Rick you need to understand something the knowledge that you pass on to your viewers to us because we truly enjoy and love growing are orchids. You make that so much more of a good experience. It's like the example between the two different roots. Not everybody will tell us the stuff and the knowledge that you have learned even over a short. Of time is a gold mine to us you show us by example how you do yes we do have to adapt to our environment but you give us a baseline something for us to build on. And that right there that's priceless to us. And my cattleyas since I learned some tricks from you are more enjoyable. It made me not afraid to purchase other cattleyas. And then I thank you for. Now you will probably hear me holler when I actually get one to bloom for the first time for me. I have one that's been a problem child it was person who is taking care of it that was the problem and I finally got some awesome growth out of it. Like I said the knowledge you pass on is priceless.
Keep doing what your doing...….you will be covered in blooms soon....thank you so much for the very kind words...…..I love helping others grow orchids...
Hi Ricky. Nice update and nice to see you have an Apple Blossom it’s on my wish list, gorgeous and scented too is a real bonus! I do the same re watering with nutrients. They always get kelp and CalMag, it really works for my orchids. Thank you for the watering tip too. Checking roots from now on rather than routine watering! Happy growing.
Because of your videos I got a phal. orchid for mother day and I thought on my I killed hundreds of them truly so I went to your channel and listen to your advise and it kept there blooms for 2 weeks it still alive and having a new leaf coming see I never got this far with a phal. and it is exciting I told my son mom has not killed it in fact its growing with my orchids friend help,. t/y for your information.
Hello Rick...I live in Florida and I've been feeding my orchids every 2 weeks with Peters fertilizer, Cal Mag, and Epsom salt. My plants have increased in the growth and size. Love your videos and thank you.
Rick, I hold you wholly responsible for my orchid addiction! Thank you so much for giving me a new interest; its great to bounce out of bed with excitement. First thing I do is to go and check on my growing collection, very cheering. All my house plants have benefited from proper feeding and I expect a better crop of vegetables this year, all thanks to your good advice. Continuing in prayer for you and your family, bless you!
It also looks like all of your orchids that have purple in their genetics are the ones that are blooming they're gorgeous. It seems like yellow ones are the more rare colors in orchids. Your orchids are absolutely well loved and well taken care of and I thank you 4 taking the time to post these videos. I know it must not be easy but you power through it and get it done. I now have over 30 phalaenopsis that are so healthy for the most part. And about the watering thing I know during the winter with the humidifier going I could water my plants every seven sometimes almost 10 days. Now with the humidifier off and the air conditioning on I notice my leaves are not as plump as they were and even awake is 2 long to go without watering. The bark is very dry the pots are very dry the roots are very dry so you can't just say I'm going to water every so many days I really let this get away from me the watering things so I think until I move my orchids outside they're going to need to be watered more often I turn the humidifier back on so I could get it back up to between 60 and 70% humidity but not sure my body could take that and this warmer weather
Hi Rick. I put three cattleyas and one paph into lava rock after watching one of your videos about that. They seem to love it. They are a challenge to water (soak) a couple of times a week (heavy). If I had an ideal setup I would repot more! I’m also learning to pay more attention to roots and stepped up the nutrients. Seems simple but I’m finally seeing more success! Thank you for your great videos.
Sorry to hear about your Mom. She seems to be doing well. Wish my patients were as compliant with their post op instructions. Mobility is the key ... My plants like the moss/ river rock medium. There vandas love the soaks. Keep the videos comming thanks so much....glad Jan's continuing to do well..
Thanks for all the detail. I think with my plants the one thing that I notice is that the smaller to seedling orchids need water almost every other day or daily. This is why I started to do steaming as the moisture level in my orchid room stays higher and therefore I can skip the extra waterings. We do have higher than average moisture levels here in Seattle, so I think I can afford to do this. But, that said, I just cannot water some of them every day, even every other day. I do what I can. I do admit though, that I could be watering more often. So, that being said, I think everyone like you said, Rick, has different situations as the moisture levels vary so much. I also know that I could be watering more, but just cannot find the time. I have a lot of projects, especially gardening outside. I am not complaining as I am so grateful of the information you share. Sure as helped me a ton! Thanks again, Rick, your orchids are amazing! Blessings as always. Rita
……..thanks Rita...…..your so right and everyone struggles with keeping things as close to perfect as we can..I deal with the same issue on some of mine...…...I ,may experiment with coco for planting some into......stays moist longer, and will feed them as well..
Good video. Orchids look great. 👏 . I love to water. 😁 That's why I keep buying more, I need a large # of orchids to prevent myself from overwatering a small group. 😁. Makes sense, right? Now I can wait for proper time, then I water generously and I have heard you say that too, I was glad to hear. It's a long shower, or a hearty downpour, or a monsoon 😃 depending on temp, breeze, etc. I see a few people water on utube and I think, that's all? I don't get rotten roots, my orchids are happy, & they like "rain "😊.
