Cymbidiums and Phalaenopsis help

total newbie to Cymbidiums & Phalaenopsis, so bear with me as i ask daft questions

told mum about some Cymbidium King Orchids at Homebase, but she said somebody told her these type of Orchids only bloom once and then should be discarded.

so, is that true or a complete porky-pie?


next, mum has a Phalaenopsis that has flowered and now just a "root/stem" thingy left. and a lot of the roots are brown and withered. she has neglected them / does not have the knowledge to look after them.

so, is there still a chance for me to revive the plant?
or has it gone to Phalaenopsis heaven?

thank you.

 

Porkie pie, but its unlikely to flower again until late this year.


[/quote]next, mum has a Phalaenopsis that has flowered and now just a "root/stem" thingy left. and a lot of the roots are brown and withered. she has neglected them / does not have the knowledge to look after them.

so, is there still a chance for me to revive the plant?
or has it gone to Phalaenopsis heaven?
thank you.[/quote]


No Leaves?
Sounds like it might be a bit far gone, and possibly best replaced

 

Mum loved these and consequently got given them for birthdays and mothers day. Most of them lasted quite a few years, and we were able to split the cybidiums when they got large They need exceptionally free draining compost, infact mostly bark

She kept them on a north facing windowsill in the kitchen behind the sink and they loved it there.

Let them dry pretty well out before watering, then give a real good soak for an hour or two, pref. with some seaweed liquid or orchid feed in the water. Allow to drain thoroughly, and don't let the roots stand in water.

 

Rubbish! A complete porky pie!
It is true that each pseudobulb only blooms once and then dies off over a year or two. But they will produce lots of new pseudobulbs to replace them. So the plant continues and grows larger.
To get them to bloom I swear by the cool spell treatment.

Agreed - it's a goner!

 

thanks to all your replies.

the Phalaenopsis has no leaves. so, as you say, it safe to assume it has gone to Phalaenopsis heaven. shame.

Cymbidiums - ok, i'll pass on the info to mum. up to her to decide whether she wants to get these and look after them properly.


i have another Q on Phalaenopsis - one that is alive and well. its flowers are just now starting to droop / die off. should i let it drop off naturally? should i cut it off and if so, how/where do i cut it off?

also, further on, when all the flowers have dropped off, what do i do? just leave it alone? how do i make sure it stays alive and gives out new growth?

again, thanks for you help.

 

Just lightly lift the faded flower off and leave it at that

Sometimes even when all the flowers are faded it will send out a new branch which will bear flowers from the same stalk. As long as it is looking green and not brown and dried up I would leave it alone. Once the actual flowering stalk is brown and shrivelled nothing more will come on that bit so just cut it back to a nice healthy bit, but only in order to tidy it up - and make sure you keep feeding them whatever happens.

A good watering with some feed in - leave to soak in this for an hour or so, then drain off completely and don't rewater till looking as though it needs it. Far more are killed from overwatering than anything else. That's why mine live so long - I am always forgetting to water them till all the flowers are wilting

 

My Orchids are looking great and in remode again ,guess they like how I treat them.

 

sue (and the other good people on this forum), here is the orchid with the flowers just about to fall off.

now, see those things i've circled in red

are those new off-shoots that will flower? or something else?

there are 4 such off-shoots on this plant at the moment. i'm hoping they will go on and flower.

thanks.

 

Yup - the one on the left looks a def. new flower bud/branch, can't quite see about the one on the right, but I expect it is. They take a while to develop, but its exciting watching them.

you can just gently lift those faded flowers and they should just come away

 

excellent, thanks sue.