3 months or so.
So, well worth keeping and growing.

You never use soil with orchids, the plants don't like it and
will not get any nutrients that way. The roots need access to
air. You'll find orchid planting medium in most garden stores.

I don't know how you are going to put 3 plants in one container
you need a container like the one the plant came in.
The water has to run through the plant and out the bottom.

If you can find the right container, 3 plants together should
not be a problem.

Transplanting is a normal part of maintenance.

--
Dan Espen

On 2/18/2016 7:39 AM, Hypatia Nachshon wrote:
I received 3 Trader Joe-type orchids for my
birthday party, and would like to combine
them in one container for a sort of orchid "forest".

Have never dealt with orchids before,
so wonder if my plan is even feasible.

Would like to remove them from their original
(small) pots and transplant them together in one large,
handsome, SHALLOW pot.

Questions:

1. Can this kind of TJ orchid take transplanting?

2. If so, how far apart must 3 plants be?

3. How deep must soil/orchid mix be? Ideally, the
look I want is shallow, but would this work?

4. Should I add (good) garden dirt to the orchid
mix from original pots?

Any wisdom, links, etc. gratefully accepted.

HB


It all depends on the variety of orchid. While many of Trade Joe's
orchids are Phalaenopsis, they also sell other varieties.

Phalaenopsis are generally house plants, even in mild southern
California areas. They need strong, indirect sunlight. I have my two in
a north-facing greenhouse window, which is open to my breakfast room. If
the leaves are dark green, they are not getting enough light.

I have my Phalaenopsis growing in bark chips, which are available at
most nurseries and some hardware and lumber stores. Because the plant
will grow with leaves stretching out a foot or more, you should plant
each in its own pot. Be sure the pot has a drainage hole in the bottom,
covered with a broken piece of another pot. Soak the bark chips in
water for just a few minutes. Remove the orchids from their small pots,
and gently shake loose any potting medium that remains with the plant.
(No, you do not have to remove all of the existing medium.) Plant
upright with the lowest leaf just at the top of the bark chips. Set the
pot on a saucer that contains pea gravel or small stones. Keep water in
the saucer to the top of the gravel or stones.

Once each week -- NOT more often -- hold the pot over a sink with one
hand blocking the drainage hole and carefully pour water into the pot
until the water reaches the top of the bark chips. Then let the water
drain from the hole in the bottom. In alternating weeks, the water
should contain orchid fertilizer, measured per the instructions on the
container. I do this with the pot in a large bowl, letting the
fertilizer mix drain immediately into the bowl while pouring all around
the orchid. Capturing the runoff in the bowl, I can thus feed more than
one orchid pot.

NOTE WELL: When watering or feeding a Phalaenopsis, do not allow even a
drop of water into the center of the newest leaf. That can cause the
plant to rot and die.

I also have a Cymbidium orchid, for which the culture is quite different
from a Phalaenopsis. Mine is potted in a mix of peat moss and compost.
In making the mix, I added a generous amount of bone meal and a small
amount of blood meal. Cymbidiums are outdoor plants in southern
California; mine sits on a small table in my back yard. I leave it
there even when a light frost is expected, bringing it into my house
when a serious freeze is expected (rarely) or when it is in bloom
(merely to show it off). It is watered whenever my garden sprinklers
run or when it rains. Cymbidiums require much more nitrogen than
Phalaenopsis. I occasionally give it a pinch of ammonium sulfate.
Although Cymbidiums will actually grow in the ground, they are
especially attractive to snails, which can totally destroy them. Thus,
they should be kept in pots that do not sit on the ground.

I have seen other varieties of orchids at Trader Joe's. While they make
a nice display while in bloom, many of them require much more care than
Phalaenopsis or Cymbidiums; some require greenhouses with controlled
temperatures and humidity. Such plant are often purchased for display
and then discarded.

