Awww, I bought another phal

[sii]

I've been so desperate to have blooms in my house that I bought another orchid. Costco had them on sale for $15.97. They were all so beautiful. I checked the little tag on the side and it says to give the orchids 3 ice cubes a week. Has anyone tried this? I thought orchids didn't like cold water.
Thanks!

[Izzie]

There have been discussions on here about the "just add ice orchids". Awful advertising- it's been dubbed a bad practice on here, save for a couple members, I believe.

Just water it as you do your other phals. Pour water through the pot when the roots turn silver, or when a bamboo skewer stuck in the center of the pot comes out dry.


My first orchid was from Costco- still one of my healthiest, most vigorous plants.




And you know....it's not allowed to post a new-in-bloom-orchid thread without pictures, right?

[sii]

Izzie, you're right!!

That's good advice you gave re: silver roots as a sign for watering. I've run out of bamboo sticks. I hope a popsicle stick will do.

This baby has 2 stems. I hope I did an o.k. job capturing their beauty. This is a digital camera.

[Izzie]

Lovely! I suspect that it is in a plastic pot in that ceramic one. Hopefully it's clear so you can see the roots- you water when the roots in the pot are silver, not the ones that are in the air.
Good buy!

[Connie Star]

Lovely phal- I know that feeling of "I just have to have another"

[MuscleGirl'sHobby]

I know all too well that urge to go find something in bloom when you don't have anything blooming! You know you have orchid fever when...

[SpeciesNut]

I believe that,"nothing in bloom right now"has gotten me in alot of trouble. hehe. So 100 or so orchids later... I still use that as a excuse to buy MORE!I love the color of your blooms,by the way.Congrats on ur purchase!

[RosieC]

I know that feeling as well. Can't wait for things to bloom, so let's buy more already in bloom.

Like Izzie said, don't use the ice. There are a couple of people on OB who have done well with that method, but lots of others who have reported problems. I like to water with luke warm water on my Phals and they seem to like it.

Make sure you check the colour of the roots inside the pot as well as those in the air before you water. Also make sure you have a pot which drains out the bottom, otherwise you may end up with standing water in the bottom which they don't like.

[sii]

Thanks all!
Because I've been so unsuccessful lately with my other orchids, I haven't watered it yet. The medium looks good. I've put a popsicle stick to check for dampness and it seems okay for now. I've placed it in my kitchen which has a sunny south facing window with verticals. It's at the top of a baker's rack next to another phal that needs TLC. Maybe they'll team up? :-)
With the other phals, all have been repotted in sequia bark. I've placed the 2 bigger ones in my upstairs ensuite. It's the only room with an east facing window, so the only place for the orchids is on the side of the tub. The other little ones are still in the original room (south facing window but away from the sun). They're about 45 inches away from the window on my desk. Blinds are drawn in both rooms and because we've had some cool nights (3 days) I've left the windows open.
So, how am I doing? Should I change anything? :-)