Kitchen Garden Forum

Not really a kitchen garden topic but I've been given a beautiful orchid in a pot and I know nothing about them at all. The care instructions are very limited to keeping it moist and when the plant is not in flower to cut the stem back to 'the eye'.

Can anyone tell me how far down the stem the eye is? Or does it mean to cut back to the base of the plant?

I would so love to keep the plant going if I can and would be grateful for any advice.

Thanks
Beryl.

Dear Beryl, i'm not sure of the answer, but do you know what type it is, this might help someone else to answer this question.

Not sure I can help you much Beryl, but I've been given two orchids in pots over the past two years and haven't killed them yet. Their roots just seem to be stuck in a forest bark type mixture in a pot which appears rather too small for them but after they've flowered I've cut the stem right back. Then when new green leaves start to appear and a new stalk for the next flower, I add a drop of Baby Bio to the water. I do check the water level at the bottom of the pots regularly and try to keep it topped up and occasionally when I'm feeling super efficient I wipe the dust of the leaves with a moist tissue.

ive got one that flowers every april-each year it has more flowers
i cut it back to about an inch below the lowest flower and it seems to be ok
ive had it 4 years

Thank you both for your reply. Seems they are hardier than I thought. It is so beautiful in shades of soft pink. The leaves are a rich dark shiny green.

The name on the lable is Phalaenopsis and yes it is potted in a bark-like mixture.

My daughter sent to me so it is rather special as she lives in Atlanta.

I will do as you say.
Thanks again.
Beryl.

theres an orchid place near us they seem to give out leaflets with the same info on for all those they sell
its a lovely gift to receive

I grow them on an east facing window sill I never take off the flowering stem as often they will branch and flower again I only take them off if they wither I feed mine with orchid food have kept them going nearly 4 years now which is a great succes for me not good with flowering houseplants green I can manage, I but reduced ones as they soon come back and flower again !

Gilly, have you had to repot your orchids during the time you've had them? They do seem to be sold in very small pots but perhaps in the wild they don't necessarily have much access to soil, etc.
The assistants in the garden centre are not always very knowledgeable. In fact I don't think the one I asked even knew what an orchid was !

I have taken them from the plastic pots and put them into glass vases slightly bigger than what they were in 1 needs doing again as the roots are all out of the top now you can buy the orchid potting though a tad expensive as is bonsai soil ! only 1 of mine was in a tiny pot and that one is very new so I will see how it goes though difficult to water as it is so compacted

I have found some very useful information from the website that supplied my orchid.

http://www.optiflor.nl/index2.asp?taalID=4

Roots coming out of the pot means, according to them, that the plant is happy in it's position and they should be left alone and it should never be repotted when in flower.

Mine is in a 5" pot. standing in an earthenware type pot.

Beryl.

mine were in transparent plastic pots inside earthenware ones but I prefer to have them in clear glass vases as it is easy to see when to water and how much(they do not like too much water), they all flower almost constantly and seem happy I think I read somewhere they like their roots to have light, thanks for the website and telling me my orchid is happy