To want my orchids to live!

[Orchidskeepdying]

Why do they keep dying? i've just seen yet another leaf drop off... So sad because I love
Them.... :( xx

Fecking things.

YANBU

I've got two left now... One mostly dead
. One dying before my eyes. Wish people wouldnt
Buy them for me.....

Something I've found which prolongs their life is to put ice cubes on the soil every couple of weeks (as you must know you can't water them), and an orchid drip feeder (got mine from B&Q).

I love them too.

Oh dear, they're very fragile aren't they? I can't offer too much advice, I know my station and tend to stick to peace lillies and the like. My mother feeds her Evian and swears by it. She's bonkers though, I warn you now.

YANBU to want them to live.
Are you SURE you love them, though?
They always look ickily sexual to me, in the way of the 'gurlz' on the thread about the plastic vagina found in a garden shed long read but hilarious!

Try the RHS website for info if you must keep them alive though.

Don't lose hope - mine has gone back to looking like a completely dead twig every year for quite long periods, but so far (4yrs) has always revived and bloomed beautifully for a few months again! And I am NOT green fingered

Your supposed to run water through them! you just cant leave them sitting in water! My mum has three beautiful orhids and hers are now re blooming! Mum gives them orchid food and once a week on a sunday she takes them out to the kitchen sink and runs water through them and then leaves them on the draining board for the water to drain out of them. Hope this helps

Drench them thoroughly every couple of weeks in winter, more often in summer; but make sure the water runs through and away from them quickly: they HATE to stand in water, but they do need moisture. Spray them every couple of days if they are in a dry centrally heated atmosphere. Only feed them when they are growing, and use orchid food (or use standard plant food at a greatly reduced strength).

Can't water them? I've never heard that! I treat mine the way Ellen's Mum does (although I don't feed every week), none of them have lost leaves, new leaves are growing and one of them is about to re-flower. I read that not only the leaves but also the roots are capable of photosynthesis, so I keep mine in clear plastic pots, no idea if it helps but they seem pretty healthy and happy.

I think that you need to find the perfect spot for them, e.g. by a window but out of direct sunlight, and then just run water through the pot as suggested above, every couple of weeks or so.

You also need to start off with a healthy plant. The couple of more expensive, well established orchids I have have far outlived the cheap ones from Ikea that I bought!

Check them for bugs too, as they can be infested with tiny fluffy white bugs called mealy bugs that will kill them.

they have to be in see though pots
mine sits in water happy by sink in a cold kitchen
is now on it second reflower now after 3 years

I've got an Ikea one thats nearly a year old and its just stuck out a new big branch of buds. This has never happened to me before and its made me feel quite special :)

I just water it a little bit once a week and gently wipe its leaves with damp cotton wool every now and again to keep it clean.

I've got loads and the bloody things never die.

I think people think I love and collect them as I always seem to be given them as gifts - there must be about 10 dotted around the house. I just water them occasionally and they seem to thrive.

I've got one in the bedroom that has been in bloom since July,

My ex-boss swore by giving them a couple of months dormancy after flowering, no food and far less frequent watering whilst sitting in a north-facing windowsill in a cool room - no direct sunlight but lots of ambient light IYSWIM. He used to have no problem getting them to reflower sometimes twice a year!

I have loads, they seem to thrive on neglect! Mine will put out a flower stem about 6m after the last blooms die off, and generally live on my kitchen windowsill unless in flower.

I use orchid food when they're flowering, and run water through every couple of weeks. That's about it.

Can't kill mine either... East facing windowledge with no draughts, see-through pots, miniscule amounts of water every so often. For someone that doesn't like house-plants, they're perfect.

Orchids originally grew on trees in tropical rainforests. So they like lots of light but not really strong direct sunlight. Also good are a humid atmosphere, poor soil and not being allowed to sit in water. They really hate drafts

Draughts

See through pots!!!