FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Thanks, xr. I really only have a few places I can keep plants indoors that they do very well. One is my kitchen windowsill that I described above, but it's pretty narrow so I can only put smaller pots there. Then I have a west-facing window which is where I keep most of my tropicals over the winter, inside a "light box" lined with foil and a couple 6500K fluorescent tubes hanging overhead. That does get some direct sun in the afternoon though so it might be too strong this time of year.

Then I have a big shelving unit in my unheated basement with another light box containing a combination of 6500K and 3000K lights. It's right inside a sliding glass door, but it faces northwest and is underneath a deck so the only direct sunlight at all is a tiny bit on winter evenings. That's where I keep my flytraps over the winter and they do really well since it stays about 50 degrees over the winter.

From what I've read about orchids, it seems like they'd like it down there too, but this time of year, I'd rather have it upstairs where it'd be easier to keep an eye on it. It's right above the kitchen sink right now, so that will make watering really easy, as long as it doesn't need to go in a bigger pot.

I've heard people say that one of the main tricks with orchids is finding the right "spot" where they'll like it and be happy. Sounds like it needs bright light but without direct sun and good ventilation (i.e. a greenhouse, of course.) I'm not sure my kitchen will provide enough of either of those conditions for it to be happy.

I guess it's just trial and error, like everything else. Oh well, if I do wind up killing it, it'll only be $5 down the drain and yet another expensive hobby will be curtailed before it gets started!

xr280xr wrote:This is why I always try to check out how a plant grows in its natural habitat.

Yeah, I always try to do that too. Just hadn't had a chance yet because of the way this orchid fell into my lap so unexpectedly and seemed to need repotting ASAP. I never had much luck with flytraps until I realized they have such long roots that need to stay wet down deep, but it needs to dry out more around the rhizomes on top so they won't rot. When I kept them sitting in a pan of water, I lost about half of mine to rot. Live and learn!

So anyway, now that I've kept the orchid alive for a few days, any advice on fertilizer for it? I didn't want to do that while it's still in transplant shock, but I was looking at the Miracle Gro orchid fertilizer at Lowe's on my way home from work and it was 30-10-10. Seems like that would promote more leaf growth than flowers since the N number is so much higher than the P or K. I already have their Bloom Booster fertilizer on hand that has a higher P number. Would that be okay to use instead, at like half-strength maybe?

Typically, "orchid fertilizer" is balanced, like Maxsea 16-16-16. High nitrogen is best when you have old bark breaking down in your medium to offset its "nitrogen draft".

But whatever you chose, the standard rule of thumb is "weakly, weekly" - very dilute fertilizer used regularly.

Thanks, evenwind. So *how* dilute? Less than half-strength?

Leo756 wrote:So *how* dilute? Less than half-strength?

Hard to say exactly. It would all depend on the usual factors like your growing conditions and your cultivation habits. Most of the articles I've seen say something like "use 1/2 or even 1/4 strength". Personally, I'd start at 1/4 or 1/3 and see how the plant reacts. If all looks good, maybe up it to 1/2 during active growth. Unlike ground growing plants, epiphytic orchids just don't get that much "help" in nature.