Lovely update with lots of blooms! I like your banfieldara gilded mist a lot. I had a seedling of it long time ago but it died . Your orchids look very healthy and beautiful! Thanks for sharing.
I decided to read some comments first as I believe good knowledge can be found if you can wreckonize it. Your root tip stood out so I looked forward to it. It is good to know and am happy for anyone just learning it. Years ago when miss orchid girl talked about it. I called them talkative roots. She seemed to like that. I like to say learn to speak plant. Your plants have asked a favor of me. They say you have gotten very good at speaking orchid and would like me to recognize your fluency. I do and I also think it should be acknowledged as a worth while accomplishment. Well dun! Your a fast learner.
My daughters orchid was near death because we didn’t realize we were suppose to repot it they give you all this Moss & at the bottom there was Styrofoam I wanted another alternative to bark & Moss so I’ve been watching your videos will keep you posted on how it turns out thanks a lot for all your helpful tips on using rocks 😬
So good to hear you again missed your voice. I asked you about lake water, soon back to Northern Wi waiting for my ppm meter and will see what lake water presents will let you know. Hope all is well with you guys.Have a Wonderful evening.
I love that mottled phal...maybe it could be mounted? Thanks for the video,always a pleasure listening to your videos. Can hardly wait to see them go outside. I am still having issues with old leaves turning yellow and dropping,despite calmag,Epsom salts and lime.they are stacking up,but losing old leaves.
Rick I have a really important question to ask you and I hope you can answer it! Some of my orchids a few of my falz have quit blooming and have started to grow new route tips and new leaves. But I turn the air conditioning on and the air conditioning vent is nearby some of them well all of them but some of them were very close to the vent where the Heat usually comes out. I think that's what's causing my bloomz to reset. So in addition to some getting a new Leaf and some aren't getting a new Leaf they are sending up spikes and reblooming on the old spikes is that going to mess them up. I don't want them to use up so much energy to rebloom that they don't grow their new leaves and roots but I hate the thought of cutting a bloom Spike off that they're going to all that effort an energy to grow. It's still too early to put them outside because I'm afraid the temperature might drop below 50 at night. I live in Hagerstown Maryland I want to put them outside for the summer but it's too early thank you for any help you can give me God bless you and God bless your wife and God bless your family and God bless all your subscribers.
…….this is a great question and comment...…...Phalaenopsis are temperature sensitive bloomers...…...most start growing spikes in response to the drop in temperature in the fall as winter approaches...……..but some are spring bloomers and react to the increase in temperatures to grow spikes...…… knowing the type of phals you have is important......I would feed them like they are blooming or growing hard......they will sort out their blooms when they get outside. …...In my opinion.....if they abort a spike and reabsorb it.....due to being out of bloom sequence...…..I think they will readjust very quickly......its more important to feed them strong so they don't eat their leaves as they adjust.......I think you will be fine Kathleen, but feed them as often as you can....
Rick, another learning video for me. now will pay more attention to roots, which I didn’t think much about before. Have been growing phals only 2 yr. Just got an oncidium Sharry Baby & such a treat! Put it in NZ spagnum moss but after blooming am going to change to red lava rock... any comments on that? Thanks very much for ur advice. I really appreciate ur videos. Good “power-washing day! My best to you & ur wife.
thank you...…...Sherry Baby love water and nutrient's…...they are fast growers and get large quickly....as with most Oncidium's they are calcium hogs.....smaller gravel will stay moist longer than lava rock.....try pea gravel......its what I use for mine..
Hello, dear Rick, from Tuscaloosa. I’ve been praying you are still staying strong and enjoying your orchids. How’s Jan? Still getting stronger? So glad you did this video on root signs of needing water - such great information to add to the wealth of information you’ve already provided. Our new rain barrel, plus an additional 50 gal bin is really helping with watering w/nutrient mixes and flushing afterwards. My r/w ph with the added cypress greenwood is now in the low 7s, which comes down with the Jacks FeED and Boost. Question: I’ve found I need to let the Jacks 15-0-0 (BOOST), with the 5-12-26 (FeED), each dissolve much longer before the TDS registers consistently. Usually 15 mins, and up to 45 mins after the addition of 5-12-26. ??? With the CalMag / BetterGro, I was not having to wait but 3-5 mins. Have you found this to be true? I have the same TDS meter as you. Water temp is 65-75 F. I know you’re busy, just don’t want my girls over fed. ❤️ to you both, Lynn
Lynn, your set up sounds perfect......and your correct...….they take several minutes to dissolve....the cooler the water, the longer it takes to dissolve...…….keep up the great work, ….you should have a great growing season and wonderful blooms to come...
Hi! Just discovered your channel and just in time! I have a phal(whatever) that has been looking sad and getting sadder. It did bloom through the winter though. When I took it out of it's pot, I was glad to see some healthy looking roots and it has the start of a new little leaf. So I've repotted it in wood, and am crossing my fingers. (I'm going to use caps so the question shows!) IN THIS VIDEO, THE VERY SOFT COLORED PURPLE AND YELLOW FLOWER, WHAT IS IT'S NAME? If you could spell it for me, the "CC" calls it an I wanna carrot, and I'm pretty sure that isn't correct. Hahaha. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and time. Aimee
Phals that are mounted, where there isn't media (like moss) develop roots that are flattened. I don't see 'round and proud' roots on mounted Phals. Bark/moss planted Phals have different looking roots. At least, this has been my experience.