--
David E. Ross

While many tributes to the late Supreme Court Associate Justice
Antonin Scalia now fill the news media, his legacy was not
necessarily positive. See my "What Price Order, Mr. Justice Scalia?"
at http://www.rossde.com/editorials/edtl_scalia_wrong.html.

On Thu, 18 Feb 2016 07:39:28 -0800 (PST), Hypatia Nachshon
wrote:

I received 3 Trader Joe-type orchids for my
birthday party, and would like to combine
them in one container for a sort of orchid "forest".

Have never dealt with orchids before,
so wonder if my plan is even feasible.

Would like to remove them from their original
(small) pots and transplant them together in one large,
handsome, SHALLOW pot.

Questions:

1. Can this kind of TJ orchid take transplanting?

2. If so, how far apart must 3 plants be?

3. How deep must soil/orchid mix be? Ideally, the
look I want is shallow, but would this work?

4. Should I add (good) garden dirt to the orchid
mix from original pots?

Any wisdom, links, etc. gratefully accepted.

HB

There are more than 2500 species of orchids. Even TJ's sells
different species.

What kind did you receive?

On Thu, 18 Feb 2016 12:07:40 -0500, Dan Espen
wrote:



You never use soil with orchids, the plants don't like it and
will not get any nutrients that way. The roots need access to
air. You'll find orchid planting medium in most garden stores.

There are terrestrial orchids that grow in soil.

"David E. Ross" writes:

On 2/18/2016 7:39 AM, Hypatia Nachshon wrote:
I received 3 Trader Joe-type orchids for my birthday party, and would
like to combine them in one container for a sort of orchid "forest".

Have never dealt with orchids before, so wonder if my plan is even
feasible.

Would like to remove them from their original (small) pots and
transplant them together in one large, handsome, SHALLOW pot.

Questions:

1. Can this kind of TJ orchid take transplanting?

2. If so, how far apart must 3 plants be?

3. How deep must soil/orchid mix be? Ideally, the
look I want is shallow, but would this work?

4. Should I add (good) garden dirt to the orchid
mix from original pots?

Any wisdom, links, etc. gratefully accepted.

HB


It all depends on the variety of orchid. While many of Trade Joe's
orchids are Phalaenopsis, they also sell other varieties.

Phalaenopsis are generally house plants, even in mild southern
California areas. They need strong, indirect sunlight. I have my two
in a north-facing greenhouse window, which is open to my breakfast
room. If the leaves are dark green, they are not getting enough light.

Mine is in a north facing garden window.
In the summer it gets up to an hour of direct sunlight through a skylight,
otherwise it's just ambient reflected light.

It grows lots of roots and new leaves (but they are dark green).
It is flowering.
It's also getting too big, it's got 10 9inch leaves.

I have my Phalaenopsis growing in bark chips, which are available at
most nurseries and some hardware and lumber stores. Because the plant
will grow with leaves stretching out a foot or more, you should plant
each in its own pot. Be sure the pot has a drainage hole in the
bottom, covered with a broken piece of another pot. Soak the bark
chips in water for just a few minutes. Remove the orchids from their
small pots, and gently shake loose any potting medium that remains
with the plant. (No, you do not have to remove all of the existing
medium.) Plant upright with the lowest leaf just at the top of the
bark chips. Set the pot on a saucer that contains pea gravel or small
stones. Keep water in the saucer to the top of the gravel or stones.

Once each week -- NOT more often -- hold the pot over a sink with one
hand blocking the drainage hole and carefully pour water into the pot
until the water reaches the top of the bark chips. Then let the water
drain from the hole in the bottom. In alternating weeks, the water
should contain orchid fertilizer, measured per the instructions on the
container. I do this with the pot in a large bowl, letting the
fertilizer mix drain immediately into the bowl while pouring all
around the orchid. Capturing the runoff in the bowl, I can thus feed
more than one orchid pot.

NOTE WELL: When watering or feeding a Phalaenopsis, do not allow even
a drop of water into the center of the newest leaf. That can cause
the plant to rot and die.

