Topic: Orchids

[woodypecks]

Today at my local garden centre I bought a phalenopsis orchid reduced to £2.50 . They were reduced because they had got chilled one cold night, look a little sad ,but should be ok with some TLC . Can anyone tell me what are we meant to be doing with orchids at this time of the year please ?

[grannyjanny]

Has it any flowers left on it?

[lottie lou]

I rescued an orchid a couple of years back and it has flowered since.  However the leaves have gone really manky and brownish.  How can I save it?

[lottie lou]

Sorry meant to say when it had finished flowering I cut the stem down to the net bud? and it flowered the following summer.  Just watered sparingly.

[cambourne7]

only tip I was ever given was never feed it water pop your tea bags (black tea) into a bowl and overnight leave to soak in a pint or 2 of hot water depending on how many bags you have and feed the plant the tea in the morning. Orchids like the tannin :)

[grannyjanny]

I just pull the leaves off if they start to look manky, easy to do & new leaves soon appear. Mine are all watered with tomato food or liquid seaweed & do really well. I feel for a knobbly bit & snip just above it.

[Twoflower]

i like the tea idea, but can i do it with all the cups of cold tea that get left in a day.........do you think orchids like milk?
          Twoflower ;D

[woodypecks]

Thankyou for your replies .   Yes it had two flower spikes ,the flowers were very withered  so I cut them at about halfway down the spile . The leaves are looking abit yellow in places ... even the centre ones . I was told that the roots looked alright so it should be alright . The bark stuff it was planted in looks very wet to me....  do they like to have their feet in water ?

[cambourne7]

sorry no milk ;)

[woodypecks]

....thanks ...but  IS  this the time to feed it ?     tea time ?    :D

[grannyjanny]

I think from the sound of it the leaves could be taken off & no they don't like their feet in water. I would let it dry out & then give it a feed.

[woodypecks]

Thankyou all! 
       Grannyjanny ..yes It was quite wet ..I hope I can save it  .

[Jill]

What sort of temperatures do orchids like?  I was given one in flower last Christmas and it has been in the unheated conservatory ever since - hot in summer, cold in winter.  No flowers this year but foliage quite healthy.  I don't really know what to do with it.