You always have healthy plants that’s why I like watching your videos. Can you tell me where I can buy Limestone gravel? There’s none in Lowe’s or Home Depot. Thanks
What a beautiful beautiful collection. And I really like the extra information you gave about watering. Is there special solutions that you add to the water? And if there is what are they? Thank you so much. I could only hope for that many flowers and that big a collection. God bless.
Hi Rick, that was a good visual on roots that need watering! I would have thought the green roots were well hydrated! Do you use the lava rocks for certain orchids? Prayers and well wishes to you and Jan.
hello Rick hope you and Jan doing well . May i ask you two questions : 1. When , after what intervals you repot your orchids which are in lava rocks ?? 2. We have growing seasons from may to aug and flowring of Catt from nov to march . When should i repot catt ? after finish bloom? or wait till growing season ? hope you get me !!!!
Thank you for your watering explanation. I got my first orchid last week and I'm almost afraid of it. Lol I'm so afraid I'm going to kill it. I look at it daily to see if it needs water and tonight was the first sign that it might be ready. Until tonight I could see moisture on the side of the clear planter, now there is none, but the roots are still round. I do want to ask when I can repot it. It has tons of flowers and several buds but I can see there is a lot of moss in the planter with no rocks or wood chips. Do I need to wait until it stops blooming? Thank you for your videos!
Rick, Another question: how do I know if & when? I should leave a spike (that’s all bloomed off) on the plant so that the plant can consume nutrients from the “done” spike? A dumb question but I am not clear on when or if to cut off the spike. As always, thank you.
.......If they absorb a spike.......wait till its dry and brown before cutting it off.......many times they will absorb down to a node and then stop.......then regrow a new spike from there........if Phals are feed correctly.....they will keep their spikes and keep reblooming from them.
Rick, quick question about roots when reporting. I’m new to growing and in repotting I notice some roots are mushy close to the plant stem, but further down the root, they are firm and a beautiful green. Should those mushy/firm roots be left alone or removed?
…..great question...…….unless the orchid is struggling with a rot issue...…..don't remove them...…..trim off anything that is broken or dangling...….leave the rest.
Hi rick I understand that the flower spikes after blooming still have nutrients in the spikes. Is that the reason for not cutting off the spikes if they’re still green and plump? Thank you so much for your sharing
…..one of the reasons.....most Phals will rebloom from the old spikes...…as well as grow new ones, The spikes are part of the plants nutrient reserves....
It's so good to hear from you, Rick. :) Thank you for the awesome watering tip. I can't believe your BLC Yellowbird was in such bad shape at one point that you were on the verge of tossing it. It just proves your point how important calcium is to the health and growth of an orchid. What level are you feeding at now? I recently raised my ppm to 150 and am using the CN at 40%. Does that sound about right for early May? We have had temps in the 70's and 80's here in E. Tn and I can't wait to move my orchids outside. It's still a bit cool at night where I am, though. How is Jan doing? Has she finished all of her treatments now? Love, Caro
……..yes sounds real good...…..Im feeding around 165ppm @40% CN...….I may increase it 10% this week...…..80* - 85* here....Jan os doing great...…..finished and cancer free, she is getting her strength back.....
@@rickl.orchids I'm so glad to hear that Jan is doing well. Thank you for keeping us updated. :) I can't wait to see your orchids when they are all set up outside. I guess you have a few that need to be moved into bigger pots, huh? That's a nice problem to have! Caro
Hi Rick, just came across your channel and regarding dendrobium speciosum, I have mature plants growing outside and exposed to the weather and at times we get 40degree heat (celcius) and the leaves never discolour and this is because they are used to the environment they are growing in, perhaps yours was exposed to bright light after being in a shady spot?
We just started using MSU fertilizer with ro water and upgraded to the cal mag and seaweed. What a difference our leaves are much firmer and shinier! Thanks! Are we ok to use 100 ppm with the msu like you use with the other fertilizer? I just checked our ppm after mixing per instructions and we are at 740 ppm, is this bad?
hello rick although this is a repeted Q but i am disappinted not gettimg your reply . hope you reply here : 1. can Cal nit be mixed with cal mag ? what shld be ppm for cal nit / gallon of RO 2. Which all nituent , fertilizer or supliments should be avoided mixing cal nit ? 3. can i mix fungicide or insecticide with my fertiluzer ? hooe you answer me ! 4. Does Epsom salt good to go mixing with any nutient , fertiliser or supliment ? if any restriction let me know . Hope u doing well now.
…….# 1 & # 2 I have answered in previous post..... #3......keep those separate. #4....answered in previous post ……….Thank you...….I hope I have caught you up.....if not let me know.
