Question
Hi Jim!
I am a novice orchid grower and killed many orchid plants. I recently purchased seven cymbidiums for ourtside and two phalaenopsis for inside from a reputable dealer from an orchid show. The leaves are yellow at the base, green along the edges, and have some brown spots. The clerk told me these were healthy at the time I bought them. I remember the leaves being pretty green at the time. I followed the directions by providing morning sun, afternoon shade and a temperature of around 50-55 degrees at night. However, this is the North edge of the house. The eastside does not get any sun.

The Phalaenopsis are indoors without direct sunlight, yet at times it does get quite hot inside the house. The leaves of these are green and lush. Is this proper for these types of orchids.

Please help! I would really like these to live.

Thank you!
LJ

Answer
Hi Lillian,

Congratulations upon your recent orchid purchases.  But don't fret too much about having killed a few orchids in the past, you aren't the first nor will be the last.  (grin)  

From your description of the orchids, they sound fairly healthy.  If possible, I would suggest moving the cymbidiums to the south side of your home where they will get more sunlight.  If that is not possible, then look for an area that gets as much direct sunlight during the day as possible.  Cyms need quite a bit of light to grow and bloom well.  Unless they are miniature (under 2 feet tall), most cyms can easily withstand temperatures down to near freezing with some overhead protection from frosts.  As summer approaches, move them to an area where it will have about 50% shading.  

Phalaenopsis are basically indoor orchids and should be grown where they receive bright but indirect sunlight.  Temperature wise, they prefer 60 to 85 F but can take upwards of 95 F if there is a some light air movement, humidity above 50% and kept slightly moist.  

Cyms should be repotted every 2 to 3 years while phals don't mind being repotted annually.  

One of the biggest bugaboo novice orchid growers make is to treat orchids as though they were houseplants.  Although the phal is grown in the house, they need to be treated slightly different - namely careful watering.  Phals should be watered when the potting mix is barely moist then watered heavily, allow excess water to drain then placed back in their growing area.  Watering is best done in the morning hours to allow any water on the leaves to evaporate before nightfall as moisture on the leaves can be a breeding environment for fungus on the leaves.  Cyms should be watered about the same as the phals or when the mix is barely moist.  Both would benefit from being fed regularly with a dilute mix (about 1/4 the amount recommended on the container) of orchid fertilizer in the water.  

Hope this has helped.  If you have questions about the above or other questions, write and I'll try to answer them.  

Jim Kawasaki
San Jose, Ca.