My name is Hannah. I love my life. I have a wonderful family, loving friends and a sweet husband! I retired from one of the best jobs ever (taking care of St. Louis mounted police horses) to stay home with my beautiful daughter Parker…I feel very blessed.
My love for orchids began when my husband asked me to marry him with a beautiful white Phalaenopsis orchid!!
Several years ago I received some orchids and had no idea what to with them. You see, I was very intimidated by orchids because I had heard they were so hard to care for. I started doing a bunch of online research and I found a lot of confusing and contradicting information. The whole process seemed so daunting!
What I have now found is, orchids are actually quite easy…..IF you know what to do. I have found what works for me and I truly hope it works for you!
I started this site for beginners, like me, who want to find easy and accessible answers on how to care for orchids. I have compiled many of the good ideas from the web and local growers that have helped me care for my orchids and I hope you find this information helpful. Feel free to leave a comment, ask questions, send me pics of your orchid (myfirstorchid@gmail.com) or suggest a topic! Also please read this link before you ask your question :)
I am also constantly updating each post that I have already completed, as I learn more information, so check back!
Help please, I have a phil that bloomed a second time, got knocked over by the bird, and now it is loosing all its leaves, I have in a humidity tray, mist it every morning b4 work, filtered sunlight water 1once a week 3 cubes and down to 2 leaves one green on almost yellow, dont know what to do with it. thanks greatly
Hi,
First: Make sure it’s potted in a singular pot (not two pots) with a drainage hole and only water when it’s VERY dry.
No Drainage
https://myfirstorchid.wordpress.com/2015/09/06/orchid-disaster/
How to water
https://myfirstorchid.wordpress.com/2011/10/18/hello-world/
Let me know if it’s potted in a singular pot
Hannah
This is a phal that was given to me about two weeks back. Looks to me that she’s thirsty and that some of these roots are ready to be removed. so do I remove bad roots then water or vise versa and are there any other suggestions. It had drainage in the clear plastic but not the outer container which I would rather not use if there is no drainage then airflow is also stifled. I’m unsure of how to post pics with this comment box so please send me an email link. Pardon any inconvenience and Thank you so much.
– Brandon
I’m
Sure – send me this description and then an email to myfirstorchid@gmail.com and I will take a look.
Hannah
Hi my orchid is 8 months old and has lost all flowers and no buds. Has it gone to orchid heaven?
Hi,
Flowers falling off can be natural as shown here… https://myfirstorchid.wordpress.com/2012/03/23/orchid-bloom-dying-naturally/
Orchids typically bloom once a year so you may have to wait.
The only time an orchid is actually dead is if it has no leaves or no roots.
Hannah
Hi, got a pot of Phal orchids and took it out to repot and saw a lot of the roots thick and whitish-yellow with a pinkish coloring along different parts of the root. Not all the roots look like this but some started from a healthy green thick root then the root tapers to a whitish pink root. Have you encountered this?
That’s interesting – no I have never experienced pink roots but as long as they are not black and mushy you should be ok.
Hannah
Hi Hannah,
3 years later my 3 Orchids have sprung to life. One has started to Grow leaves. Another has started to grow Roots. My question is what do I do with the third one which appears to be sprouting Roots from the TOP of the Bloom Spike !!!
Please see Photos:
Congrats on your two that are doing well!!
I can’t see your photos – can you send them myfirstorchid@gmail.com?
Is it a keiki?
https://myfirstorchid.wordpress.com/2013/03/30/basal-keikibaby-orchid/
Hannah
Hi Hannah,
I can’t tell you how happy I am to find your website—everything I need is right here.
I just came back to Michigan from Miami, FL. with a tiny orchid from my dear friend. I went to visit her because she is fighting hard to beat cancer, and it was just so hard to leave her not knowing what the future holds. So–as you can imagine, this little orchid (Little O) means the world to me. I am SO worried that I am not going to keep her alive–I have never, ever had a green thumb.
Wish me luck, and thank-you so much for creating such a wonderful site.
