Anyone managed to keep an orchid alive?

[Poetrypatty]

And if so how? I got one of those supermarket ones, but then remembered I had one before and it didn't last long.

@nannybeach

I've got over 30, a few different types. They hate sunlight. They don't get re potted because the pots are different colours depending on what room they are in. When they increase in size,I cut off roots,new compost,and back in the same pot. To get then to flower again,cut the old flower stalk off,low down to the first nodule,put into somewhere cool and dark for about 6 weeks.

That’s weird because mine are in my sunniest window!

You need to visualised where they grow in the wild are recreate this at home.

They grow up in the tree canopy. So they have ultra drainage!

They are in moist environments as it's tropical.

They have partial shade as they are in the trees.

In your home think about misting them daily, not having them near a heat source that might dry them out.
Not letting them sit in water as they rot rapidly.
Position them in semi shade.

I use an old cleaning spray bottle washed out and a few drops of the baby bio orichid feed in. This does a week. I spritz them every time I pass them and don't water them anymore. The roots than need the water are above anyway if you look. They don't function like normal plants.

Mine are about 10 years old and still flower.

I love orchids and am so impressed with the length of time pp's have had them!
May have to go and buy one and have another go.

What do you do when they're root bound?

Hoping to get some advice from this thread. I've been gifted a lovely orchid but no experience with flowery plants!

They seem happy to be root bound.
You have two options if they are very bad. Re-pot in a larger pot or tip out, cut back some roots and replace in existing pot with fresh compost.

You can buy special orchid compost but I don't bother.

My friend bought me an orchid 3 years ago, and my son gave me one a year ago. Both are on my kitchen windowsill, and I basically ignore them. They are flourishing!

(Disclaimer : I don't actually like them that much!)

Yes mine usually die then start blooming again. I almost threw one away then it came back to life.

White Pot Artificial Pink Orchid for £12.99 from Aldi

Yes rain water every week - tiny bit

My orchid is fab, it has been re-potted twice and it is about to go into bloom again for the 3rd time this year. I use an orchid food and it loves the position it’s in, on my kitchen windowsill.

Oh wow I love this thread because it explains why my neglected orchid did so well! It reflowered the following summer and grew even longer with more flowers. It was going so well until I was playing hide and seek with my DD and I fell onto the curtains and pulled it down and the stalk snapped off. I tried taping it back together to see if it would heal itself but no. However I've got lots of new stalks growing out of it already and am hoping for it to rebloom this summer. I'm dubious though because I've moved house and no idea if it's in a good new spot!

Oddly enough I keep mine alive. I think the key is not too much water and to put the pot in a glass pot or vase so the roots get enough light. I keep ours on the windowsill

Beautifully mad,you are absolutely correct. In the spring mine go outside in hanging baskets under trees,much easier to water and feed. I knew someone would post they keep one in a south facing window. There's always exceptions,to the rules.

If the root ball comes in a big lump of absorbent corky/moss stuff, take it out of that and pot if in some actual barky orchid potting mix.

Water sparingly.

I live quite near Mcbeans orchids specialist orchid breeder for Many years. They say don't grow them in transparent pots, because it causes the roots to rot,if they stay damp

I tried a tip from a local plant-swap group which was to water them with the water which uncooked rice had been soaking in. To my surprise it seems to have worked, one put out a lovely flower spike and the other, which previously looked terrible with very patchy/mottled leaves, is putting out nice new green leaves already. I previously did the neglect/water occasionally/orchid food occasionally routine and the orchids had remained alive but didn't really ever rebloom. I'm not sure if the rice water is a 100% good idea (there was a little bit of disagreement amongst the group members) but it's the only thing I've done differently recently and it does seem to have worked.

I give mine less than an egg cup of water every ten days or so. They like my North-West facing window.

I’ve had my oldest supermarket one for almost 12 years! Got it when I moved into my previous house. I also seem to have kept its baby alive also. Usually ones the flowers die, I cut the stalk and a new flower bit starts to grow.
Also neglect. Water when I think, “oh crap, haven’t watered it for a while” live on the kitchen windowsill.

Thanks for all the contributions on here! I have learned loads

Mine are on north facing window sills in unheated rooms and pretty much flower continuously. They get watered about every 10-14 days, occasionally fed, otherwise neglected!

This has been instructive, and I'm grateful for this thread. I did what Poetrypatty did and bought one in when I was in a supermarket for the first time in ages the other week ("oooh! pretty").

I knew they didn't need much water, but having this quantified has been useful. Lack of light, and neglect, I can definitely manage.

No clue! I was gifted one over 10 years ago, it lives on a south facing window sill, looks happy & healthy, regularly flowers - water about once every few weeks.
Got several more, all doing ok, same spot. During lockdown one decided to repot them all - big mistake all but the original one & three others died. Put two in the bathroom thinking the sunlight was too bright & they'd appreciate the humidity. They died within a week of each other.
Other one my daughter nabbed & is on her north facing window sill & is flourishing. She's bought another & it's doing great too.
My original one is still looking great on its south facing sill & have decided not to move it!

I soak mine for 20 minutes & leave to drain on the draining board for a couple of hours every 2 weeks in summer, less in winter. Feed once a month in summer.

I find light important - not too much but not shade.

They will reflower if they grow 2 leaves. In good health they should do that in a season. You can get them to re flower from an old stem by cutting it back, bit flowering depletes their nutrient levels. I prefer to let the stem dye back so the plant remains in good health ...or if you want more, wrap the cut green stem in wet green sphagnum moss and pop in a spaghetti jar... give it a few weeks and you get little orchids growing at the nodes.

Dig out the plug that will undoubtedly be in the centre somewhere, repot in orchid compost from B&Q or wherever and then soak in tepid tea for an hour every Sunday morning.

My orchids are constantly in flower.

I've had mine 15 years. It's been re-potted once and I water it when I remember. It's flowered faithfully every year.