Rick L. Orchids Rick i did not get to know Q4 about epsom salt ? can you check ? where in which of my orevious post you replied . Missing out plz reply me again ? if you donot mind ) sorry taking your time .
…...no worries, I enjoy answering questions...….Magnesium is fine with most nutrients...….but it can have issues with Calcium Nitrate...…..just don't put calcium nitrate and magnesium together in dry form...….always dissolve one of them completely in water .....then add the other one and mix...….they can precipitate when not dissolved before mixing,....
Rick L. Orchids great great & great sharing rick . hardly people knows this issues ! I am taking Screen shot of this reply and help my country man . But then my question is : Seaweed those has cal substance should it be avoided mixing with cal mag or cal nit ? as both cal mag and cal nit has calcium and from different base. This you once replied to me when i asked. can i use cal mag with cal nit? so what you say now about using sea weed with either cal mag or cal nit ?
Rick, my orchids are dying I don’t know why 😭 I’m so sad I don’t know what I am doing wrong the leafs are just falling off every day. The other one I have is still in full bloom but I know something is wrong with that one too.
Kiki Okpe rick would have so little to go on here to answer your problem. But I would think he may agree that 90% of new orchid lovers overwater. Watch this video of rick’s again. Are your orchids in pots you can see through?
No, they are not they are in clay pots it’s like the leafs are ripping of. the roots are rotting. One of them I cut the flower spike and now it only has one leaf and no roots at all. When the leafs fell off they seemed to be kind of mushy. It honestly could have been overwatering I got them from Lowe’s and they were in spag moss and they were just sitting in water that’s when I decided to repot them in river rock a little smaller then rick’s rocks.
Poor Kiki I think staying wet too long has been the problem. When I buy an orchid in spagnum I bring it straight home and repot The small river rock sounds the go but I am in Australia and don’t have much to do with river rock. If you lose this orchid it’s a lesson that I think we have all learned I don’t think the nurseries these days are caring enough as to what they send to retail. And the retailers then don’t maintain. It’s a hard life foe an orchid these days
I also think it maybe the fertilizer because I can not find any good fertilizer In The small town I live in. We only have Lowe’s and Wal-Mart and they don’t have fertilizers like Rick uses. Only bloom boosters and orchid food spikes. I am going to have to look on amazon. I can’t even find a nursery around here I just moved to this area and my husband got me two orchids to make our house feel homey and I’m just killing them lol my other plants I have are doing great though. He nearly killed one of my other plants and I brought it right back to life. I just can’t seem to get the hang of these orchids.
I.m looking at your clay pots do you use any type I can not find Orchids Pots any where, my local nursery can not find them either. So would any clay pot work?
I have a Home Depot about 50 miles from me and but no Lowes lol. I did see that Rick talked about using a diamond drill bit and H2O might try that, just happen to have a diamond drill bit when I got on the Semi Hydro kick was going to drill all kinds of holes in glasses etc. and dear Hubby has all kinds of cordless drills so I think I,m going to give that a try. Thanks for the reply have a great evening.
Dorinda.....yes, any clay pot will work...…as long as its unglazed …….many glazes or colorings used in pottery are made with high concentrations of minerals....can be harmful to orchid roots......
Rick you need to understand something the knowledge that you pass on to your viewers to us because we truly enjoy and love growing are orchids. You make that so much more of a good experience. It's like the example between the two different roots. Not everybody will tell us the stuff and the knowledge that you have learned even over a short. Of time is a gold mine to us you show us by example how you do yes we do have to adapt to our environment but you give us a baseline something for us to build on. And that right there that's priceless to us. And my cattleyas since I learned some tricks from you are more enjoyable. It made me not afraid to purchase other cattleyas. And then I thank you for. Now you will probably hear me holler when I actually get one to bloom for the first time for me. I have one that's been a problem child it was person who is taking care of it that was the problem and I finally got some awesome growth out of it. Like I said the knowledge you pass on is priceless.
Keep doing what your doing...….you will be covered in blooms soon....thank you so much for the very kind words...…..I love helping others grow orchids...
Hi Ricky. Nice update and nice to see you have an Apple Blossom it’s on my wish list, gorgeous and scented too is a real bonus! I do the same re watering with nutrients. They always get kelp and CalMag, it really works for my orchids. Thank you for the watering tip too. Checking roots from now on rather than routine watering! Happy growing.
Because of your videos I got a phal. orchid for mother day and I thought on my I killed hundreds of them truly so I went to your channel and listen to your advise and it kept there blooms for 2 weeks it still alive and having a new leaf coming see I never got this far with a phal. and it is exciting I told my son mom has not killed it in fact its growing with my orchids friend help,. t/y for your information.
keep up the great work...…...let me know if I can help.
