Hello Orchid Lovers community! I finally made my way over after almost 6 months on Hive.
I need your help!!
Firstly it would be wonderful to know the name of my orchid. She sits next to my bed and makes my bedroom feel lush and beautiful, but I’m not completely sure if I’m taking care of her properly. I tend to kill house plants if they’re not succulents 🤪.
So here are a couple pics of her leaves that seem to be yellowing slightly, and the big leaf seems to be splitting down the middle. What does this mean???
Am I overwater or under watering or should I change where she’s placed?
I’ve also found that the main flowers have been Beau and quite hardy bit when new baby flowers come along they don’t seem to last and end up dropping off… what am I doing wrong?
Anyway, I’m keen to get another one soon, but don’t want to get it just to kill it.
I’m soooo looking forward to all your input.
From the Newby Orchid chick from Cape Town.
Did you said she makes your room Lush and still you are not taking care of her; hehe I suppose she can brighten your room more if you time to her. The condition you gave explained, I am a zoologist, not a botanist so can't exactly help you. But the feedback in the comment section is really powerful. As far as I think orchids are short-day plants so it's better to implement some fertilizer that supports the growth what do you say?
how nice to see you here! I have been following zo3d- for a while now. She always has fun posts.
I really dont know much about flowers and how best to take care of them but I feel an Autecologist would really bail you out on this.
Outside that I love the snapshots and it really looks beautiful.
Keep up the good shots and I love the fact that you shower much attention to the little flower.
I hope it blossoms more.
I am glad you've enjoyed @zo3d post! I am happy that I had a chance to introduce you to her posts.
Thanks! I’ve decided I need to just leave it alone for a while because I’ve probably been overwatering out of worry. It’s seems to have some growth happening and some more possible buds so I’ll maybe do a follow up in a month or so.
You know that's a pretty alarming title right?
😂 well it worked didn’t it?
Yes it did, that's the dangerous part. Something about a wolf.
Only thing I've been told about orchids is don't move them. Put them somewhere they get light, don't over water and wherever that is they need to remain.
Okie dokie dukie (quote from Gummy Bears) Maybe she needs some more Light then.
Any advice on splitting wood for kindling?
That’s my next project because we just had a cute combustion fireplace installed.
Get a woodpecker and a beaver.
😂 I’m quickly Learning how to make an axe blunt.
Beautiful orchid.
Thank you!
I cannot say that I am an Orchid specialist -- but they need high humidity but not too much water otherwise the roots will soon be rotten .. as long as t he roots show a juicy green they are healthy -- put the whole pot in a pot of soft water and wait until all the roots and the ground are wet .. then put the plant back to its place .. not direct sun but bright and warm and humid .. and spray it with soft water from time to time but not into the blossoms .. when about 2-3 cm ground are dry again .. put the pot into water again .. get a good special fertilizer and repot the plant after a year only in special orchid ground because after a while the fertilizers will ruin the ground --leave some salt behind .. dont cut the blossom stem after the blossoms are gone ..very often the plant grows more blossoms out of the old stem ! Its a pretty hard job for the plant to make blossoms and seeds .. so let her rest after the blossoms are gone and dont force her to grow or to new blossoms .. she deserves a rest ;-)
Woohoo! Thank you! I think I may have been overwatering as the roots are quite wet. It’s winter here and bitterly cold too. Probably not ideal.
no please dont overwater .. she can survive when dry but not when she drowns ;-) and keep her warm and humid .. in a bright environment, maybe a bathroom with a window to west or east .. I bought a special growth lamp for my green invaders here and a steamer - but I am plemplem, I talk to them and listen, what they tell me .. ;-) usually I rescue plants from the organic-garbage where people dump them although they are still alive and most of them survive and take over here ;-) Is this a Strelitzia outside of your window on pic number one ??
Oh you sound like the right person!
This is from the outside. We have a flowering aloe, hibiscus and the big green banana leaf type thing. It might be a male strilitzia because it doesn’t flower. But it needs a serious trim.
hach thats sooo beautiful .. I have only an appartement on 4th floor with 3 windows to the east .. and half of my rooms are already a small jungle ;-) This Strelitzia seems to be a Nicolai or Alba and they build stems after a while .. they need a few years to flower .. let her grow, she will build a stem and then white-blue blossoms while the Strelitzia Reginae builds a bush and makes this wonderful orange blossoms .. but remains a bush with no stem and starts earlier to make blossoms .. you can see the difference when comparing the leaf-form ! The first one is a Nicolai or Alba making a stem and only flowers when older and the second and third pic is a Reginae .. a bush with very different sword-like leaves ..
