apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I gave my piano teacher an orchid plant once and she kept it in the room where she taught and practised. I don't know whether it was the constant stream of music it got or whether it was perfectly situated in the spot where it sat, but it bloomed for well over seven months at a time -- I'd never seen anything like it!

Orchids like bathrooms because the steamy moist air is like their natural rainforest habitat.

mM bathroom orchid appears to be the 'happiest' of all my orchids - too bad I don't have room in there for the rest of them.

I killed a few orchids in my day with nothing but the best intentions. Most recently though, I revived an orchid that I thought I killed twice (once by neglect and then a second time by accidental pesticide overdose) and it has since thrived with multiple blooms on multiple occasions...

Here's my secret: when the orchid is "dead" put it outside in a warm place with partial shade. Err on the side of under watering, rather than over watering.

Like magic, little buds appear. When they start to bloom, bring it indoors. When the blooms fall off after a few weeks, put it back outside.

I'm no expert. Someone else can explain why this has worked so well.

The first time I "killed" this orchid, it was dormant indoors for about a year, then I forgot to water it for a while and it looked like a twig planted in a pretty pot -- I just didn't have the heart to throw it away. I put it outside... and it re-animated.

Would an orchid survive in a bathroom without a window? Or do they need natural light?

(I'm dumb about these things, forgive me...)

I got an orchid as a gift from a friend who owns a flower shop. She gave it to me in November and it's been blooming non-stop since. It's grown a new leaf and two new twigs. I keep it somewhat dry but when I water it I really soak it and then let it drain all the way before putting the clay pot back in the decorative container. I feel like I've got green thumbs now! It came from http://www.studioartiflora.com/

orchids do best in hot, muggy situations, and they will need natural light to florish- but they're a partial shade kinda gal.

my "nail lady" has a ton of blooming orchids in her shop, that are placed in the wall of west facing windows. she said she barely ever waters them and leaves them in that window. she doesn't rim them until the stack totally dies. they are incredible. so i put mine in my west facing window, and did as per her "instructions" and voila! i have 6 new blooms, and a brand new stalk.

I'm going to take these tips and run with them! I looove orchids but to this day I've had no luck. I'm going to try again.

The easiest way to kill an orchid is to overwater it and leave it in direct sunlight - They don't like direct watering, but prefer get get their moisture from the air.

the best way to water an orchid is to mist it daily with a spray bottle - which is why the humid enviro of the shower is good. but i'd still mist it. i'd also do as the poster above suggested, and, once every few weeks, run it under the tap but let *all* the water drain out. the best way to kill an orchid is to let it sit in water - the roots will just rot - so you never want to water it the way you would a traditional plant. in "the wild," orchids' roots are exposed on the trees they grow on, and they gather moisture that way from the humid air of the rainforest - which is why misting and the occasional well-drained drench is your best bet.

Orchids are really easy to take care of. Most people over-care for them. Put them in pot with holes in the bottom. water them every two weeks by running water straight into the pot, sort of like rinsing of the roots. use a wet paper towel and clean the leaves when you water the plant. DON'T GET WATER IN THE CENTER OF THE PLANT. there's a spot where all the leaves comes together, if water gets in there the plant will get mold and die. they like humid, but they still need sunlight. I kept mine in my kitchen window.

I met this lady once who had a bunch of orchids that bloomed three times a year and when she told me how she took care of them I started getting blooms at least twice a year too.

Cool! Sounds easy enough. I have always been afraid of having orchids, even though I love them.
Now I will have my own orchid soon.
Thanks for all the great tips!

My advice: keep it away from Cashmere, my cat. She played with the stems until all the buds fell off. This AM before I went to work, I was using the guest bath (closer to the door) and I heard her jump up in the master bath. I caught her in the act of trying to get at the African Violets--EVEN WITH THE BARRICADE. She's messing up my fung shui!

orchids are wonderful wonderful plants. the best type for most houses is the phaleonopsis, moth orchid type. these ones can flourish in the humidity generally found in homes (bathroom or not).

I know someone that had orchids that told me the best thing to make them happy is to put the pot into a very large saucer filled with rocks. Keep the rocks watered. They will enjoy the moisture as it comes off of the rocks.

Cashmere is just trying to CORRECT the fung shui. I always keep my spider plants where the cats can reach them. The plain old spider plants are a variation of grass and are safe for cats to eat. Plus they always seem to tap my siamese on the shoulder as he passes by, just asking to be bitten. I have three and rotate them. When one looks pretty well chewed I rotate another one in. Then summer comes, the cat can go out in the cat yard to eat grass and the spider plants get to recover from the winter.

Orchids thrive on neglect.

this worked great for our dying orchid... however after seeing the results, friends of ours tried the same thing. their bathroom stays much cooler than ours in the winter, and they lack a window.... their beautiful flower didn't last very long.