Help with my orchid plant, : (?

Question

My boyfriend bought me a beautiful orchid plant in a pretty big pot. I live in an apartment and I put it on my balcony where the sun hits like maybe half of the day and I watered it 1-2 times a week as directed but it ended up dying. How do you care for an orchid plant??? And now that it is dead, do I need to replant another or what??? Please help??

Answer 1

yeah quit watering it so much
JK

Answer 2

Don't feel bad, I lost my first orchid too. I think most of us do because they are not as easy as some people make them out to be.
Orchids originally come from the rain forests where they live on the trunks of trees under the canopy which means that they get dappled light at most. Orchids don't survive full sun and only need indirect light to do well. Some orchids can handle more light (not Sun) then others so you might research the orchid you come to own in the future. Another thing is that Orchids like to be root bound so a large pot may not be what the orchid wants. Also, the planting medium you use is important. Most come from the garden centers with moss around them. Moss holds the water and orchids hate wet feet so it is a good idea to replant you orchid in an orchid bark medium and in a tight pot meant for orchids or a breathable pot like Terra cotta that drains well. An orchid kept indoors really only needs watering once a week. I find it easiest to set it in the sink and run water into the pot and let it drain completely before putting it back into it's decorative container. Hope this helps a little. Don't give up because once you get the hang of it, orchids are great to have around.
Good luck.

Here is a web site that may be helpful:
http://www.beautifulorchids.com/orchids/orchid_care_tips/orchid_introduction/orchid_care_tips.html

Answer 3

When in doubt, find out how Mother nature does it, right?
First of all, look up where orchids grow. They are usually rooted in old dead wood or mulch of some variety. The roots are never just in dirt. Second, they are someplace very humid, like in a rain forest or a busy bathroom with lots of showering roommates. (get where I'm going here?)
Thirdly, they like a lot of light, but they hate DIRECT burning sunlight.
So here's whatcha do- Get an orchid pot. It has holes in it so air can get to the roots, just like in the wild.
Or you can go wandering around in the woods and find an old log with a good hole in it for planting.
They are planted in peat moss and bark. (also known as "orchid mix" available in most nurseries)
The tricky part is finding that damn bright indirect sunlight. For example- my bathroom. It's all white, so the light reflects everywhere. The showering would keep it damp and happy. I put faux stained glass on the lower part of the window so the neighbors won't see my business, but the upper part of the window lets light in. An orchid would live happily shaded by the faux stained glass but still getting all the bright light bouncing around off all the white.
Bottom line? Just study where they grow naturally, and either you have a room in your house where you can recreate this or you don't. Most likely, you don't.
Come to think of it, why the hell don't I have an orchid in my bathroom?!

Answer 4

orchids are weird and a little touchy. you need to find out what type of orchid it is when you have one and see what they're light needs are. some like a lot, some just a little, almost all like a lot of moisture but not necessarily a lot of watering, just high humidity, such as misting the leaves. They all LOVE to be fed every single time they are watered with a very diluted solution of plant food - about 1 /10th of what you would normally feed them. Also sometimes the orchids are not potted in good medium for them, they don't like regular dirt. You also didn't say where you live and how cold or hot it is, that may affect it as well.

Answer 5

I learned this one the hard way too. Orchids will fry in direct sunlight. They like lots of indirect light, a bright room or covered porch will do just fine. I have posted a good site on orchid care. Hope you'll try again because their beauty is worth the effort. Good luck!