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Produce => Non Edible Plants => Topic started by: woodypecks on January 09, 2011, 16:43:01

Title: Orchids
Post by: woodypecks on January 09, 2011, 16:43:01

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 ?

Title: Re: Orchids
Post by: grannyjanny on January 09, 2011, 21:14:49

Has it any flowers left on it?

Title: Re: Orchids
Post by: lottie lou on January 09, 2011, 22:04:23

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?

Title: Re: Orchids
Post by: lottie lou on January 09, 2011, 22:09:56

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.

Title: Re: Orchids
Post by: cambourne7 on January 10, 2011, 01:44:32

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 :)

Title: Re: Orchids
Post by: grannyjanny on January 10, 2011, 08:29:10

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.

Title: Re: Orchids
Post by: Twoflower on January 10, 2011, 10:33:03

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

Title: Re: Orchids
Post by: woodypecks on January 10, 2011, 15:06:42

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 ?

Title: Re: Orchids
Post by: cambourne7 on January 10, 2011, 19:47:45

sorry no milk ;)

Title: Re: Orchids
Post by: woodypecks on January 14, 2011, 11:02:44

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

Title: Re: Orchids
Post by: grannyjanny on January 14, 2011, 13:55:34

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.

Title: Re: Orchids
Post by: woodypecks on January 15, 2011, 05:19:05

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

Title: Re: Orchids
Post by: Jill on January 17, 2011, 23:23:10

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.