Orchid help!

[WhatapityWapiti]

I got this lovely orchid for my birthday a week ago. I have followed the instructions to the letter, which said to water by placing 2 ice cubes on the bark once a week. It seemed very little to me but I had heard that over watering is very bad for them.

It’s doing really badly. Is it already beyond saving do you think?

It looks very healthy. I would say the flowers have hu gone over. Mine have been flowering for two months now. Three years old

With orchids, it's best to water them with rain water or distilled water. You can often lift them up and see their roots through a (usually) transparent pot or already have a good view of their air roots that are poking up. Only water them when the roots look grey as that's when they're drying up and the plant needs watering. When I water mine - about once a week or up to two weeks depending how the roots look - I fully immerse them into rain water and leave them there from 30 minutes up to a couple hours. Also, when watering, never allow water to collect in the concave part of the leaf or sheaf - it's bad for the plant. After they have flowered each year, prune it to the second node of the spike and you'll be all set.

Do the instructions really state to water with ice cubes??? This must be the biggest wives tale! They grow in tropical regions, so prefer water at room temp. They don't grow in the Arctic! Follow the advice from Midl above about their care.

Thank you, that’s amazing advice! I’m glad it is healthier than it seems to me.

Yes, the instructions really do say water with ice cubes but I think that is to give a clear idea of volume of water rather than anything to do with the temperature. It’s from M&S.

I’d better find a good way to collect rain water instead though..

@WhatapityWapiti My way of watering orchids is - do not immerse them in water , take them out in their pot ( by which I mean the little plastic pot most come in ( assuming water can drain through ) and hold them under a running tap for a while and then put them back in the more decorative pot without still water around their roots. If flowers have gone over pinch them off . If you can be bothered once all the flowers have gone over put the orchid somewhere with light but not hot & they will reflower. But my main advice is run the pot under running water and don't let it sit in water.

Good luck

I just want to add that watering with ice cubes sounds odd, like a bad marketing fad. Orchids are from South East Asia where they're usually watered by torrential tropical rains.

I've just noticed your second photo. Orchids need sunlight so move it to a window ledge where it receives indirect sunlight. It won't thrive on your kitchen table. I would also pick off all of those fallen flowers and throw them away. They would only get in the way of your melted ice cubes, soaking up any water intended for the roots.

As mentioned, I would stop using ice cubes and start collecting rain water (just leave a deep dish in your garden, like once of those takeaway containers) and after a few rainy days you can start watering your orchid.

It's likely that so many of your flowers have fallen off because it needs water. When you read that orchids can't be over watered it just means they're not to be watered daily. However, when they do need water, they need a lot in one go, a real good soaking, hence fully immersing them in rain water. By fully immersing, I mean all the roots and not the leaves, spike and flowers.

I only put it on the kitchen table for the photo, it’s been on a windowsill since I got it.
Thanks again.

I use a clear water bottle, fill with water and leave in the sitting room. That way it's at room temperature and the purification chemicals in the water become inert. That combined with using Illes where possible seem to suit my plants much better. My orchid doesn't like to cook on the windowsill either. I do use orchid feed

Olla not Iles. It's a good system for my house plants

"Relaxdays Clay Tip Irrigation, Set of 4, Water Dispenser for Indoor Plants and Balcony Boxes, Automatic, Watering Cone, Blue, 12 x 6 x 6 cm : Amazon.co.uk: Garden" https://www.amazon.co.uk/Relaxdays-Tonspitzen-Bew%C3%A4sserung-Dispenser-Automatic/dp/B092CXX8N9/ref=mp_s_a_1_16?crid=21O2WSZ439R9T&keywords=olla+irrigation+pot&qid=1693900582&sprefix=olla%2Caps%2C341&sr=8-16

You can usually tell whether watered ok but the turgidity or not of the leaves. Leaves look good to me! But remove dead flowers.
I agree with others , to water weekly at most take out and water and let it run through. I sometimes sit mine in water for about 30 mins and then drain.
also I don’t think they like direct sunlight so sunny windowsill plus glass surround is probably too much for them

When I water my orchids I put them in a bowl of water until they sink and then let them drain. I used to look after my dad's greenhouse full of orchids when my parents went on holiday - they only needed tending once a week.

Your orchid looks fine.

I put mine (about 15) in the shower every few weeks, give them a good soak at a tepid temperature, let the water all drain through then put the plastic pots back in the display pots.
They live in my ensuite unless they are in flower - when they get moved in to living areas.
This one is currently growing a new flower stem.

Has it been next to an open window? Mine hate drafts. I just splash a little water once or twice a week.

Mine is on a north east facing windowsill so it gets a bit of light in the morning and nothing much the rest of the day,

I water once a week - or fortnight if I forget by taking it out of its holder and putting under tap and letting water drain before putting back in outer holder.

Leave it in the clear plastic vase while it's under the tap, feed with orchid food but not while its flowering - there are instructions on orchid food.

Take off the faded flowers. When it's stopped flowering completely chop the stems down just above the last nobbly bit - so that'll leave about an inch of stem.

Mine have lasted years.

Thank you so much everyone for all the great tips.

The way I water orchids is to stand it in its clear pot on the draining board and drench the entire thing by pouring on a jug full of tepid water. I then wait until it all drains out of the holes at the bottom. I do that every time the roots start to look a bit greyish instead of bright green.

I've heard of the ice cube thing. Nope.

Just thought I’d update with this lovely pic of my orchid thriving three months later!

I did not water it with ice cubes as suggested by M&S. I’ve just been standing the pot in a bit of water every couple of weeks/when I remember, not letting it get waterlogged and leaving it by the window.

Thanks for all the advice!

Hooray - MN to the rescue!