Hello Rick...I live in Florida and I've been feeding my orchids every 2 weeks with Peters fertilizer, Cal Mag, and Epsom salt. My plants have increased in the growth and size. Love your videos and thank you.
wonderful feedback...….Thank you
Rick, I hold you wholly responsible for my orchid addiction! Thank you so much for giving me a new interest; its great to bounce out of bed with excitement. First thing I do is to go and check on my growing collection, very cheering. All my house plants have benefited from proper feeding and I expect a better crop of vegetables this year, all thanks to your good advice. Continuing in prayer for you and your family, bless you!
thanks for the smiles this morning Alina...……...blessing's my friend.
It also looks like all of your orchids that have purple in their genetics are the ones that are blooming they're gorgeous. It seems like yellow ones are the more rare colors in orchids. Your orchids are absolutely well loved and well taken care of and I thank you 4 taking the time to post these videos. I know it must not be easy but you power through it and get it done. I now have over 30 phalaenopsis that are so healthy for the most part. And about the watering thing I know during the winter with the humidifier going I could water my plants every seven sometimes almost 10 days. Now with the humidifier off and the air conditioning on I notice my leaves are not as plump as they were and even awake is 2 long to go without watering. The bark is very dry the pots are very dry the roots are very dry so you can't just say I'm going to water every so many days I really let this get away from me the watering things so I think until I move my orchids outside they're going to need to be watered more often I turn the humidifier back on so I could get it back up to between 60 and 70% humidity but not sure my body could take that and this warmer weather
......if you can let them soak......till they are fully hydrated.....they will go longer between watering's this way....
Hi Rick. I put three cattleyas and one paph into lava rock after watching one of your videos about that. They seem to love it. They are a challenge to water (soak) a couple of times a week (heavy). If I had an ideal setup I would repot more! I’m also learning to pay more attention to roots and stepped up the nutrients. Seems simple but I’m finally seeing more success! Thank you for your great videos.
……...keep up the great work Judy.
Sorry to hear about your Mom. She seems to be doing well. Wish my patients were as compliant with their post op instructions. Mobility is the key ... My plants like the moss/ river rock medium. There vandas love the soaks. Keep the videos comming thanks so much....glad Jan's continuing to do well..
Thank you, Rick! So nice to hear your voice and see your beautiful plants! We are sending our best!
Hi Rick, so glad to see you back❗️ Hope all is well with you & Jan. Great showing of all your babies with their “plastic “ green leaves😃👌❗️
Thanks for all the detail. I think with my plants the one thing that I notice is that the smaller to seedling orchids need water almost every other day or daily. This is why I started to do steaming as the moisture level in my orchid room stays higher and therefore I can skip the extra waterings. We do have higher than average moisture levels here in Seattle, so I think I can afford to do this. But, that said, I just cannot water some of them every day, even every other day. I do what I can. I do admit though, that I could be watering more often. So, that being said, I think everyone like you said, Rick, has different situations as the moisture levels vary so much. I also know that I could be watering more, but just cannot find the time. I have a lot of projects, especially gardening outside. I am not complaining as I am so grateful of the information you share. Sure as helped me a ton! Thanks again, Rick, your orchids are amazing! Blessings as always. Rita
……..thanks Rita...…..your so right and everyone struggles with keeping things as close to perfect as we can..I deal with the same issue on some of mine...…...I ,may experiment with coco for planting some into......stays moist longer, and will feed them as well..
Thank you Ricky I’m just a learner and you help me a lot
Good video. Orchids look great. 👏 . I love to water. 😁 That's why I keep buying more, I need a large # of orchids to prevent myself from overwatering a small group. 😁. Makes sense, right? Now I can wait for proper time, then I water generously and I have heard you say that too, I was glad to hear. It's a long shower, or a hearty downpour, or a monsoon 😃 depending on temp, breeze, etc. I see a few people water on utube and I think, that's all? I don't get rotten roots, my orchids are happy, & they like "rain "😊.
……..I like the way you think Patricia...….
Thank you Rick for the tip on when to water. Hope all is well with you and Jan.
Lovely update with lots of blooms! I like your banfieldara gilded mist a lot. I had a seedling of it long time ago but it died . Your orchids look very healthy and beautiful! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks always waiting for your videos they have helped me so much in starting my collection! God bless
Happy to see another video 👍💕Thank you so much for the info.👍💕🌸🌴🌱
Thank you Rick for another great video. Amazing how your orchids continue to flower.
Hello Rick, good to hear you sounding well. Your orchids are still looking great!
I decided to read some comments first as I believe good knowledge can be found if you can wreckonize it. Your root tip stood out so I looked forward to it. It is good to know and am happy for anyone just learning it. Years ago when miss orchid girl talked about it. I called them talkative roots. She seemed to like that.
I like to say learn to speak plant. Your plants have asked a favor of me. They say you have gotten very good at speaking orchid and would like me to recognize your fluency. I do and I also think it should be acknowledged as a worth while accomplishment. Well dun! Your a fast learner.