Amy Sayers
Sturgis, MI.
Thanks Amy!! Best of luck with your orchid and I am so sorry about your friend.
Hannah
Hannah,
Me again–my dear friend passed–so, as you can imagine, I’m am more determined than ever to keep Little O alive.
I have a question, my orchid is very small–in the smallest clay pot there with no drainage hole. There is only one root reaching out of the pot, and the moss and roots just seem so hard and packed inside the small pot. I’m brave enough to do this. I don’t think it needs a bigger pot necessarily, but am just wondering if it might do better with some fresh moss. I have no idea what kind of orchid this is as my friend repotted it from hers.
My main question is about lighting. I live in Michigan and it is starting to get cold, our window sills let in a lot of coldness-so I am worried about it getting too cold to keep my little orchid up on the sill. I’m wondering if I should invest in a small light for it? I can sit it down on the kitchen counter of a north facing window, but it’s not going to get a lot of light if it’s on the counter-I just don’t have great window options for plants.
So–your thoughts on using a lamp light for the winter months?
Again, thank-you SO much for this wonderful site. :~D
I am so sorry for your loss! That’s heartbreaking.
As far as your little orchid – as long as your home is heated then the orchid will be fine. My orchids are in a three seasons room with lots of windows and it is cold outside.
The no drainage hole situation will kill that orchid. You said it has no drainage hole? You need to move it a similar size pot with drainage. You don’t need to worry about adding moss at this time.
https://myfirstorchid.wordpress.com/2012/02/11/orchid-disaster/
The little root is probably an aerial root and is fine –
https://myfirstorchid.wordpress.com/2011/11/05/aerial-roots/
You can always send me a picture of it at myfirstorchid@gmail.com
Hannah
Hi Hannah
Found your blog by googling which I have found very interesting and informative, but could use some advice.
I moved house just before Xmas last year to a bungalow where the two main rooms being the dining and lounge are south facing. At the moment all my phalaenopsis are on a large window sill in the lounge due to work in the dining room. All have been in flower for months with many new buds and stems still growing. I have now got 1 or 2 without flower. When I water, I try using a bamboo stick (scewer) to test to see how wet the soil is , but I’m not sure if I have overwater at some stage and have some root rot, so do I repot whilst they are in flower? Some also have yellow leaves which I now know can be caused through too much light / heat. At the moment I can’t really put them anywhere else and as I said they (! have about 10 orchids) have bloomed beautifully some with between 12-14 flowers plus more buds, but how do I protect them.
Advise on any of the above would be appreciated as I do spend quite a long time during the course of the week, tending to my orchids. My husband thinks I am mad because I say hello and good morning to them everyday and talk them through every step of things I am doing with them.
Thanks Lesley
Hi Lesley,
No I wouldn’t repot them while they are in bloom because it can shock an orchid and the blooms can prematurely fall off.
Some bottoms leaves turning yellow can be normal as shown here…
https://myfirstorchid.wordpress.com/2012/04/14/orchid-leaves-turning-yellow/
Is this what is happening to you?
Make sure they are all potted in pots with drainage holes and only water when it’s VERY dry.
No Drainage
https://myfirstorchid.wordpress.com/2012/02/11/orchid-disaster/
How to water
https://myfirstorchid.wordpress.com/2011/10/18/hello-world/
The light situation. As long as they are not in direct hot sun they should be fine. You can always send me pictures at myfirstorchid@gmail.com.
Also just a side note: orchids are fabulous and fun obviously but the best thing you can do besides watch their beauty is to kind of ignore them. Water them only when dry (don’t even most my orchids) and make sure they have lots of drainage.
Hope that helps,
Hannah
Hi Hannah, This is a wonderful site and I am glad I found it by googling my problem. Unfortunately, it’s not an easy problem to solve and you may have had the experience to help me out. One of my phalaenopsis plants has given me the most gorgeous blooms – up to 27 on 3 spikes – I’ve had it for about 5 years,so I know that I’m doing all the right things. However, I have another 2-3 year old”baby” that does not even produce a spike. The 4 leaves are healthy and so are the root system, the light conditions, and humidity (my pasta pot produces lots of it). Why doesn’t it bloom, let alone produce a spike?
