New Orchid Tips Website pages updated

We've got a lot of updates done today and continuing on the Orchid Care Tips Website and other blog, so please feel free to look at these new items. Very exciting!

Many New Updates made to Orchid Care Tips Website

Many new updates were made last night to Orchid Care Tips Website, including a new sister blog to this one!

Both blogs are open to comments and feedback after any post I make, and most importantly, please share these Websites with friends as Orchids are such wonderful plants and it would be nice to have everyone at ease with growing healthy Orchids at home.

Top 10 secrets that let you know it is time to repot your Orchid

Top 10 secrets that let you know it is time to repot your Orchid

1. Orchid roots are growing over the edge of the table and the plant is pulling itself to slowly crawl back to the rainforest
   
2. Roots are not only aiming straight up but you can't tell them from the leaves as there are so many roots
3. Bark has broken down after a couple years into sludge
4. You can't tell what the medium is or if it was even Orchid potting bark
5. Your Orchid has fused itself to another plant and you can't separate them without getting a kitchen knife and performing surgery
   
6. There are no roots on your Orchid and it doesn't remember what it it like to have roots in mix in a pot
   
7. You can't see any mix in the pot as either the Orchid has eaten it or forced it out somehow over time
   
8. You can't remember ever hearing the word repot don't know what it means
   
9. The Orchid in this photo is yours
10. The Orchid in this photograph is owned by a friend of yours

Any questions or suggestions - add comments!

If you'd like some more real honest Orchid root insight click here.
-or-
To figure out how to choose Orchids to buy and also look at their roots, click here.

=P

Orchid bark sizes for potting

Orchid repotting is important to do every 1-4 years, depending on the Orchid and how much the bark has broken down. More information on Orchid repotting is here.

For Phalaenopsis type Dendrobiums (the majority of Debdrobiums sold are this type), Dendrobium kingianum, and Dendrobium Nobile, fine bark should be used. Also, for Oncidiums, Odontoglossums, and warm and cool Pahiopedilums, and Miltonias, fine bark should be used.

For Phalaenopsis Orchids, medium bark should be used.

For Vanda Orchids and Cattleya Orchids, medium to large bark should be used. The hotter the climate, the bigger the bark.

For Cymbidiums, fine bark should be used.

You can find Orchid bark often at Home Depot and many other garden centers. Make sure it is a kind that can be used with Orchids, and the person selling the bark to you can tell you this or the packaging can.

Orchid books I recommend highly

Orchid books I recommend highly:

For each item I've added an Amazon.com link for you to click on and buy at discount price:

Orchids : The Magazine Of The American Orchid Society [Magazine Subscription]
Great magazine, the main one for the American Orchid Society

Taylor's Guide to Orchids
Great Orchid guide.

The Orchid
The best all inclusive book about Orchids - full of info and photos!

Ortho's All About Orchids (Ortho's All About Gardening)
Best beginner book on Orchid care. Excellent.

Orchid Growing for Wimps
Good beginner book on Orchid care, almost as good as the Ortho book just above.