Help my orchid is dying!!!?

Question

My husband bought me an orchid about 4 months ago it has lost all of it's blooms. I want to know how I can keep it alive and if it is still going to bloom or what is the deal with these things. Oh one of the leaves on the bottom turned yellow so I cut it off.

Answer 1

Sometimes it takes forever for an orchid to bloom. It's not hard to grow or tempermental necessarily, but it has certain requirements.

Like: moist but not wet
Needs light but not full sun
Need to be planted in the right medium... usually bark. Orchids grow in trees and don't use dirt. If it's currently planted in dirt, get it out of the dirt and plant it in a mix with bark and charcoal. If it's in dirt, you will get root rot and the plant will die.
Sometimes the blooms last for up to 3 months depending on the type of orchid. I have some that went almost 3 years without blooming and they were in ideal conditions. (I have a greenhouse window) They just need time to establish a heavy duty root system... once that's in place they'll bloom when they're ready. Mist them, water sparingly, feed occasionally and give diffused but not direct light nd give them time. They're worth it...

Answer 2

Well, the flowers always fall off when they are finished blooming. As for the yellow leaf then that usually does mean that something is not right. Almost always that would be too much water. I would suggest that now that your orchid is finished blooming that you repot it in an orchid bark mix and a porous container that will allow for water to drain right through. Orchids hate wet feet and the moss they start out in holds too much moisture. Also it is a good idea to use distilled water or age your tap water for at least 24 hours before watering your orchid. The chemicals in tap water can cause damage over time. Oh, make sure that you only water the bark and do not get the leaves wet when watering. As for light, Most orchids need only filtered light and will burn if placed in direct sunlight.
Hope this helps a little.
Good Luck

Answer 3

I have an orchid we bought a few months ago and it died also. They have a blooming period, which apparently isn't very long. As long as the big leaves are still growing (mine are) the plant is still alive. Do some research on the internet to find out more about how to take care of it. That's what I had to do. One thing I found that I didn't know about is, when the blooms fall off, to cut the stem half way down. Keep watering it and give it the right light (different breeds of orchids require different care, so do your research) and it should blooms again on it next cycle. Hopefully both our orchids continue to do ok!