Thanks for your input. Keep going strong, Hannah!
Hi,
I have experienced the same thing and it’s so frustrating!! There is a blooming product from http://www.repotme.com that has helped me. It’s a probiotic. Here is the link…
http://www.repotme.com/orchid-fertilizer/Quantum-Orchid.html?no_redirect=true
Hope that helps,
Hannah
Thanks, Hannah. I’ll check it out.
Hi Hannah!
I first want to thank you for creating this site!
I recently purchased a Phalaenopsis orchid from Trader Joe’s, and now the blooms have fallen off and the branch has turned brown. I watered it once weekly (as the label stated) and the pot has a drainage hole. I wondering what I should do next? I now know you are to water them once every 3-4 weeks.
Thank you
Hi,
I have a short blog on this.
https://myfirstorchid.wordpress.com/2015/07/01/are-you-new-to-orchids/
Basically you cut the bloom stems off next and repot it if you want or wait till next year after the blooms have fallen.
Hannah
Hi, Hannah. I found your blog earlier this year when I was researching tips on how to take care of a beautiful Orichid I found on sale for $1.50 (yep!). It’s blooms were already starting to wilt, and fell off within 4 days of my having it. At first, I kept my plant inside, but I noticed it wasn’t doing anything… it’s leaves seemed darker than when I bought it.. so I put it outside, on my porch that gets no direct light. The leaves seemed healthier….
I got the courage to repot my orchid, following your instructions, removed the spike, and had to remove several dead roots; but, overall, it was pretty healthy. The pot is too big, so I used the packing peanut trick, but it still seems a little wobbly, but it’s ok – next year I’ll use a different medium…… I broke two roots just trying to see if it would fit into its original pot ((I didn’t force it… just set it in and the roots fell off T-T ).
Within three days of repotting it, I noticed a new leaf forming!! It seemed so much more happy, there are new roots growing (one trying to grow out the side of the pot, silly thing) and I water it usually around every 3-4 days, or when the roots look dry.
My question is this.., the new leaf seems to have stopped growing… but it’s not even half the size of the old leaves…. Is this due to the roots falling off? Or do the leaves grow in spurts? I’m very concerned because this is my first orchid and I seemed to have been doing well so far… I looked through your posts, and I don’t see any on new leaf growth… Maybe I missed it x.x
Thanks in advance!
Hi,
Your orchid sounds like it is doing well! I am glad the site helped. Sometimes new leaves take a long time to grow. As long as it’s green and healthy looking then I wouldn’t worry.
Hannah
I love your blog! I got my first orchid from my husband as his wedding gift to me❤️ It has been a year and it did survive 🙏🏻 Now I found your blog to see what to do next!
Thank you
Best regards
Kristijana
That’s wonderful!
Hannah
Hi Hannah.
I have had grown cymbidiums with success, but I was blessed with a phal in March. Since I have had it, I watered it three times, which looks like it may have been too much. My watering consists of running the water through it and letting it sit in the sink to drain. It came in a decorative pot and the bulb system is in plastic with one drainage hole. When I watered last, approximately a week ago, a lower leaf, which was yellow fell off. Now I noticed the three remaining leaves are yellowing close to the base. The plant still has flowers, but some have fallen. I don’t want the plant to die. Should I take it out of the decorative pot so it can breath and dry out? What else can I do to stop the yellowing?
