So these two orchid plants were just dropped in front of me today and I'm trying to learn what to do with them lol. I've never had orchids before, but I've always admired and wanted them. I work at a senior living facility where we have this charity that drops off flowers that are past their sell-by-date from area stores. They're usually just bouquets of flowers. They've never given us potted orchids before. Thankfully I'm at the front desk and I was all YOINK MINE when they came in today. But now I have to figure out how to care for them. I'll be taking them home at the end of my shift.

The taller one has healthier leaves and its flowers aren't too bad off. They're a very pretty darker purple/plum color with bits of white on the tips. The smaller one's leaves are getting a little wrinkled-looking but it has a couple of buds and the one bloom is super pretty - a bright fuschia color on the bottom petal and the top three petals are white with thin fuschia veins.

I'm thinking I should probably cut the flower spikes off to make the plants put their energy towards getting healthier overall instead of putting out blooms, but I'm hoping it'll just come back. Magically. They were suuuuper dry when I got them but they're all nicely watered now so hopefully that will perk them up.

Pictures of your orchids? Of your favorite orchid, yours or not? Tips to help me help these babies not die?

Whoa congratulations! That's a pretty cool charity, I didn't know things like that existed. I'm not much of an orchid expert - my mom has a ton but can't get them to flower. I know it's important to make sure the soil is always a happy medium between dry and wet. I've heard of people putting a couple ice cubes on the soil each week to keep it that way, but I'm a bit skeptical.

There's a saying that I've found 'orchid people' like to use as to watering: Weakly, Weekly. It means that you should water your orchid plant a little bit once a week. I've also found that they should be lightly fertilized once a month. Also, to get them to re-flower, you'll want to tell your mom to clip the flower spike down to the first little line on the spike - it should be about an inch from the planting medium. It may take a while to reflower, even years, but it will happen if the rest of the plant is kept healthy. Jeez, can you tell I've been studying up on orchid care? lol

I've had orchids for years up in my room now. The oldest I got back in early 2013 and it's currently trying to grow from one window in my room to the middle one. (It's staging a coup.)

My best advice for you would be to keep them watered but not too much, they like about every two-three days, depending on the weather. (If it's drier, adjust accordingly.) Keep a spray bottle of clean water to keep the leaves dust free. And I cannot emphasize this enough - KEEP THEM WARM. They're tropical/Mediterranean plants. They love warmth and sunlight.

If something goes hinky with a stem or a growth, don't be afraid to trim it. It'll make the orchid itself basically scream bloody murder - like it lets off the foulest chlorophyll smell - but it'll heal fast if the plant's otherwise healthy. My white orchid was originally dyed via food coloring and the point where it was like... infused with became an open wound and I had to cut that stem completely off. Ironically, that's also the same orchid that's trying to grow halfway across my room now.

A well kept orchid should go dormant for about four-ish months then bloom for between three and four then repeat the dormant cycle. Mine tend to bloom in the middle of winter. It should also have plump, heavy leaves and fret not about the tendrils! They're flaky by nature and are a sign that the orchid's growing well.

c:

JESUS H GOD, when I cut it yesterday I was like sniff...sniff sniff WHAT THE F- IS THAT?!? And I checked the cat box, checked the fish tanks, then sniffed the orchid and yelled the f-word, lol. That's not something I've seen listed on any site, so I'm glad you mentioned it.

So you're saying though, that I should ignore the 'weakly, weekly' thing and water every 2-3 days until it's healthier? My house is pretty dry. I was thinking about putting a small humidifier in my bedroom and putting them in there (bonus: it'd help my dry nose too). It has a west-facing window which I've heard is good.

YEAH. The first time it happened, I about gagged. None of the sites I've read up on orchid care lists it. Idk why. There's also nothing on there about trimming off dead leaves or the like. Orchids shrivel when they're done with bits, it starts at the tip of the limb for instance then goes down and slowly turns a pale tan. If you leave it go long enough, you can snap it off without any problem.

For the most part, yes. The "ice cube watering" ones typically take a little less, but it really depends on your house and the season. Especially if it was really dry when you got it, orchids like to have their toes wet almost constantly but don't drench the poor things.

Ok, thanks for the advice. I hope I can get them healthy again.

I hope so. c:

I have 2 little orchids. One of them I bought from the dying plants rack at the store. It has taken off and there's a bunch of flowers on it. I leave them in my kitchen window sill. The tag that came with them said to only water them every 10 days for 2 minutes. And then you're suppose to carefully dry the leaves. I love them. They are so pretty. Good luck with them. I think you will be a good plant mom. :D