Question
QUESTION: Hi Jim!

I've had my orchid for about three or four weeks now. I bought it from a small vendor and didn't receive any information with it, but I've gathered that it's a dendrobium. When I got it, it was blooming beautifully and had probably 15+ blooms (it looked like http://www.box.net/shared/ik2sb2idn5), but it's all been downhill from there. I'd read that dendrobiums shouldn't be watered for 7-10 days after you receive them, so I didn't water it, but neither did I have a humidity tray for it and so I basically just watched the blooms start to wither. (I think that it received a good amount of light as I put it in a south-facing window, but the leaves yellowed slightly on the edges so I got scared and moved it away, but then got scared and moved it back again). After watering it once I tried to water about twice a week. I also started to notice lots of bugs on it... so I wised up and got a humidity tray, as well as some 20-20-20, and I sprayed it with Garden Safe pesticide (though I'm doubting the wisdom of that).

Now her blooms are dropping and I'm not sure if this is natural or if I just failed with my first orchid. Here are some pictures... http://www.box.net/shared/3zqbsiej2v

Please help me resuscitate my orchid! Thank you!

ANSWER: Hi Amy,

To begin, thanks for including the link to photos of your orchid, it really helped identify that it belongs to the odontoglossum family of orchids rather than dendrobiums.  

From what you described of the sequence of what happened, my guess is that it just may have been time for the flowers to all die rather than something you did directly.  Odontoglossum blooms can remain for 4 to 8 weeks and longer, you probably don't know how long they had been open prior to your getting it.  

You didn't mention where you live but depending upon where you live, a south window might be too much direct sunlight unless you live in one of the northern states.  The leaves starting to turn yellow was a hint that it was getting a little too much sunlight.  When getting good light exposure the leaves will be a light to medium green color.  

Keep it where temperatures are between 50F to 85f along with humidity above 50% and some light air movement around it.  Allow the potting media to become barely moist between watering and feed it a balance type orchid fertilizer mixed at 1/2 the recommended amount from spring through summer then at 1/4 the amount through winter.  Never allow it to become totally dry between waterings.  

If you sprayed the flowers with the pesticide, it may have contributed to the early flower failure.  Many chemicals can affect flowers and unopened buds.  Another thing that can affect them are fruits near by as they emit a gas as they ripen that is deadly to orchid flowers.  

Hope this helped.  If you have other questions, write back and I'll try to help with them.

Jim Kawasaki
San Jose, Ca.


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you for the speedy answer! It's extraordinarily helpful. (Odontoglossum! I never would've known.)

I did spray the flowers with the pesticide; they were covered with aphids and I wasn't sure what else to do. Feeling very guilty about it now, alas.

I'm living in Los Angeles right now (but I'm from San Jose! Yay!), so the south window probably is a little bit too bright... it does have a sort of shade that filters some of the direct sunlight, but I guess I'll just have to be a little more vigilant and watch the leaves closely.

If I may ask, what should I do now that the blooming period is over? I've read that you're supposed to cut back the cane (cane?), but I'm not sure where or how to do it.

Thanks again for your response, Jim!

Answer
Hi again Amy,

Oh no!  You moved from San Jose to L.A.?  Horror of horrors!  (grin)  

Yes, close to a south window is probably too much sunlight unless you have sheer curtains to reduce it a bit.  One other thing to be watchful of is heat caused by the sun rising from the table it is sitting upon.  

Go ahead and cut off the flower stem as it will not rebloom.  Go down to the bottom then back up an inch or two then cut it leaving a short stump.  

No need to feel guilty about treating the aphids with an insecticide, you didn't know better at the time.  Next time you can remove aphids by running your fingers over them and squashing them!  If that doesn't appeal to you, you can try taking it to the kitchen sink or outdoors and spraying a strong stream of water over them, knocking them off.  Keep in mind that other aphids may hear about your orchid through the aphid grapevine and come for a meal too, so stay on the lookout for them.  (grin)  

By the way, as I said, your orchid is part of the odontoglossum family of orchids but there a quite a few different species and intergeneric hybrids within the family.  I am not sure what family yours belongs to without knowing the name of it.  With that said, the basic care for all of them is very similar with only minor variations due to specie ancestry.  

Take care,

Jim Kawasaki
San Jose, Ca.