Thans so much
Hi Patti,
Yes I would remove it from the decorative pot and not put it back in there… I have a post on this.
https://myfirstorchid.wordpress.com/2012/02/11/orchid-disaster/
Let it completely dry out before you water it again and then water it this way…
https://myfirstorchid.wordpress.com/2011/10/18/hello-world/
Hannah
Hi I need some help I have no leaves on my orchid they fell off when I repotted it into a bigger pot , now I’m left with old steams the roots look ok and are growing slowly. I have had it over a year now and I’m missing the flowers :-(
Hi,
I am so sorry this happened to you! Most likely it was overwatered before you got it and suffered root rot in the stem. Unfortunately if there are NO leaves then it can’t survive as shown here…
No leaves
https://myfirstorchid.wordpress.com/2012/04/15/orchid-leaves-all-gone/
Sorry again,
Hannah
Hello Hannah – I’m so happy to have found your blog about your orchid-growing experiences. I love house plants but didn’t have much luck with orchids. When I started my house plant tumblr blog, I was determined to properly care for my most recent orchid gift (they’re always given as gifts!). Thanks to your blog, I’ve determined that my own orchid has a flower spike emerging!
Question: what’s your opinion on using sphagnum moss as part of the potting medium for an orchid? I just repotted mine with some sphagnum moss (top and bottom of the plastic pot) but I’m having second thoughts about whether there will be too much water retention…
Hi,
I have a whole blog entry on moss – I love it –
https://myfirstorchid.wordpress.com/2012/03/03/sphagnum-moss/
Hope that helps,
Hannah
Hi there! I have been using your blog to increase my knowledge of orchid growing. I have 2 plants currently, both at my office. One is very small, and other is a normal size. i have them in the only windows available, which are west facing. I do have the blinds closed, to a soft light. They were doing great for a while, but now their leaves seem to have a somewhat shriveled look, especially the bottom ones. And they all feel pretty thin, instead of a little bit plump. I cleaned their roots, and they had some minimal root rot, but not a ton. I have them planted in a bark mixture, and they sit in a humidity tray. Their leaves are not super dark, like your picture of them not getting enough sun, and they are not a light bright green, like your picture of them getting to much sun, they seem right in the middle. They do sit in a window that can get pretty chilly, down to about 65, but they don’t get below that. i’m not really able to give them more heat, since it’s my office and we aren’t allowed space heaters. Can you help me figure out why they seem a bit shriveled?
Here are the photos for my orchids…
https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B4mquzvCWbj1LUxrZ2tPcGVJMDQ&usp=sharing
Thank you!
Good afternoon,
I saw the pics – does the pot you have them in have drainage holes? Is it one of those that the water gathers at the bottom?
Hannah
Hi Hannah!
They both have holes in the sides, but they do gather a little bit of water at the bottom, maybe 1/8″. I dry to drain the remaining water after every watering, though. I do that mostly so they don’t drip everywhere.
Thanks!
You really have to be careful of any water gathering at the bottom of your orchid because it can cause rot. As shown here…
https://myfirstorchid.wordpress.com/2012/02/11/orchid-disaster/
Hope that helps,
Hannah
Hannah, Your site is lovely. Well written, concise instructions, great photos and best of all no ads! I’ve been growing orchids for about 2 years; am still experimenting; have had beautiful blooms. I’ll be checking in for sure! Thank you.
Thanks Kristina!
I was striving to make it just those things and I hate ads – I paid to have them removed:)
Best of luck with your orchids,
Hannah
Kristina, I could not have put it better myself! I have been growing orchids for about 2 years too. I am now wishing I had not bought so many books, most of which have fallen short of my needs. Hannah, you have nailed it perfectly and my search is over so now I shall quietly read everything on here from start to finish. I love my orchids and hate it when they die but now I realise they arrived with “baggage” and feel relieved! Keep it up, great to have found you
Pam,
Thank you!!! What a sweet compliment. Let me know if you have questions and you can always email me at myfirstorchid@gmail.com with pictures of your orchids etc.
Best of luck,
Hannah
My orchids are in wooden boxes with slants on sides and bottom .do I just water with warm water from Top ?
Hi Dianna,
Wow that is a super cool way to pot orchids! I would love to see a picture of them (if you want you could send it myfirstorchid@gmail.com).
As long as the wooden boxes have plenty of drainage at the bottom of the pots (not just the sides) then you will be fine. You just don’t want the orchid to EVER sit in standing water. When orchids sit in pots without bottom drainage their roots rot. I have a post on root rot.
