Prelude to a Spa - Orchids Intermediate Level

These are guidelines for your orchids, but as with any living organism,
you are the best judge to know what your plant needs and when it needs it.
Orchids are beautiful and easy to grow (despite the Urban Myth), most of them
flower once a year and when they do, it could last for up to 2 months
(each specie/plant has a different time frame)

Intermediate Level (Page 2)

Laelia
Two Groups:
Mountain Species: Mexico - Central America (Cool temperatures year round)
Lowland species: Brazil (Warm temperatures year round)

Light: Abundant light
Water: Prefer dry condition. Mist in hot weather.

Feed:

Every week with half strength balanced liquid fertilizer

(weekly weakly).

Only use UREA-free fertilizers. Make sure the

plant is well-watered beforehand,

as application of fertilizer to a

dry plant can burn the plant.

Soil: Bark base or cork mounted
Temperature: Lowland species needs cool temperature all year round;
Mountain species needs warm temperatures all year round

Lycaste

Light

: Deciduous (lose their leaves seasonally) plants require 50-70%

shade, Evergreen species grows best with less light, 60-80% shade

Water

: Do not mist to prevent spots in leaves. Deciduous species,

prefers

condition when leefless, evergreen only need to be

slighty dry after pseudobulbs

form.

40-70% humidity

Feed:

Strongly seasonal. Only use UREA-free fertilizers.

Make sure the

plant is well-watered beforehand, as application

of fertilizer to a dry plant

can burn the plant.

Soil: Fir Bark and perlite (fast draining mix)
Temperature: Evergreen needs constant temperatures (60-80F), deciduous (50-95F)

Masdevallia

Light: Filtered Light, East, West or South window

Water:

Keep Moist, but not wet. Mist in hot weather. 60 to 80% humidity.

Feed:

Every week with half strength balanced liquid fertilizer

(weekly weakly).

Only use UREA-free fertilizers. Make sure the plant is well-

watered

beforehand, as

application of fertilizer to a dry plant

can burn the plant.

Soil: Fine Fir or tree fern fiber or sphagnum moss
Temperature: 55-75F, avoid temperatures higher than 80F

Miltonia and Miltoniopsis
('Pansy orchid')
Costa Rica to Peru
Nature to Cool, wet cloud forrest. Hybrids are more warmth tolerant

Light: Relatively shaded filtered light, direct sunlight
will burn the thin leaves. Keep inside the house.

Water:

Keep evenly moist, but not wet. Mist in hot weather. 70% humidity.

Feed: Light feeders. Every 2 weeks with half strength balanced liquid fertilizer. Only
use UREA-free fertilizers. Make sure the plant is well-watered beforehand, as
application of fertilizer to a dry plant can burn the plant.
Soil: Need to be repotted every year. Cool growers (miltoniopsis) do well in small pots;
warmer growers (miltonias) do better mounted. A mix seedling bark, charcoal and
perlite; or tree fern and chopped shagnum. For mounts use cork, tree fern or other hard
wood. Shallow pans work better than deep pots
Temperature: 58-80 F, intermediate growers (not too hot, not too cold)

Beginner Level
Cattleya
Dendrobium
Paphiopedilum
Phalaenopsis

Intermediate Level
Anguloa
Angraecum
Catasetum
Cymbidium
Laelia
Lycaste
Masdevallia
Miltonia and Miltoniopsis
Odontoglossum
Oncidium
Phragmipedium
Stanhopea
Vanda

We carry a large variety of Orchids, please check with us to see what

we have at the

present time!