I also have a Cymbidium orchid, for which the culture is quite
different from a Phalaenopsis. Mine is potted in a mix of peat moss
and compost.
In making the mix, I added a generous amount of bone meal and a small
amount of blood meal. Cymbidiums are outdoor plants in southern
California; mine sits on a small table in my back yard. I leave it
there even when a light frost is expected, bringing it into my house
when a serious freeze is expected (rarely) or when it is in bloom
(merely to show it off). It is watered whenever my garden sprinklers
run or when it rains. Cymbidiums require much more nitrogen than
Phalaenopsis. I occasionally give it a pinch of ammonium sulfate.
Although Cymbidiums will actually grow in the ground, they are
especially attractive to snails, which can totally destroy them.
Thus, they should be kept in pots that do not sit on the ground.

I have seen other varieties of orchids at Trader Joe's. While they
make a nice display while in bloom, many of them require much more
care than Phalaenopsis or Cymbidiums; some require greenhouses with
controlled temperatures and humidity. Such plant are often purchased
for display and then discarded.

Good stuff, thanks.

--
Dan Espen

Boron Elgar writes:

On Thu, 18 Feb 2016 12:07:40 -0500, Dan Espen
wrote:

You never use soil with orchids, the plants don't like it and
will not get any nutrients that way. The roots need access to
air. You'll find orchid planting medium in most garden stores.

There are terrestrial orchids that grow in soil.

But probably not sold in retail stores.

Come to think of it, I've seen orchids in the Pine Barrens NJ
growing in the ground. At least they looked like orchids.


--
Dan Espen

On Thu, 18 Feb 2016 20:32:13 -0500, Dan Espen
wrote:

Boron Elgar writes:

On Thu, 18 Feb 2016 12:07:40 -0500, Dan Espen
wrote:

You never use soil with orchids, the plants don't like it and
will not get any nutrients that way. The roots need access to
air. You'll find orchid planting medium in most garden stores.

There are terrestrial orchids that grow in soil.

But probably not sold in retail stores.

I have gotten some really interesting orchids at silly little stores.
But you have to agree that many do grow in soil.

Come to think of it, I've seen orchids in the Pine Barrens NJ
growing in the ground. At least they looked like orchids.

Yup...not far from me. Woodland plants. They show up in local places
in the spring. WIldflowers.

I have a *lot* of orchids, though not so nearly many now as I used to
have. They grow like weeds. I keep mine in the kitchen.

On 2016-02-19 01:32:13 +0000, Dan Espen said:

Boron Elgar writes:

On Thu, 18 Feb 2016 12:07:40 -0500, Dan Espen
wrote:

You never use soil with orchids, the plants don't like it and
will not get any nutrients that way. The roots need access to
air. You'll find orchid planting medium in most garden stores.

There are terrestrial orchids that grow in soil.

But probably not sold in retail stores.

Come to think of it, I've seen orchids in the Pine Barrens NJ
growing in the ground. At least they looked like orchids.

Maybe some species of lady's slipper orchid -

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cypripedioideae

You can find quite a variety for sale online. They are not difficult
to grow and many like to grow in clumps. Most are expensive.

This place sells good specimens -

http://www.hillsidenursery.biz/cypri...hids/index.php

but you can even score the more common species for cheap on eBay.

On Thursday, February 18, 2016 at 7:39:32 AM UTC-8, Hypatia Nachshon wrote:
I received 3 Trader Joe-type orchids for my
birthday party, and would like to combine
them in one container for a sort of orchid "forest".

Have never dealt with orchids before,
so wonder if my plan is even feasible.

Would like to remove them from their original
(small) pots and transplant them together in one large,
handsome, SHALLOW pot.

Questions:

1. Can this kind of TJ orchid take transplanting?

2. If so, how far apart must 3 plants be?

3. How deep must soil/orchid mix be? Ideally, the
look I want is shallow, but would this work?

4. Should I add (good) garden dirt to the orchid
mix from original pots?

Any wisdom, links, etc. gratefully accepted.