You can water them with room temperature water (not warm) only when their mix gets dry (dry down by the roots). I have a post on watering orchids and something called Drop Potting which explains how to water and why orchids needs ALOT of drainage. Click those post for further instructions.
Hope that helps,
Hannah
As long as your orxhids
Dear Hannah,
Thank you so much for your helpful tips. I have a dilemma. I’m grouping several phalaenopsis (each in their plastic pot) in a large ceramic container to make a big arrangement, putting moss on top. The container has no drainage. What is the best way to water these blooms? It will be cumbersome to take each phalaenopsis out to water every time.
Hi Olivia,
I would love to help! Unfortunately you can not properly water your orchids in a pot with no drainage. The roots will rot if they are watered in this pot. Click this link for a further explanation… https://myfirstorchid.wordpress.com/2012/02/11/orchid-disaster/
Or go to my blog and click the link titled Drop Potting.
Hope that helps,
Hannah
Hi Hannah. I just found you by Googling. This site is great! Thankyou for all the info. This one is a keeper!
Mary,
Thanks!!! What a sweet compliment:)
Hannah
Hannah, thank you so much for taking your time helping us (fellow orchid lovers):) I don’t know why but few of my orchids die after repotting them from moss to bark medium, probably about 3-5 phals, now my dendrobium mother plant seems to be dying as well. Leaves on 2 pseudobulbs are turning yellow and 2 leaves from one of the 2 keikis are turning yellow as well (second keiki doesn’t have yellowing of leaves. It makes me sad :(
Hi Julie,
I am so sorry to hear that. I know that sometimes orchids get shocked from being repotted into different medium but I often go from bark to moss and that in itself would not kill it.
Many times when we get orchids into our homes that were mistreated before we got them (mass production of orchids in green houses that force them into bloom and then ship them to stores). The shipping process is taxing to orchids and then they are placed in grocery stores etc., that over or underwater them and give then zero natural light.
Then we get them and think we have killed an orchid because of all the stuff that happened to it before we got it.
I don’t know how long you had your orchids before you repotted them but this could be the case.
Dendrobiums often resent bring repotted and can look pretty bad after but typically perk up. Phals are much easier.
Did you repot them in pots with lots of drainage holes?
How do you water them? How much and how often?
Are they placed near a natural light source that has dapple shade meaning indirect sunlight?
Let me know and maybe we can figure this out.
Hannah
Thanks for your response Hannah ! The last 2 phals that died last week,I bought around Oct and Dec 2013. The other phals were from last year and they died about a year ago. I should probably write a journal huh to keep track. Anyways, yes I pot them in pots with holes at the bottom. I water them once a week under a running warm water, I bought a fluorescent light and most orchids are under the light. I really think it’s stress from repotting them and change in medium. Do u suggest to repot in the future with same medium ? BTW, dendrobium mother plant leaves are all yellow but 2 keikis look healthy but 1 yellow leaf. Maybe mother plant is in dying stage ?
Thank you so much,
Julie
Hi,
So once a week watering seems a bit much. They need to dry out between waterings. I water my orchid two or three times a month. Plus Dendrobiums (unlike the popular Phalaenopsis) have pseudobulbs which store water. Overwatering causes root rot which will turn leaves yellow and eventually kill an orchid.
Orchids are not like normal houseplants in that they want tons of water and to be wet all the time. They like periods of dryness and then to be drenched and then dry again.
This is how I water my orchids –
https://myfirstorchid.wordpress.com/2011/10/18/hello-world/
You want to make sure the orchid is almost completely dry before watering again. Not moist – dry.
You can use whatever medium you like – that is up to personnel preference.
Try this and see if it helps :)
Hannah
Hannah, Thank you for your reply. Do u think my dendrobium is dying ? Now the 2 keikis have yellowing leaves at the bottom :( Can I save it ?
