Indoor orchid

[AnonMNName]

I've been given this beautiful orchid. Do I need to keep these creepy fingery things or can I snip them off?

No, they are the roots and gain moisture from the alr. When they look dry then the plant needs a little amount of rain water.

Oh ok! Thanks very much!

As above - nope keep them growing - also make sure the pot isn't a terracotta colour one that it's see through - these roots need light

My MIL loves orchids and gave me the low down on how to keep them alive.

Like the other poster said, make sure they are potted in a see through pot but you can then put that pot in a normal bigger pot.

Water them every 2 weeks (I put an alert in my phone calendar) with lots of cooled boiled water or rain water between the 2 pots and leave for 2 hours. Then tip out all the water that's left and leave alone for 2 weeks. I very occasionally add a smidge of orchid fertilizer.

my orchids look great

Second everything PPs have said but just to add make sure they get plenty of sunlight. And don't be afraid to keep them somewhere hot! They like it. I usually mist mine with water whenever I pass rather than actually water it as they do like humidity rather than wet. And make sure you cut them back once they've flowered. They'll love you for it!

Don't worry if you think you've killed it, you probably haven't. It took mine a year to recover from what I thought was certain death but after I cut all the brown looking bits back then it soon decided to revive itself with a little water!

Heaps of fab advice! What a lucky orchid I have!

My orchids don't like direct sunlight. Doesn't that dry/kill them off?

I agree with a see-through pot, infrequent watering but would add that they like spraying with water and a specialist Orchid spray that also contains nutrients for them. And make sure they are planted in bark and not soil.

Ooh I don't know JoJo! Mine only ever seem to like it in the playroom where they get sunlight for as long as there is some! May well be the heat in there (think conservatory style room but not actually a conservatory- very hot when it's sunny!!). But that said they haven't looked as good in any of the other south facing windows which don't quite get so much light so maybe mine are just sun lovers?! They live with my Saracenia and all seem to love it there. They're about the only plants I can keep alive!!

It must depend on the variety then. Mine looked amazing in a room that isn't that bright and away from the window. I then moved a couple to a West-facing window sill in summer and they were dead a couple of days later :S

Soaking is best done in the morning, prevents risks of crown rot: the biggest orchid killer by far.

Besides that, it's a tough plant, as you can see people give theirs different types of care and obtain good success.

They look lovely. Just keep the roots as mentioned in one of the answers. Also, remember to wet the orchid regularly during summer months and really soak them in water from time to time.