HB

Thanks to all for generous helpings of wisdom.

My harebrained scheme for a shallow "forest" is a non-starter, which I could have figured out by measuring the 3 ceramic containers. Pots are 4.5, 5, and 6" high. One is 5" wide, one 4, and one 3".

Unless I find a majestic container with high enough walls to contain all 3, the "forest" will have to exist on the wide glass "platter" where it is now.

*Two are Phala; the 3rd has no ID. Is it safe to conclude it's also Phala?

**I had some very old orchid medium out in back, but maybe I should get new?

***Don't understand David's comment: "The roots need access to air." Do you mean access from ABOVE via planting medium? How else would roots get air if pot is sitting on [surface]?

****Tag says, Continuing ca "After the last flower expires, cut the spike above the node from which the 1st flower appeared. A new spike can branch off within weeks.

Alternatively, remove the flower spike entirely to allow the plan to recover and form a new spike in 3-4 months."

DUH?!

This might be a steep learning curve g

Tx to all

HB

On Thu, 18 Feb 2016 19:28:55 -0800 (PST), Hypatia Nachshon
wrote:


Thanks to all for generous helpings of wisdom.

My harebrained scheme for a shallow "forest" is a non-starter, which I could have figured out by measuring the 3 ceramic containers. Pots are 4.5, 5, and 6" high. One is 5" wide, one 4, and one 3".

Unless I find a majestic container with high enough walls to contain all 3, the "forest" will have to exist on the wide glass "platter" where it is now.

*Two are Phala; the 3rd has no ID. Is it safe to conclude it's also Phala?

**I had some very old orchid medium out in back, but maybe I should get new?

***Don't understand David's comment: "The roots need access to air." Do you mean access from ABOVE via planting medium? How else would roots get air if pot is sitting on [surface]?

****Tag says, Continuing ca "After the last flower expires, cut the spike above the node from which the 1st flower appeared. A new spike can branch off within weeks.

Alternatively, remove the flower spike entirely to allow the plan to recover and form a new spike in 3-4 months."

DUH?!

This might be a steep learning curve g

Tx to all

HB

Phals grow like weeds, are very resilient, and your biggest trick will
be in betting it to re-bloom down the line.

Insofar as the mystery orchid, can you take a photo and post it
somewhere where we can take a look at it? TJ's sells more than phals.
I actually got one of my most prolific cymbidiums (think prom corsage)
from there. Many times they have 3 or 4 types for sale, the phals,
oncidiums, dendrobiums, paphs...

One other thing to note about the kinds of orchids one finds at places
such as TJ's, Costco, Walmart, Home Depot, etc ---they are grown to be
sold at peak bloom. They may not be potted correctly, they may be
color-tinted, mis-marked, etc.

Basically, you have another option- think of these as you would a
bouquet unless you really want to invest the time, effort, and cost in
getting proper pots, medium, fertilizer, and providing a space with
the correct light and temp. They will bloom or carry current bloom for
quite a while, enjoy them while you can, then as with a dying bouquet,
chuck it. No, I am no advising you to take that as a primary route,
far be it from me, an orchid nut, to discourage anyone from the habit,
but it is just a thought.

Amos Nomore writes:

On 2016-02-19 01:32:13 +0000, Dan Espen said:

Boron Elgar writes:

On Thu, 18 Feb 2016 12:07:40 -0500, Dan Espen
wrote:

You never use soil with orchids, the plants don't like it and
will not get any nutrients that way. The roots need access to
air. You'll find orchid planting medium in most garden stores.

There are terrestrial orchids that grow in soil.

But probably not sold in retail stores.

Come to think of it, I've seen orchids in the Pine Barrens NJ
growing in the ground. At least they looked like orchids.

Maybe some species of lady's slipper orchid -

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cypripedioideae

Yep, that's it.

You can find quite a variety for sale online. They are not difficult
to grow and many like to grow in clumps. Most are expensive.

This place sells good specimens -

http://www.hillsidenursery.biz/cypri...hids/index.php

but you can even score the more common species for cheap on eBay.