Yes that’s right!! My folks have the top one and my in-laws have the bottom one! So many around here. This is the only section that was originally in my garden. The rest around the house is all newly planted succulents because we need to be very water-wise here in the western cape. We’ve come out of a 3 year drought thank goodness. Lots of rain this season.
I see that you got a nice answer from weirdrat :)
I will add a few things though.
You have Phalaenopsis orchid. It might have a special registered name, but not necessarily. Those are mass grown and hybridized and most often no name is registered.
Watering - the easiest thing to know if your orchid needs water is to look at the roots. Phalaenopsis roots will turn silvery-grey when they are dry and this is the time to water them. When wet they will turn green. Do not water when they are green. They should dry out between watering. She might need it more often in summer than winter. It also depends on your environment and what she is potted in.
Another indication might be limp leaves (yours look great). It means she doesn't get enough water to keep them healthy. But this can mean two things: either underwatering, or you overwatered it and the roots rotted, so she is not able to drink water anymore.
The broken leaf - don't worry about it :) Sooner or later it will fall off. The light colour might mean too much light. They do not like too much direct sun.
Blasting buds - it can happen if you move the plant from one place to another while she is growing the buds. Also when the temperature changes. Or when she doesn't have enough strength to grow them.
The flower spike: you can keep it (like weirdrat suggested), or cut it. That is totally up to you. She will not suffer if you cut it. She will have time to grow some leaves and then a new one spike year. If you leave it on, she might branch from it and bloom again. But generally the next blooming is not as showy.
When you water, or spray (I actually never do that) make sure there is no water standing in the corners of the leaves. It is a recipe for a rot and orchid death.
She looks very nice and healthy! :)
Oh thank you so much! That’s loads of advice. I’m thinking of leaving her on my bedroom windowsill for now as it doesn’t get direct sun in winter. And I think I over watered a bit so I’ll leave her alone for a while and see what happens. Feel like I’m hooked and need another one in a new room. 😂 Thanks for all the advice it is sooo helpful.
Get another one... and then another... :D
Here is few videos you might want to watch. Dani has huge collection of orchids and has been growing them for many years.
How to care for Phalaenopsis Orchids - Watering, fertilizing, reblooming
Orchid Care for Beginners - How to water Phalaenopsis Orchids
Orchid Care for Beginners - How to repot Phalaenopsis Orchids
Orchid Care for Beginners - Where should I put my Phalaenopsis Orchid in my house?
How to rebloom Phalaenopsis Orchids - Winter & Summer bloomers
Enjoy :)
(I bet you will be even more hooked after seeing her plants haha)
Ooh!! Thanks so much!
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Hi Zoe! You did end up posting!!! I remember you posting about this one previously when you were remodeling a bedroom. She is still beautiful as ever 😍
I see you already have lots of advice rolling in, so I won't bore you with more. @ewkaw is spot on with her info .. NOT that I am an expert, but she definitely knows her stuff. 😊 Too much water, direct light, fluctuations in temp, and potting media quality, all have something to do with it. You may have to take her out of the pot (when she is done blooming), clean up the roots, buy new bark (Orchid Potting Mix), and cut the stem down to about 1 to 1/2 inch. Then once she is left undisturbed for a while, shell bloom nicely again.
Otherwise the plant itself looks quite healthy. I bet too much water is most likely the culprit.
Thanks for deciding to post in the Orchid Lover's Community!
Thank you thank you!! I’m already learning so much. This group is a lifesaver - for my orchid of course.
Orchid always good and beautiful , and I think I love the color of orchid , it is always good when it being planted around our house to make it look beautiful.
You can still revive you orchid by taking good care of it, though I don't know much about it, making research on how to take care of it will make it grow well, though I can see that some way you can care for it has been written by some of the commenters.
Wish you could show us the picture again when it finally becomes good. Just like a #dreemer looking forward for the best result
Thank you so much!