…...thanks Victor...….I like how you put that
My daughters orchid was near death because we didn’t realize we were suppose to repot it they give you all this Moss & at the bottom there was Styrofoam I wanted another alternative to bark & Moss so I’ve been watching your videos will keep you posted on how it turns out thanks a lot for all your helpful tips on using rocks 😬
Hello Rick! So happy to see you. A lot of my phals are spiking. Love yours orchids. Tell Jan hello
Congrats Linda.....wonderful to hear...…..thank you
Good update on your plants. I am always so happy when I see your plants in flower.
Your plants are looking good! Good to see you back hope you two ok! God Bless! Your neighbor from GA!
So good to hear you again missed your voice. I asked you about lake water, soon back to Northern Wi waiting for my ppm meter and will see what lake water presents will let you know. Hope all is well with you guys.Have a Wonderful evening.
……...Im guessing...….35ppm...….fingers crossed for low #'s
Thank you Rick for sharing
Great video, Rick! Looking forward to moving my orchids outside too :D Summer is a blessing:X
Good informative video as usual all the best
I love that mottled phal...maybe it could be mounted? Thanks for the video,always a pleasure listening to your videos. Can hardly wait to see them go outside. I am still having issues with old leaves turning yellow and dropping,despite calmag,Epsom salts and lime.they are stacking up,but losing old leaves.
…….your doing good Jack...….if you can,... increase your Nitrogen a bit more, ...and feed them more often......
Rick L. Orchids cheers,thanks
Rick I have a really important question to ask you and I hope you can answer it! Some of my orchids a few of my falz have quit blooming and have started to grow new route tips and new leaves. But I turn the air conditioning on and the air conditioning vent is nearby some of them well all of them but some of them were very close to the vent where the Heat usually comes out. I think that's what's causing my bloomz to reset. So in addition to some getting a new Leaf and some aren't getting a new Leaf they are sending up spikes and reblooming on the old spikes is that going to mess them up. I don't want them to use up so much energy to rebloom that they don't grow their new leaves and roots but I hate the thought of cutting a bloom Spike off that they're going to all that effort an energy to grow. It's still too early to put them outside because I'm afraid the temperature might drop below 50 at night. I live in Hagerstown Maryland I want to put them outside for the summer but it's too early thank you for any help you can give me God bless you and God bless your wife and God bless your family and God bless all your subscribers.
…….this is a great question and comment...…...Phalaenopsis are temperature sensitive bloomers...…...most start growing spikes in response to the drop in temperature in the fall as winter approaches...……..but some are spring bloomers and react to the increase in temperatures to grow spikes...…… knowing the type of phals you have is important......I would feed them like they are blooming or growing hard......they will sort out their blooms when they get outside. …...In my opinion.....if they abort a spike and reabsorb it.....due to being out of bloom sequence...…..I think they will readjust very quickly......its more important to feed them strong so they don't eat their leaves as they adjust.......I think you will be fine Kathleen, but feed them as often as you can....
Rick,
another learning video for me. now will pay more attention to roots, which I didn’t think much about before. Have been growing phals only 2 yr. Just got an oncidium Sharry Baby & such a treat!
Put it in NZ spagnum moss but after blooming am going to change to red lava rock... any comments on that? Thanks very much for ur advice. I really appreciate ur videos. Good “power-washing day!
My best to you & ur wife.
thank you...…...Sherry Baby love water and nutrient's…...they are fast growers and get large quickly....as with most Oncidium's they are calcium hogs.....smaller gravel will stay moist longer than lava rock.....try pea gravel......its what I use for mine..
Hello, dear Rick, from Tuscaloosa. I’ve been praying you are still staying strong and enjoying your orchids. How’s Jan? Still getting stronger? So glad you did this video on root signs of needing water - such great information to add to the wealth of information you’ve already provided. Our new rain barrel, plus an additional 50 gal bin is really helping with watering w/nutrient mixes and flushing afterwards. My r/w ph with the added cypress greenwood is now in the low 7s, which comes down with the Jacks FeED and Boost. Question: I’ve found I need to let the Jacks 15-0-0 (BOOST), with the 5-12-26 (FeED), each dissolve much longer before the TDS registers consistently. Usually 15 mins, and up to 45 mins after the addition of 5-12-26. ??? With the CalMag / BetterGro, I was not having to wait but 3-5 mins. Have you found this to be true? I have the same TDS meter as you. Water temp is 65-75 F. I know you’re busy, just don’t want my girls over fed. ❤️ to you both, Lynn
Lynn, your set up sounds perfect......and your correct...….they take several minutes to dissolve....the cooler the water, the longer it takes to dissolve...…….keep up the great work, ….you should have a great growing season and wonderful blooms to come...
Hi! Just discovered your channel and just in time! I have a phal(whatever) that has been looking sad and getting sadder. It did bloom through the winter though. When I took it out of it's pot, I was glad to see some healthy looking roots and it has the start of a new little leaf. So I've repotted it in wood, and am crossing my fingers. (I'm going to use caps so the question shows!) IN THIS VIDEO, THE VERY SOFT COLORED PURPLE AND YELLOW FLOWER, WHAT IS IT'S NAME? If you could spell it for me, the "CC" calls it an I wanna carrot, and I'm pretty sure that isn't correct. Hahaha. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and time.
