Question
I am looking to purchase my first orchid.  To be honest, I already purchased my first orchid -- and I'm planning to take it back for a refund.  I was talked into buying a phalaenopsis orchid at a local nursery. After doing some research online, I discovered that the plant is in rather terrible condition.  It was extremely dry when I took it home, and the leaves are a reddish-brown color.  I believe the color of the leaves indicates that the plant has been exposed to too much sunlight.  There are few healthy roots and the entire plant looks rather "wimpy".  I was hoping you could give me better advice for selecting a healthy "first" orchid.  I am interested primarily in phalaenopsis orchids and dendrobium orchids, because I read that they are the easiest types of orchids for beginners.  However, I will gladly consider ANY type of orchid that would be best suited for my environment.  I am going to be a freshman at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, and I looking for an orchid to keep in my college dorm room.  I will be staying in the dorm from the end of August until the beginning of May.  The dorms do not have air conditioning -- and most of the year air conditioning is not needed. (The winters in Cleveland are long and very cold!)  I have never lived in the dorm before, so I cannot guarantee how much control I will have over the temperature of the room.  I plan to bring a large fan, and maybe a portable air conditioner.  There is one window in the dorm room, which faces southwest.  I hoped to find an orchid that would be able to withstand these conditions; I know that these are not ideal conditions for an orchid! I would really appreciate any advice you could offer about which types of orchids I could keep in my dorm room, which conditions I could improve for the purpose of growing orchids (for example, getting sheer blinds for the window to decrease the amount of sunlight, or misting the orchid to help with humidity), or simply advising me that growing an orchid in my dorm room is an unreasonable idea.  If the conditions of a dorm room simply do not permit growing orchids, then by all means, I want to know.  I wouldn't want to kill a defenseless orchid!

Thank you in advance for your time and consideration!

Answer
Hello Stasia,

It is possible to grow quite a few different orchids in a dorm room under the conditions you noted but probably the best and easiest to grow would be an evergreen type dendrobium.  You could grow a phalaenopsis orchid but the room temperature would have to be kept above 55F at all times where as the dendrobium can withstand short periods of temperatures down to 45F.  

Also, watering and feeding a dendrobium is a bit easier along being able to withstand the humidity being variable but try to keep it above 40%.  The main thing would be to place it where it will receive bright indirect sunlight (sheer curtains are fine for this purpose) during the early fall and spring but full sun (if there is any - LOL) in winter is fine in the Cleveland area.  

Another orchid you might try are phramepedium orchids.  The main concern with these is that they should never be allowed to become dry, in fact many growers place the pot in a tray full of water.  Speaking of water, phrags are very sensitive to water quality so use either rain water or distilled water to water them and also in the tray.  

While there are some others I could recommend to you, the above are probably easier for a person just beginning to grow orchids.  By the way, what ever orchid you get, before heading to Case Western buy some balance type orchid fertilizer along with other growing materials such as a small watering container, plastic tray, plastic placemat to put the tray on, etc.  When mixing fertilizer, use one quarter teaspoon per pint of water as the orchids I suggested do not require much fertilizer, in fact the phrag will end up with brown leaf tips if given too much.  

Either before or after you head to college, write back with what you decided to take along and I'll offer some additional tips.  Just in case I forget your name (being old and forgetful that I am), reintroduce yourself when you do.  

Jim Kawasaki
San Jose, Ca.