home depot orchids?

[joneill809]

Our local Home Depot has quite a few very nice looking orchids. I was thinking of bare rooting one or two, giving them a cleaning, and using them in my 120 G viv. I have multiple mount points in the viv on my cork bark background, and I can place them in the drier areas. They are definitely too big for my smaller vivs, but I think they will work in the big one.

I've read that most HD orchids are likely Phalaenopsis. There's some question as to whether or not they would bloom again in the viv. I'm wondering if anyone has any advice on these orchids and if I should waste my time with them or not I will admit I have a brown thumb - I operate on (1) buy plants that look cool, (2) see what lives, (3) propagate. I'm not keen on shipping high dollar orchids in that will most likely end up a dead brown heaping mass in my viv. I figured these may be a good test for me. Am I just wasting my time? Has anyone gotten them to bloom again?

[Eric Walker]

Iv used several phalo. Orchids from Lowes and HD and all seem to have done just fine. They all have bloomed for me repeatedly after putting them in viv and establishing.

[joneill809]

Thanks Eric I appreciate the reply. Good to hear you have had success getting subsequent blooms. Did you find placement to be an issue relative to mist heads? I was going to place them in drier areas that don't necessarily receive direct misting. Thanks again!

[Corndrunk]

With Phalaenopsis orchids you have to be carefull with crown rot. Im just starting into plants and am merely relaying info more than personal experiance. The phals you see offered for sale in the big box stores are actually grown upside down to how they would grow in the wild. If you decide to mount these in your viv make sure you mount the root side UP! If the little cup that is formed betwen the leaves holds water it will rot and kill you orchid. Now from personal experiance..... if the roots arent allowed to somewhat dry they will rot also. I would think that if you mounted it in an area that didnt get regular misting and you occasionally misted by hand it would do alright in a viv.

Cheers,
Aaron

[zachk]

I mount all of my orchids on cork or on wood pieces. Nearly all of them rebloom and often for 3-6 months at a time. Watch for when Lowes clearances their non-flowering orchids. I don't know how many times I've picked up perfectly good large plants for $1 each.

[joneill809]

Great advice guys! I appreciate the input. I'll have to keep an eye out for those plant sales!

[Eric Walker]

None of mine are mounted upside down and they all receive a pretty direct spray. One in particular is pretty much right in front of a set of heads way up high and has done fine for almost 2 years. None have anything around the roots though so their fully exposed on the wood. I'm not having a problem like this at all with rot.

[Philsuma]

Could there be a use of pesticides on Home Depot orchids ?

[Eric Walker]

I would assume they are used phil. From what I'm told by a friend who used to work for a plant caretaking service Systemic pestacides could take up to 6 weeks for them to burn it off. Apparently they do that by respiration and not releasing it into the soil which is a good thing IMO. With non systemics thorough washing should be the first thing done. I would recommend letting them grow out of viv for awhile just to be cautious.