Nurturing an indoor orchid so it thrives?

[loveyouradvice]

Just that really....I have a longing for beautiful orchids dotted around the house - in the bathrooms, on the landing ... just there....subtle and elegant

After years of killing beautiful orchids which I was sporadically given as presents, I've been following these top tips from two friends:

1. Only water once a week and give them very little
2. Keep them mildly stressed by being in a pot that feels a bit too small and full of roots
3. Use rainwater
4. Every four or five weeks simulate a tropical rainstorm - drench them... ideally warm rainwater but just masses and then drain

So this worked very well with two I was given - they lasted for 7 months, and then I went on holiday and they sadly died....

And seems to be working well with a pair we acquired in July ... still going strong nearly four months later, though bottom petals have fallen off.

So my questions

1. How long does an orchid usually continue flowering for if well looked after?
2. What happens then ... do I put it somewhere to hibernate until it flowers again or what?
3. After my "tropical rainstorms", the water clearly washed away some of the nutrition in the minimal soil - is there anything else I should feed them?
4. And your top tips and thoughts - what's worked for you? Or not?

Following with interest. Fellow orchid killer here 🙈

I will try your rainwater tip. The 'once a week' tip hasn't worked on its own over the years

They ARE beautiful, aren't they? My second favourite flower after tulips.

I've accidentally had two that have thrived! When we moved to our current house 5 years ago we were given about 4-5 orchids and two have done really well.
One is in the kitchen windowsill and one in the bathroom windowsill. Both face east (if that makes any difference!) and they are obviously more humid than other rooms esp the bathroom whose orchid is the bigger of the two and has been repotted and carried on growing. I water when I remember about once a month and only then about 100ml tepid water. They're in clear containers so the light gets to the roots.

I've had one for only about three weeks- and knowing how delicate they are I'm sure I'll kill it quickly. I noticed it needs next to no watering- haven't given it any for about 10 days and the soil is still damp.

I had a beautiful orchid that lasted over a year. Then I foolishly poured some water laced with plant feed in it and it died within a week. I felt terrible.
Apart from this unfortunate incident I've been quite lucky with orchids. Water them once weekly at most and keep them in a light room but not in direct sunlight. Oh, and I water them by standing them in a basin of water for an hour rather than pouring it on.

Orchids come from all over the world
all soil zones
all temperature zones
you cannot treat a paph the same way you treat a cymbid

once you get the right place for the right plant they are tough as old boots
but you HAVE to accept that they are living beings who want to be comfortable

make them happy and they will thrive

In my experience, being a rather neglectful orchid owner works wonders!

I would also not be quick to write an orchid off. One of mine appeared to be completely gone (husband had trimmed it back and it just died) but after six months a new one started growing.

I like to think its because they want to remind him that he upset/pissed me off to warrant buying me an orchid as an apology (it was a phase he went through- we've got too many orchids now so he buys me chocolate instead).

Every Saturday we soak the orchids for 30 mins, then take them out of the water. So the roots gets soaked but don’t sit in water soggy for a long time.

We have 5 orchids. All 2-10 years old. They are pretty much always in bloom.

Apart for the weekly soak they are largely ignored

caspian
what species
as that will be fab for some and crap for others

Orchids are the one plant I don't kill! I think they quite enjoy neglect. I forget to water for ages quite regulary and have accidentally cut through a new growing branch whilst trying to attach to a stick etc. I also am a bit brutal in cutting back sometimes.

A tip I heard and used once was to leave one that hasn't flowered for a while on the doorstep overnight for a cold shock. I'm quite stingy with the heating and maybe that helps too.

I have one currently that is about 5 and you have reminded me that it's probably well over a week that i've been walking past it going oh I must water that it looks dried out

Make sure you keep them in a clear pot - their roots need dappled sunlight.

I've never bothered with rainwater and mine tend to thrive. I use orchid food when I remember, which isn't very often!

@ListeningQuietly sorry I have no idea what species. Just from random supermarkets or garden centres over the years.

Its worth finding out
as it makes a mahoosive difference
when it comes to keeping them happy
www.orchid.org.uk/orchids_for_beginners.htm

@Caspianberg do you treat them the same winter and summer?

@Mumisnotmyonlyname - yep. Literally same thing all year.
@ListeningQuietly - I guess I should look them up, but they have been flowering for years so far on current approach so it doesn’t really need changing does it?

When we first had them the early ones started dying, then our elderly lady told us the weekly soak then drain tip and they have been fine since. House is usually around 20 degrees all year, but hotter in summer if heatwave.

I do similar to @Caspianberg. I water mine every 2 weeks with cooled boiled water from the kettle - put a fair bit of this water in the bottom of the outside pot (they’re all in clear pots inside bigger pots), leave it for 2 hours (I set a timer on my phone), tip the remaining water out then ignore them for the next 2 weeks. They go through phases of flowering - 4 out the 5 are bald just now but over the summer they all had flowers for months on end

The DC and I used to watch Location, Location years ago, and noticed there was always either a “statement” vase of lilies or a potted orchid stuck somewhere prominent, like on the kitchen island.
So, when my 30 year old kitchen finally got replaced, and I acquired an island, the DC jokingly insisted we needed a “poser’s orchid” as the finishing touch.
I got given two orchids, five years ago, and they take turns to flower, so one is on posing duty while the other rests in a corner until it flowers again!
Both seem to thrive on total neglect - they are utterly root bound with roots sticking out all over, and get a miserly watering about once a fortnight at most. Great value and v low maintenance.

Yup for me it's the "poser's" thing too ... it tickles me pink that it instantly makes my bathroom look like a hotel bathroom!!!!!!!

Great advice on here.

And when they stop flowering, do you just bung them in a dark cupboard (warm) or a garden shed (cold)???

I realise I've rather profligately chucked them when they have stopped flowering in the past ... which is because I thought I'd killed them and had no confidence in looking after them!

And how soon do they tend to flower again?

Ooh, don’t bung them in the dark, OP, they would probably die! I put the non flowering orchid in a sunny corner of the sitting room, tucked away behind some cacti and geraniums, until it produces its next lot of flower buds.
Both my orchids flower at least twice a year, and the flowers stay on the stem for ages, so they’re really good value.

Thanks Babdoc I can do that... and guessing you water very little at that stage - every four weeks or so??

Yup, mine gets a miserly dribble every three weeks, as my sitting room faces south and the whole south wall is glass, so it gets quite hot and dry.

I am not really an orchid lover but I buy them from IKEA all the time as they are super cheap. I still have the one I got during uni days. I thought they were meant to last decades and flower all year round?

My routine

1. water the hell out of them by soaking them till the roots plump up. Green and shiny. No wrinkles.
2. pot them in massive pots so they can expand their roots. I don’t use speciality orchid pots, just any pretty pot with plenty of drainage. Flat and round ones work well
3. when repotting I cut off anything that’s yellow and shrivelled up.
4. orchid feed almost all year round, basically whenever I remember. Generous squeeze on the roots. Don’t know if I am overdoing this.

I use tap water. I don’t really give them much thought about location or anything else. Just water and food as they need it, once a year repotting.
I have no idea if this is scientifically correct. This is what works for me. Hope this helps.

The orchid I had lived for 8 years and survived a move. I always kept it in a humid spot in the kitchen with lots of light. I watered it very rarely and when I did I was careful not to over water and sensire drain off any excess as water collecting will rot the roots. I found the less interference the better. It was in a small pot packed with roots and thrived reflowering every year and had absolutely loads of flowers. I've found with orchids be mindful of their location and less really is more.