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Orchid Tips Page 2 |
 Strong
Phalaenopsis plant |
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The Phalaenopsis to
the right is the perfect plant to buy.
Look for strong
roots that are white or grey and thick, firm, fleshy leaves.
The mix the plant is in shouldn't be very old, or decomposed,
and no bugs should be on the
plant. |
 Bad orchid root. |
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Look closely at the root tips.
As you can see
here, the very center part of this root is exposed, meaning
that part of the root is dead. In this case it was because of
lack of humidity. |
 These
roots are better. |
|
 This
Phalaenopsis looks good. |
The plants above look
good - they have strong leaves and roots. It is important to have as many live roots
and leaves as possible - more roots means more strength.
Squeeze the root between your fingers - if it is crunchy or
soggy it isn't alive.
Problems with flowers:
The Cattleya orchids to the right
have some spotting on the flowers. This can happen if water
sits on the flowers too long or it is too damp around the
orchid. The best solution to this is to increase air movement
around the orchid with good ventilation. For fungus or
bacteria problems there are also sprays that can be
bought.
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|
 Cattleya
cut flowers. |
Orchid Care
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