Addicted to Orchids (it's a problem)

Hello everyone!

Had a 'grocery store' orchid given to me that I had for years. It was green, so I kept it. Started blooming after we moved to a new house. Bloomed beautifully for a few years and then...last year, I moved it. No blooms.

In researching what I did wrong, found a wealth of knowledge and a wealth of different types of orchids. And I was hooked.

I now have six 'baby' orchids of different varieties (Laelia, Vanda, Paphs, Cymbidium and of course, Phals) and have geeked out and studied each variant's growth habits, water/moisture necessities, air circulation, etc. And have learned a lot just from watching them grow.

About to 'mount' my Laelia (as she just doesn't seem very happy in the bark) and thought it would really be nice to 'chat' with folks about their experiences and learn from their expertise.

Here's most of my orchid 'family':

 

Thanks so much for the reply!

Yes - before I purchased each orchid, I 'studied' the care for each one. I have simulated environments for super humid to fairly dry. I work from home, so I tend to them throughout the day. I never soak any of my orchids. I have two different kinds of spray bottles. One with heavier droplets that I use to simulate a 'light rain' every morning, and one with fine mist that I use throughout the day every day - for the orchids that need higher humidity. If anything, I have to stop myself from tending to them TOO much as I love to give them attention. (If I could play with orchids all day, I'd be in heaven!)

This is why I thought I might be able to mount my Laelia, because I'm more than willing to spray or mist it throughout the day - or whatever I need to do. Mostly I thought about it because it seems 'unhappy' in the pot, but also, I wanted to learn how to grow these orchids in other ways.

So, outside of keeping it super wet, is there anything else you'd advise? Lots of sunlight (not direct) or less light? Temp I'll need to maintain? Anything you may think of would be super appreciated!

 

Hello!

I have two types of water bottles. One is for lightly misting (some of) them throughout the day, but the other has heavier droplets and I use that to 'rain' on them every morning. I check down into the bark to make sure everything is wet all the way down. I was told by a professional orchid grower that the best thing for them is to duplicate their natural habitat. Since most of these are not used to torrential downpours and are used to damp rains, I try to imitate that. Some I 'rain' on more than others, depending on their specific environmental needs. I was also told (by a different person) that they don't like to be moved around that much. So am trying to avoid having to move them to the sink to douse them.

I have spent quite a bit of time in Hawaiin rainforests and have seen live orchids there - so I try to duplicate the moisture and rains that I experienced there. This is why my original post was asking for advice about mounting a couple of them - which is how these particular varieties live in nature.

I haven't gotten into the details of my fertilization regimen as I fertilize each differently and with different timing - and this will change depending on the time of year/dormancy period of each. It would take far too long to go into all of that!