Question
QUESTION: I bought 2 of these last year at H.Depot...and after the blooms they sat in my east window garden above the sink...original pots floating in water....so you see, I am a neglectful parent here!  I finally got guilty today as I have been noticing white roots sticking out of one and both plants seem to thrive without anything on my part.  I purchased coarse orchid grow mix (gubler) at H.depot and 2 - 4 inch pots when guess what!  I noticed a spike of buds on one of the plants!  Now I had planned on repotting these and sitting them in a west window that gets a breeze...but some searching online tells me that might be instant death.  Now I am afraid of these 2 guys....should I wait until after the bloom - if they do bloom - and then repot?  Do I have the right stuff?  I have no orchid food...just african violet 7-7-7 and regular green house plant food.  Where do I begin?

ANSWER: Nancy, wait until after the plant blooms before repotting.  Your east window should be fine as it also provides a humid atmosphere which the orchids will like.  You didn't mention what they are potted in now but the coarse orchid mix should be fine for repotting.  Be sure to soak the new potting mix for several hours before use as fir bark based orchid mixes tend to be quite dry and could initially rob the roots of much needed moisture.  A balanced plant food is fine for orchids.  Try 1/4 tsp per gallon of water.  Use plastic pots with lots of drainage holes when repotting as they help prevent loss of moisture from the potting mix.  Once you repot, you need to water thoroughly once per week and you may feed with every watering.  The orchids will tell you when they are unhappy.  From what you have told me, they seem happy.

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QUESTION: What a wonderful answer...and I do not know what it originally was potted in..its a small 2 inch H.Depot original though.  Is a balanced food 7-7-7?  Are there numbers I should go for?  Thanks a million for answering so quickly!

Answer
Nancy, yes 7-7-7 ia a balanced food.  One experienced grower I know alternates several different orchid foods since each one has a slightly different combination of ingredients.  He feels that thia prevents the build up of certain compounds to toxic levels.  I respect his 40 years of orchid growing experience so if you feel up to it you could do that as well. A balanced plant food is one where all of the numbers are the same.  A common orchid food is 19-19-19-- that is also a balanced food. Some growers use a higher first number for plant growth as that is a nitrogen related element.  For flowering, some growers use a higher middle number which is phosphorous said to promote flowering.