As the title says, my boyfriend got me my very first orchid for Valentine’s Day this year and I have no idea what I’m doing but I’m concerned I may be killing it. I’m following the instructions that came on the card with it (last picture): only watering it once a week with 1/4 cup of water.
I went to go water it today and noticed that one of the leaves is completely yellow (2nd picture). Some of the petals aren’t looking too hot either. One of them shriveled up and dried out (3rd/4th picture) about a week or two after I got it. The rest on this one stem/flower started drooping this week (picture 4).
The buds, I’m pretty sure are dead too (5th picture).
I have it in my bedroom on my dresser away from the vents. My bedroom window gets absolutely no sun and moving it isn’t an option at the moment. Right now I have the orchid next to my succulents that I have a grow light on. The grow light is on about 8 hours a day.
I really love this orchid and I want it to do well but I need some help/advice from people who know more/are more experienced with these plants.
EDIT: I want to make sure that y’all know I’m not watering her with ice cubes since that seems to be upsetting a lot. When I read that when I got her, even I felt like that was a bad idea and would shock her.
I also want to add that I live in Montana so moving her next to a window right now would probably do more harm than good since we’re still kinda cold here most days.
by ezoller55
5 Comments
Hi. The flowers seem to be on their way out, but the plant is very likely to survive. First, they like bright indirect light. If the light is enough for your succulents it’s probably enough for an orchid. Second, remove the ceramic pot. As a first time orchid parent it will be a lot easier to avoid rot if you’re able to see the roots. You don’t have to follow the rules the tag says, in fact it can be more harmful than anything. You must let the roots dry completely before watering again. And water as much as needed, until water comes out the bottom and it’s completely soaked. You probably will need to repot this orchid soon and check for root rot (the roots will feel mushy, or conversely if too dry, papery thin), you’ll need orchid bark, sphagnum, and a clear orchid pot, once the flowers have all faded, you can cut the spikes off and take care of it until it flowers again (you’ll have to buy fertilizer)
please, no ice cubes
first of all, she still looks quite healthy even though she probably lost a leaf and a few buds from being thirsty
before we do anything you shoud probably change where she is, put her in a spot with bright sunlight but not direct sunlight
the best thing about orchids is that they will tell you when they are thirsty, how would you know that? the roots will start to turn silver or white, and thats when you should soak the roots in water or give them a good spray (however spraying will mean that you need to do it more often) either way once a week is too little
now the soil is the most important part, but that i would recommend you watch a youtube video so you can clearly see the differences between soil types, and i would recommend a channel called ‘missorchidgirl’
now taking care of an orchid is super easy, doesnt take a lot of effort, but she can be a little confusing at first but as you get to know her better and understand her needs your gonna find it so easy
Okay first of all, that paper telling you to water with ice cubes is ragebaiting me. Please don’t listen to it :’)
She’s in a corner, I don’t know if there’s a source of light in the other side? They love light, just don’t like to burn in direct sunlight.
Below this pretty pot you have, is there a clear plastic pot? Because you can actually see from the roots if the orchid wants water. What I usually do and has worked well for me so far, is wait until the roots go from green (hydrated) to silver (not hydrated) and add a few days on top of that until I water with lukewarm water. They’re tropical plants and hate coldness, so ice cubes is a big nono.
I think the yellow leaf is fine, it’s the lowest leaf and sometimes they just let those go. The flower buds might have stressed from moving to your home and stopped growing, thankfully orchids can rebloom!
Once she’s done blooming, you can see to remove some of the dead roots. I personally find the videos of Plantswithkrystal on youtube helpful. I know Missorchidgirl is also one that explains care very well, I definitely recommend you check them out aswell for orchid care!
Hopefully this was a little helpful to you, goodluck!
get another grow light for your orchid! beautiful color, so cute and special to receive as a valentine’s gift!!
Never do the ice cubes!!