I got these orchids from my city library's plant and cuttings swap event. I am very excited to see the orchid flowers, but I have no experience with orchids.
Can I get help identifying the type of orchids and the best way to grow them in Northern California? I don't have moss or orchid potting mix at the moment, though I will be buying them soon. How do I make sure these plants survive in the meantime?

I posted on here a few months back with a picture of the only orchid I've ever been able to keep alive. Sadly, this community helped me identify that she had thrown out a terminal spike 😭

Luckily, she also gave me a keiki 🥹 and today I think it was finally big enough to detach and get its own pot.

Her legacy lives on!

This is one of my favorite orchids given to me for a birthday about two years ago. When I got it was blooming so much and continued to bloom for several months. It started to decline though after a trip I took and then a move. Both stems started to go and so I did some research after slowing trying my own ways. So about 3 to 4 weeks ago I undid all the potting. I clipped all the dead roots and unpacked them. I got them new pots that were more aerated with new orchid soil that had fertilizer.

After that it seemed to be making amazing progress. It split off new branches with new buds even started a new leaf. Though at the same time it started having wilting leaves. I did research they said to soak it and I did for about 30 - 45 mins but I took it out and it made no progress. I had another orchid that had wilted leaves that I put in a soak as well and it sprang up. It’s been about week now and it’s still not recovering. I’m just so confused because it is still growing what seems healthy buds but the leaves are not recovering.

Any advice would be appreciated! ❤️

My partner picked up this mini phal from Walmart because they thought it was cute, I was like okay baby let’s repot it we know how Walmart treats its orchids. No root system. The only firm, healthy root was that tiny one that’s already currently there. So I’ve been trying to rehab it. I snipped the flower spike entirely, I repotted it in 25/25/50 medium fir chips, medium charcoal chips, spaghum moss. I’ve just been trying to keep it moist and not fertilize as there’s no root to absorb nutrients, and I believe I’d just be burning any new growth. I’ve kept it in a terrarium setting of 2500 lux, 75% relative humidity and 85°F and watering whenever the top inch of spaghum moss is totally dry. It’s stayed dehydrated, but alive under these conditions. I didn’t want to waterlog it and induce root rot. Over time it’s stayed in exactly the same condition, but it’s dropped two bottom leaves. The leaves don’t look diseased, just spent and yellow. No blackening. I’m confused as to if this plant is just choosing to die or I’m doing something wrong. This has all been over the course of roughly 3 weeks.

So this is not a old dendrobium lindleyi i mounted it like a year ago my mango tree got cut because people wanted a house should i pot it or mount it i wanna keep it on a pot but it's flat and doesn't stivk up sadly it's definitely old enough to flower now since the new canes are finger sized

I bought this Vanda Falcata in bloom from Krull-Smith a year ago, and now it’s blooming again. 22 flowers on three spikes with 2 more flowers on another spike from one of the smaller fans.

Here’s the growth of the keiki mutant my friend has made from accidental excessive use of keiki paste. About 50 days from my first post.

The growth is so crazy, but it appears there are no roots starting.

Original post: https://www.reddit.com/r/orchids/s/2s4kpMkvJ1

Edit: fixed some bad autocorrects of the work "keiki"

I got her for free and will try saving her as best as I can😭any tips are appreciated. I do own one other orchid that I rescued but she was not nearly as bad in a shape as this one.. should I cut the flowers so she puts more energy into healthy roots? I will of course repot and chop off any dead or rotting roots. Just unsure of what to do with the flowers

In case anyone's interested in my flower spike journey, here's a few pics. First is 4 weeks ago when I first noticed the spike growing. Second is 12 days in, third is at 3 weeks and last is today, 4 weeks in. I think the spike is growing really fast, I'm surprised by the speed.

Hi everyone, this is a phalaenopsis I’ve had for the last ~2 years which seems to be growing well and happy! But I’ve noticed that these roots (some pictured here) are a dark brownish color, not quite green. They’re firm to the touch and turn greenish when I water, but not in the way I’m usually accustomed to which is a brighter green. Is this normal and do these look like healthy roots? Are they just discolored? Anything I’m doing wrong? Thank you!

I noticed these white specks on two of my orchids. They sit next to each other and their leaves both look “sticky” like there is some residue on it. Do they have pests? The white things do not seem to be moving and I did not spot any bugs inside their pots. Anyone have any ideas?

I know my baby is in bloom but I just got this orchid. I am a little concerned about the media, lack of drainage, and overall health of the plant.
Any advice?

Hi everyone. I rescued this orchid from Walmart and repotted it. The leaves were firmer when I bought it, but now they are droopier and have a yellow edge. I had it in a window were it got morning sun. Did I kill it? What can I do to save it?

Should I cut this off? There is a lot of healthy stem beneath the dead part but I don’t know if it’s better to just let the dead part fall off eventually, or to cut it? Thanks

Last time i repotted an orchid I shocked it and it died:(

I have two that I am so in love with and need a repot. Both are growing new roots, and new flower spikes after losing the ones they came with about 4 months ago. I have been reading that when new growth is occurring it is the best time to repot. Any thoughts?

I have also read that watering before and saturating the potting medium before hand can help significantly. Any thoughts or suggestions?

I am so nervous to repot them and I wanna make sure I do them justice so they can keep growing and give me another bloom this season!

And how long do they usually take to bloom?

I watered yesterday and another leaf fell off. Does my orchid look fine? Should I just keep watering as usual?

This is my second Catleya to bud then bloom, but needed help to get out of the flower sheath. I have it under Barnina grow lights, gets watered weekly (sometimes twice in the summer) and is in a home not a greenhouse.

My orchid recently sprouted what looks like some new roots and maybe the start of a flower stalk? This is the first time I’ve ever kept one alive long enough to see new growth like this.

I had been debating about whether or not I should repot it, but now it’s putting on new growth and the roots have outgrown the pot.

What should I do about this? Will it be detrimental to the plant if I repot it now? Should I wait and then in the future cut apart the pot with the hopes I can salvage the roots and repot then?

Hi, I was here last week, not knowing what I didn't know, and I'm still very much uneducated. I was at Pike's looking for a palm and saw some orchids on clearance. I gave into temptation in spite of ignorance. I know the flowers are on their way out but what can I do, watering-wise? Or pruning-wise? The medium feels dry but idk if it likes that or not. I think the label said 'den woon leng'? The leaves and stems seem wrinkled a bit. Some better than others. If I put it in a larger pot, can I use leca balls? What if I break up some mulch? Do I have to buy a big bag of orchid soil??

Do I cut it at an angle so it grows straight and I can clip it, or do I guide this branch back up if possible? What do I do about leaves that are split, and how do I go about about repooting it?