Aimee
Iwanagara apple blossom...….lol...….
Hey brother thanks for mentioning my Apple Blossoms. I’m blushing 😊 I learned everything I did from you! Love and hugs from WV!
they were stunning, and you deserved the shout out for all your hard work...……..luv from Bama
Phals that are mounted, where there isn't media (like moss) develop roots that are flattened. I don't see 'round and proud' roots on mounted Phals. Bark/moss planted Phals have different looking roots. At least, this has been my experience.
You always have healthy plants that’s why I like watching your videos. Can you tell me where I can buy Limestone gravel? There’s none in Lowe’s or Home Depot. Thanks
…….I actually got mine from the side of the road...……..gravel road near the house...
What a beautiful beautiful collection. And I really like the extra information you gave about watering. Is there special solutions that you add to the water? And if there is what are they? Thank you so much. I could only hope for that many flowers and that big a collection. God bless.
I always have nutrients in the water they get.....
Hi Rick, that was a good visual on roots that need watering! I would have thought the green roots were well hydrated!
Do you use the lava rocks for certain orchids? Prayers and well wishes to you and Jan.
….Lave rock works on all of them...…..I haven had an orchid reject lava rock......thank you my friend
hello Rick
hope you and Jan doing well .
May i ask you two questions :
1. When , after what intervals you repot your orchids which are in lava rocks ??
2. We have growing seasons from may to aug and flowring of Catt from nov to march . When should i repot catt ? after finish bloom?
or wait till growing season ?
hope you get me !!!!
repot plants when they need it...…...if not after blooms…..I don't repot unless they have outgrown their pots...….
Rick L. Orchids
Great reply
Great Reply !!
just learned a new thhing !!
Thank you for your watering explanation. I got my first orchid last week and I'm almost afraid of it. Lol I'm so afraid I'm going to kill it. I look at it daily to see if it needs water and tonight was the first sign that it might be ready. Until tonight I could see moisture on the side of the clear planter, now there is none, but the roots are still round. I do want to ask when I can repot it. It has tons of flowers and several buds but I can see there is a lot of moss in the planter with no rocks or wood chips. Do I need to wait until it stops blooming? Thank you for your videos!
…..if it has good roots...…...you can leave it till it finishes blooming...….but you can repot when ever you want.
Rick,
Another question: how do I know if & when? I should leave a spike (that’s all bloomed off) on the plant so that the plant can consume nutrients from the “done” spike?
A dumb question but I am not clear on when or if to cut off the spike.
As always, thank you.
.......If they absorb a spike.......wait till its dry and brown before cutting it off.......many times they will absorb down to a node and then stop.......then regrow a new spike from there........if Phals are feed correctly.....they will keep their spikes and keep reblooming from them.
Hey Rick!
Rick, quick question about roots when reporting.
I’m new to growing and in repotting I notice some roots are mushy close to the plant stem, but further down the root, they are firm and a beautiful green.
Should those mushy/firm roots be left alone or removed?
…..great question...…….unless the orchid is struggling with a rot issue...…..don't remove them...…..trim off anything that is broken or dangling...….leave the rest.
Hi rick
I understand that the flower spikes after blooming still have nutrients in the spikes. Is that the reason for not cutting off the spikes if they’re still green and plump? Thank you so much for your sharing
…..one of the reasons.....most Phals will rebloom from the old spikes...…as well as grow new ones, The spikes are part of the plants nutrient reserves....
It's so good to hear from you, Rick. :) Thank you for the awesome watering tip. I can't believe your BLC Yellowbird was in such bad shape at one point that you were on the verge of tossing it. It just proves your point how important calcium is to the health and growth of an orchid. What level are you feeding at now? I recently raised my ppm to 150 and am using the CN at 40%. Does that sound about right for early May? We have had temps in the 70's and 80's here in E. Tn and I can't wait to move my orchids outside. It's still a bit cool at night where I am, though. How is Jan doing? Has she finished all of her treatments now? Love, Caro
……..yes sounds real good...…..Im feeding around 165ppm @40% CN...….I may increase it 10% this week...…..80* - 85* here....Jan os doing great...…..finished and cancer free, she is getting her strength back.....
@@rickl.orchids I'm so glad to hear that Jan is doing well. Thank you for keeping us updated. :) I can't wait to see your orchids when they are all set up outside. I guess you have a few that need to be moved into bigger pots, huh? That's a nice problem to have! Caro
Where do you purchase your clay pots with side and bottom drainage holes?
Do you prefer clay pots for orchids?
....great question.....yes......if they are not mounted I put them in clay pots with rock or stone....
Hi Rick, just came across your channel and regarding dendrobium speciosum, I have mature plants growing outside and exposed to the weather and at times we get 40degree heat (celcius) and the leaves never discolour and this is because they are used to the environment they are growing in, perhaps yours was exposed to bright light after being in a shady spot?
I think your correct Ross..........Its fine now.......nice even green
Hi rick... not sure if you still monitor your youtube... but wanted to ask anyway. How long do you soak your orchids for?