I wonder, I don't remember seeing any in the wild in central NJ so I
assumed they needed the Pine Barrens climate to survive.

I'll have to look around at the local nurseries.

--
Dan Espen

On 2/18/2016 7:28 PM, Hypatia Nachshon wrote:
On Thursday, February 18, 2016 at 7:39:32 AM UTC-8, Hypatia Nachshon wrote:
I received 3 Trader Joe-type orchids for my
birthday party, and would like to combine
them in one container for a sort of orchid "forest".

Have never dealt with orchids before,
so wonder if my plan is even feasible.

Would like to remove them from their original
(small) pots and transplant them together in one large,
handsome, SHALLOW pot.

Questions:

1. Can this kind of TJ orchid take transplanting?

2. If so, how far apart must 3 plants be?

3. How deep must soil/orchid mix be? Ideally, the
look I want is shallow, but would this work?

4. Should I add (good) garden dirt to the orchid
mix from original pots?

Any wisdom, links, etc. gratefully accepted.

HB

Thanks to all for generous helpings of wisdom.

My harebrained scheme for a shallow "forest" is a non-starter, which I could have figured out by measuring the 3 ceramic containers. Pots are 4.5, 5, and 6" high. One is 5" wide, one 4, and one 3".

Unless I find a majestic container with high enough walls to contain all 3, the "forest" will have to exist on the wide glass "platter" where it is now.

*Two are Phala; the 3rd has no ID. Is it safe to conclude it's also Phala?

**I had some very old orchid medium out in back, but maybe I should get new?

***Don't understand David's comment: "The roots need access to air." Do you mean access from ABOVE via planting medium? How else would roots get air if pot is sitting on [surface]?

****Tag says, Continuing ca "After the last flower expires, cut the spike above the node from which the 1st flower appeared. A new spike can branch off within weeks.

Alternatively, remove the flower spike entirely to allow the plan to recover and form a new spike in 3-4 months."

DUH?!

This might be a steep learning curve g

Tx to all

HB


Soemone else -- not me -- said "The roots need access to air." However,
that is true. That is why my Phalaenopsis are planted in bark chips.
When you water them as I earlier described and the water drains away
into the sink, air penetrates the planting medium.

--
David E. Ross

While many tributes to the late Supreme Court Associate Justice
Antonin Scalia now fill the news media, his legacy was not
necessarily positive. See my "What Price Order, Mr. Justice Scalia?"
at http://www.rossde.com/editorials/edtl_scalia_wrong.html.

On 2/18/2016 4:35 PM, Boron Elgar wrote:
On Thu, 18 Feb 2016 12:07:40 -0500, Dan Espen
wrote:



You never use soil with orchids, the plants don't like it and
will not get any nutrients that way. The roots need access to
air. You'll find orchid planting medium in most garden stores.

There are terrestrial orchids that grow in soil.



Cymbidiums are terrestrial.

--
David E. Ross

While many tributes to the late Supreme Court Associate Justice
Antonin Scalia now fill the news media, his legacy was not
necessarily positive. See my "What Price Order, Mr. Justice Scalia?"
at http://www.rossde.com/editorials/edtl_scalia_wrong.html.

On Fri, 19 Feb 2016 07:51:50 -0800, "David E. Ross"
wrote:

On 2/18/2016 4:35 PM, Boron Elgar wrote:
On Thu, 18 Feb 2016 12:07:40 -0500, Dan Espen
wrote:



You never use soil with orchids, the plants don't like it and
will not get any nutrients that way. The roots need access to
air. You'll find orchid planting medium in most garden stores.

There are terrestrial orchids that grow in soil.



Cymbidiums are terrestrial.

There are many terrestrial orchids. I made no claim about cymbidiums
at all.

I do tot grow mine in plain garden soil, however, I use a chunky, airy
mix and keep them very potbound.

To get them to bloom, they like a big diff between day and night
temps, being mountain dwellers.