# I received a pretty little orchid from my Grand kids this past weekend.



## Ruth n Jersey (Mar 31, 2016)

Has anyone successfully been able to keep one of these alive? Most people say I have a green thumb. I've gardened for years and at times the inside of my home looks like a jungle. I never grew an orchid though. I have already researched the subject on the internet and I know I have to re pot it. It is root bound and is in very little soil. I just thought I would get better advice from someone who has actually grown one. Your thoughts would be much appreciated.


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## fureverywhere (Mar 31, 2016)

http://www.rv-orchidworks.com/orchidtalk/

This seems to be an active group, I'd try to connect with them.
Sadly orchids are one of the few plants I've ever killed. They do require very different care than average. You've got a beauty!


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## vickyNightowl (Mar 31, 2016)

Beautiful!

I'm like Fur,I have tried many times but managed to kill them all.
My neighbor has 20 of them.she has the knack for taking care of them.

So sweet of your grankids.


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## AprilT (Mar 31, 2016)

Very, nice.  I received a beautiful orchids plant this month last year for my birthday.  Back in January I went to an orchid festival, they are lovely.


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## Ameriscot (Mar 31, 2016)

Nice of your grandkid.    I love orchids but I've never tried to grow any.


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## AprilT (Mar 31, 2016)

Ameriscot said:


> Nice of your grandkid.   *I love orchids but I've never tried to grow any*.



Yes, well I ended up replicating the gifted orchid in paper form as my live plant met an untimely death about six months in,but the real one was a beauty while it lasted.


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## SeaBreeze (Mar 31, 2016)

Very sweet gift from your grandkids.   I have never been able to keep anything like that alive, not a green thumb here.


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## Ruth n Jersey (Mar 31, 2016)

AprilT said:


> Yes, well I ended up replicating the gifted orchid in paper form as my live plant met an untimely death about six months in,but the real one was a beauty while it lasted.


That's a great idea April. I will keep that in mind. I think I have met my match trying to keep this plant going,but I will try. This afternoon I will re pot it and hope for the best.


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## Ruth n Jersey (Mar 31, 2016)

fureverywhere said:


> http://www.rv-orchidworks.com/orchidtalk/
> 
> This seems to be an active group, I'd try to connect with them.
> Sadly orchids are one of the few plants I've ever killed. They do require very different care than average. You've got a beauty!


Thanks for the web site. I noticed they are susceptible to pests also. I didn't even think of that part of it. I'll just get the thing going and some bug will come along and eat it.


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## BlunderWoman (Mar 31, 2016)

That's beautiful  I love orchids


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## jujube (Mar 31, 2016)

I have a black thumb.  Don't ever ask me for advice on keeping a plant alive.  Plants have been known to commit suicide in the back of my truck on the way home from the nursery.


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## Debby (Apr 1, 2016)

I have seven of these little orchids and they seem very easy to grow.  They don't like direct sun, so even early March direct sunshine will burn them.   Mine sit on the bathroom counter which is about three feet away from a south window and they're putting out new leaves and holding onto their blossoms nicely.  Also, when the last flower dies off, if you cut the flower spike about half way down, with the encouragement of orchid fertilizer every watering, that spike will send out more buds.  

They also like to have their roots in the light (the roots also photosynthesize nutrients) so using a clear pot works well for them.  I'm going to be repotting mine into clear plastic drink cups that I've melted lots of large holes in the bottom and the sides of.  And don't report into dirt, the roots will just rot. They need a orchid growing medium that's made up of bark and moss because it drains thoroughly.   These plants grow up in the hollows of trees where they have lots of air circulation around the roots.

Also, I've found that when I water (by taking the little plastic pot out of the little ceramic pot that they are sold in) I also run the water over the long arial roots that are probably growing out of the pot.  Good luck with your little plants.

One of mine looks exactly like the OP photo.


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## Ruth n Jersey (Apr 1, 2016)

Debby said:


> I have seven of these little orchids and they seem very easy to grow.  They don't like direct sun, so even early March direct sunshine will burn them.   Mine sit on the bathroom counter which is about three feet away from a south window and they're putting out new leaves and holding onto their blossoms nicely.  Also, when the last flower dies off, if you cut the flower spike about half way down, with the encouragement of orchid fertilizer every watering, that spike will send out more buds.
> 
> They also like to have their roots in the light (the roots also photosynthesize nutrients) so using a clear pot works well for them.  I'm going to be repotting mine into clear plastic drink cups that I've melted lots of large holes in the bottom and the sides of.  And don't report into dirt, the roots will just rot. They need a orchid growing medium that's made up of bark and moss because it drains thoroughly.   These plants grow up in the hollows of trees where they have lots of air circulation around the roots.
> 
> ...


Thank you so much Debby. I am going to follow all your instructions. I was surprised to see that little plastic pot inside the ceramic one. Didn't even know it was there.


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## AprilT (Apr 1, 2016)

The one odd thing about that old orchid is there are these huge leavesII same like the ones in OP's picture, I've done nothing for and yet they are still alive.  Go figure.  Not as green, but, seems the leaves got bigger since I left them alone haven't given a drop of water in well over six months.


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## Debby (Apr 2, 2016)

Hi Ruth, you'd asked about watering and what I do is slip the plant (in it's tight little inner pot) out of the ceramic one and lower the whole plastic pot into a bowl of room temperature water that I've added just the tiniest pinch of orchid fertilizer to.  I also try and tuck the little arial roots into the water as well so that they get a quick soak and then I just hold it above the bowl to let all the water drain out of that inner pot and then tuck it back into the ceramic pot.  