We just started using MSU fertilizer with ro water and upgraded to the cal mag and seaweed. What a difference our leaves are much firmer and shinier! Thanks! Are we ok to use 100 ppm with the msu like you use with the other fertilizer? I just checked our ppm after mixing per instructions and we are at 740 ppm, is this bad?
hello rick
although this is a repeted Q but i am disappinted not gettimg your reply . hope you reply here :
1. can Cal nit be mixed with cal mag ? what shld be ppm for cal nit / gallon of RO
2. Which all nituent , fertilizer or supliments should be avoided mixing cal nit ?
3. can i mix fungicide or insecticide with my fertiluzer ?
hooe you answer me !
4. Does Epsom salt good to go mixing with any nutient , fertiliser or supliment ?
if any restriction let me know . Hope u doing well now.
…….# 1 & # 2 I have answered in previous post.....
#3......keep those separate.
#4....answered in previous post
……….Thank you...….I hope I have caught you up.....if not let me know.
Rick L. Orchids
Rick
i did not get to know Q4 about epsom salt ? can you check ? where in which of my orevious post you replied . Missing out
plz reply me again ? if you donot mind ) sorry taking your time .
…...no worries, I enjoy answering questions...….Magnesium is fine with most nutrients...….but it can have issues with Calcium Nitrate...…..just don't put calcium nitrate and magnesium together in dry form...….always dissolve one of them completely in water .....then add the other one and mix...….they can precipitate when not dissolved before mixing,....
Rick L. Orchids
great great & great sharing rick .
hardly people knows this issues !
I am taking Screen shot of this reply and help my country man .
But then my question is :
Seaweed those has cal substance should it be avoided mixing with cal mag or cal nit ?
as both cal mag and cal nit has calcium and from different base.
This you once replied to me when i asked.
can i use cal mag with cal nit?
so what you say now about using sea weed with either cal mag or cal nit ?
Can you plz tell me about the light condition inside???
I use 2 - 600wt Metal Halide light fixtures...….they are on the same hours as the outside light...
Rick are you going to the Redlands internacional festival?
no...….wish I could.
Rick, my orchids are dying I don’t know why 😭 I’m so sad I don’t know what I am doing wrong the leafs are just falling off every day. The other one I have is still in full bloom but I know something is wrong with that one too.
Kiki Okpe rick would have so little to go on here to answer your problem. But I would think he may agree that 90% of new orchid lovers overwater. Watch this video of rick’s again. Are your orchids in pots you can see through?
No, they are not they are in clay pots it’s like the leafs are ripping of. the roots are rotting. One of them I cut the flower spike and now it only has one leaf and no roots at all. When the leafs fell off they seemed to be kind of mushy. It honestly could have been overwatering I got them from Lowe’s and they were in spag moss and they were just sitting in water that’s when I decided to repot them in river rock a little smaller then rick’s rocks.
Poor Kiki
I think staying wet too long has been the problem. When I buy an orchid in spagnum I bring it straight home and repot The small river rock sounds the go but I am in Australia and don’t have much to do with river rock. If you lose this orchid it’s a lesson that I think we have all learned I don’t think the nurseries these days are caring enough as to what they send to retail. And the retailers then don’t maintain. It’s a hard life foe an orchid these days
I also think it maybe the fertilizer because I can not find any good fertilizer In The small town I live in. We only have Lowe’s and Wal-Mart and they don’t have fertilizers like Rick uses. Only bloom boosters and orchid food spikes. I am going to have to look on amazon. I can’t even find a nursery around here I just moved to this area and my husband got me two orchids to make our house feel homey and I’m just killing them lol my other plants I have are doing great though. He nearly killed one of my other plants and I brought it right back to life. I just can’t seem to get the hang of these orchids.
Kath...…..thank you so much for reaching out and helping......its a wonderful thing to see.
I.m looking at your clay pots do you use any type I can not find Orchids Pots any where, my local nursery can not find them either. So would any clay pot work?
Have you checked Home Depot or Lowes? They have clay pots in the nursery--at least the ones in my area do.
I have a Home Depot about 50 miles from me and but no Lowes lol. I did see that Rick talked about using a diamond drill bit and H2O might try that, just happen to have a diamond drill bit when I got on the Semi Hydro kick was going to drill all kinds of holes in glasses etc. and dear Hubby has all kinds of cordless drills so I think I,m going to give that a try.
Thanks for the reply have a great evening.
Dorinda.....yes, any clay pot will work...…as long as its unglazed …….many glazes or colorings used in pottery are made with high concentrations of minerals....can be harmful to orchid roots......
At 10: 38 Rick accidentally broke the root tip of the phal orchid.
…...OMG.....I sure did......didn't even know it...……..good eye.
@@rickl.orchids the tender love that you give with your touch will heal this. We orchid lovers know this.
You have no idea how much you actually do on "feel" 😁 and that's impossible to copy, you either got that or not
Thank you my friend...…..
@@rickl.orchids 😉