We will just have to see how it goes with watering it properly. Orchids can survive a lot – don’t give up yet,
Hannah :)
Hey, I know this is a couple months later and I’m also new to orchids, but I read that when repotting from moss to bark it’s best to mix half and half of each medium at first, to avoid shock. Repotting completely from bark to moss is ok though. Hope your orchids are doing better :)
Love your blog!! I just got a new orchid after my first one died/didn’t bloom for a year and I want to do it right. Your blog answers all the questions I have and it is so helpful. Thank you so much! Really hope this one works out better than the first :)
Thanks!!! That was really nice.
I hope this one works out well for you as well. The first one you had did it die or just not bloom?
Most people don’t know that they are still very much alive even if they aren’t blooming. That is why people throw then away all the time and I have like million rescues:)
Hannah
Well, unfortunately someone else threw out my orchid while I had it watering in the office kitchen over a weekend (since read from your blog that’s a big no no!!) because they didn’t understand that an orchid not in bloom doesn’t mean a dead orchid. I was determined it would come back although it hadn’t bloomed in a year. Leaves looked great, but nothing else happened. Never bloomed after the bloom it was in when I got it. I was sad – my husband gave it to me on my first day of my new job :( I think it was missing light…
What do you think about keeping orchids in the bathroom? Thinking the humidity from the shower must resemble a jungle a bit?
Hi,
That is so sad that someone threw it away! Especially since it has sentimental value. I am so sorry!!
Some of my rescue orchids didn’t bloom for YEARS and finally did this year… It’s so worth the wait.
Bathrooms are great (your totally correct on that) because of the humidity AS LONG as you have a clear window for lighting purposes. My bathroom window is frosted and is not good for my orchids because they don’t have any natural light source.
Let me know if you have any other questions,
Hannah
Thank you so much for all the information you posted here. I’ve gotten a lot of help from your website and really appreciate the effort you put in to benefit all the orchid lovers!
Pearl,
Your so very welcome!! I enjoy this immensely,
Hannah
Hannah, Nice lovebird certificate!
Hannah, I’m very new to the Orchid growing world but found your site and wished I’d have found it sooner. So informative and in plain English. My plants and I thank you so very much for the help. Hope you have a beautiful and healthly child. Happy New Year to all of you!
Laurel,
Thank you so much for the kind words! Let me know if you need any help:)
Hannah
Hi Hannah, I’m new to your site. I found it when I was trying to figure out why the leaves on my pretty pink striped orchid, that I got in november, started to turn yellow (just the bottom leaves). It has 13 blooms open right now, and some more buds coming along. I also have a tiny one that my daughter gave me for Mothers’ Day. It bloomed with pretty little purple blooms from may till September. It looked like it was starting a second round of blooms on the same stock, but they fell off. So now it’s resting. The leaves and roots look good though. Thanks for this helpful, informative site.
Laura, from Timmins, Ontario
Laura,
That was kind! Thank you so much! Let me know if you have any questions,
Hannah
congratulations on the baby,wishing you all the best.xx
Thanks V!!
You’re welcome. I think I found the blog via repotme’s FB page. I can see you’ve been working hard at it and hope to use the info your blog to help re-bloom my new little farm of plants. Will keep you posted. …crosses fingers..
;- )
S
Great site! When I have more time, I’ll do more reading about orchid care. My love of orchids began a a small child, when my neighbors, (an Indonesian family), immigrated from Holland. The dad was an avid grower and audiophile. Loved ’em ever since but just acquired some recently. Hope to keep you posted.
Thanks Steve! How did you find the blog? I have been working really hard at it…hope your enjoying it.
You rock Hannah! Your site keeps getting better and better!
Thanks Love, I am trying real hard! I love you! Your the best!!
Hi, I am Debbie! Hannah’s mom & I am so proud of my girl and her orchids! I gave her several that I have been babysitting since my youngest daughter Rebekah’s wedding 3 years ago. She has brought them back to life! We got to see all of her hard work at Rebekah’s baby shower 2 months ago. All of Hannah’s orchids were proudly displayed in her dining room window & were lovely decorations for the shower!!!!! Way to go, Bo!