After the blooms that are there when you received it, are done, you can clip off the bare flower stem about 1/2 way down just above one of those little nodes that you can see on it and if you keep giving it a drink of that weak fertilizer solution as needed, you should notice a new spike starting to form at that top old node and before long, you'll have a new little batch of flowers.  I've found that by giving it that regular feed, it seems to produce even more buds than it did when I received it.

What I'll also do once the second batch of flowers are well started, I'll quit using that bloom fertilizer and I'll probably switch to a periodic feed of Miracle Grow or some balanced fertilizer.  That will give the new leaf food to grow and strengthen the plant.  And at some point in a few months, I'll start with the bloom booster again.

Mine are all very root bound as you've probably noticed yours is, and as soon as my flowers are finished and we've finished our move, I'm going to repot into the larger drinking cups (with holes melted into the bottom and sides).   I think that I'll also probably go to a Dollar Store and buy some clear glass drinking glasses to drop my plastic cup pot into (replacement for the little ceramic pots they came in).  That way the light gets through to the roots but the cup will keep them from tipping so easily and protect table tops and such.

I have always loved plants.  When I walked home from school as a child, I always stopped in front of the local florist shop and would stand, nose pressed against the glass, ogling all the lovely plants inside and one year when I was about nine, one of my Christmas wishes was to get a rubber plant and there, beside the tree on Christmas morning was my first rubber plant.  I'm not sure how long it lasted, but it wet my appetite even further to 'get growing'.

Right now, I have a potted mugho pine that I've had for thirty years.  I bought it as a little one gallon plant to go into the garden but it had a nice, elegant curve to the spindly little trunk, so it's moved with me ever since.  At this point it is starting to look quite ancient with its lovely gnarled bark.  The only reason that I haven't put it into a bonsai pot is because the big five gallon pot that its in means I don't have to worry about watering so much and summers are easy for it.

Anyway, I hope you have good luck with your orchid Ruth.  It was a lovely gift for your grandkids to give to you!


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## Debby (Apr 2, 2016)

AprilT said:


> The one odd thing about that old orchid is there are these huge leavesII same like the ones in OP's picture, I've done nothing for and yet they are still alive.  Go figure.  Not as green, but, seems the leaves got bigger since I left them alone haven't given a drop of water in well over six months.




Hmmm, no watering for six months!  Isn't that odd?  I was just going to ask if your house is one of those old, damp places, but then I glanced up at your 'info' and see that you live in Florida so my guess is that the plant finds sufficient moisture in the air to keep it happy without you having to add water!  Sounds like you could be an orchid collector who would have half the work (or less) that the rest of us have to deal with.  So interesting to hear about your experience April.


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## AprilT (Apr 2, 2016)

Debby said:


> Hmmm, no watering for six months!  Isn't that odd?  I was just going to ask if your house is one of those old, damp places, but then I glanced up at your 'info' and see that you live in Florida so my guess is that the plant finds sufficient moisture in the air to keep it happy without you having to add water!  Sounds like you could be an orchid collector who would have half the work (or less) that the rest of us have to deal with.  So interesting to hear about your experience April.



I used the pot ant other items that came with the original flowering orchid to hold the paper one I created, I never threw away the rest of the plant after the flowers died.  After years of failures with most plants I just thought I'd hold onto the leaves till they dropped off and frankly I hadn't really paid much attention till this thread.  I tend not to water my paper plants, their lucky if I dust they,so, I didn't notice the leaves. I imagine the Florida climate may very well beythe culprit.


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## Debby (Apr 2, 2016)

Oh, you fooled me!  Good one April and was it April 1st when you wrote that?  Silly me.


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## AprilT (Apr 2, 2016)

Debby said:


> Oh, you fooled me!  Good one April and was it April 1st when you wrote that?  Silly me.




No, no, I wasn't fooling around, the lower leaves that were part of the original living plant is still on or in the pot.  I posted pics of the paper plant last year, I can't pull those pics up , but, I'll try at some point to take a pic and post with this annoying tablet.  My computer where all my goodies are stored is broken and I have to once again replace upload all pic annoying process I haven't gotten around to.

But, anyway, the leaves are a living breathing species in spite of my not having watered it..  As I said I agree it must have something to do with the Florida humidity and the fact most orchids aren't that fond of having water on their roots to begin with.


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## fureverywhere (Apr 2, 2016)

*Light* - Give orchids bright light, but no direct sun.
*Water* - Water them thoroughly once or twice a week -- more when it's warmer, less when it's cooler. Make sure the water drains completely out of the holes at the bottom of the pot. Never leave the plant sitting in water!
*Fertilizer* - Fertilize them when they are growing.
*Air movement* - Provide gentle air circulation for the plant.
*Humidity* - Provide some humidity for the plant; most do not like very dry environments
*Proper temperatures* - Keep the daytime temperature between 65°- 75°F /18°- 24°C with a nighttime temperature drop of a few degrees.


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## fureverywhere (Apr 2, 2016)

I cut that from an orchid site. I can see what I did wrong. My plant window has strong sunlight and orchids don't like it direct. I'm also kind of hit or miss with watering. I've got a bunch of big pots and I soak them down maybe once a week. But that means they retain water easier and might even have extra in their drip saucers.

That's great for the average plant and they thrive in that window. The orchid I had just wilted and passed on within a month. Read as much as you can about them and maybe you'll become one of those collectors. Best of luck to ya!


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## debbie in seattle (Apr 3, 2016)

Don't forget the fertilizer!


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