help.. every orchid I buy dies
 

My husband is always buying me orchids from Kroger, and they usually end up dying in a few day. He got me another one for Valentines Day..and well it's leaves are turning yellow and have black spots. The flowers are coming off. I've been watering it every 10 days. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong..:(

Flowers come off the orchids eventually, and since you don't know how long they had been in bloom before you got it, it's hard to say whether or not they are falling off early.
Unless you live on the coast of California, the orchid you have is not really the easiest one to grow. They like to be outside in gentle sun/shade and appreciate being somewhat cool and moist. But you have yours in a solid container, and that could be keeping it too moist.
I only have one cymbidium (I'm guessing that's what you have) and so I have very limited experience with them. I'm still testing whether or not I can get them to grow in my climate. I'm sure others on this board will be able to give you more help.
I'd suggest, though, that your husband get you a phalaenopsis, oncidium, or dendrobium only because in my experience, they tend to be easier to grow and better able to handle the inexpert care of a beginner.
Once you figure out what your orchid needs to be happy, they will grow for you!

Besides watering, how are you growing the orchid?
Temperatures?
Light?
Do you let it dry completely before giving it more water?
It it always the same type of orchid?

It's usually 75 degrees in the house, and it is next to a North window. I have never letting it dry. And it has been the same type. I also live on the east coast If that helps.

Hopefully our resident Cymbidium expert will chime in, but I can tell you these plants actually need to be outdoors to grow well, which is why I do not grow these. If you want to grow plants indoors, then try Oncidiums. Great big plants. Do much better as house plants and will grow well with a lot of light, and never being allowed to completely dry out.

Should I put it outside? It's not really warm here yet(about in the 50's during the day), and it is definitely never California weather.

Let's wait and see if Cym Lady sees this thread, or you can search for her username on the board. She is really great with these orchids and will have a lot of good info for you!

How much light is this getting? How many hours is sun hitting the leaves in the window. What media is that in?

jemull96:
I am not the Cymbidium expert by any means, but I have owned them in the past. They have proven hard for me as they love humidity,very bright, but not direct, light and cool temps, but they will not take a freeze or frost by any means.
The problem with purchasing from any store is that you have no idea what condition they were subjected to while shipping. If they were kept too cool or too warm, their blooms will be the first thing to go....also, a lot of the stores place the orchids in the draft of the front doors - this shortens the life of the blooms also.
Wait for the expert, but I would not want you to set your Cymbidium out tonight or anytime soon if you are having temps in the 40's or lower -- they will not do well that cool.
Best of luck - If you describe what happened to your other orchids, someone here may be able to help you identify what is going wrong. It is so hard to be infected with orchid fever and not be able to get them to grow - but as you are already exposed, you just need to find what grows well for you!

So, your husband likes cymbidiums. I guess you're just going to have to learn to care for them.

First and foremost, regardless of the type of orchid, you need to know the condition of the roots. Some types sulk if you mess with the roots so you need to examine carefully. With a Cym, see if you can gently pull the plant out of the pot. Healthy roots are spaghetti sized, firm.

Next, evaluate the media. Your media looks a bit high. You should be able to see some of the psdeudobulbs. Cyms don't mind broken down media but it should NOT be mushy or clay-like. Media choice is individual preference. I use inorganic materials but I don't recommend it to everyone. Cyms like to be watered but not stay wet. Select a medium that does that with YOUR watering habits.

Big Cyms like yours are temperature tolerant (can handle short durations of extremes) and grow well outside all or most of the year. When indoors, it should get bright indoor light (southwest window in winter) and good air circulation.

You should trim the spotted leaves at least 1/2 inch away from the spots with a sterile blade. Wipe with rubbing alcohol and dust ground cinnamon on the cut. The yellow leaves may just be old, can't tell from the pics. Old leaves will dry out and you can gently pull if off.

That should get you started. Good luck.

It doesn't look too dire to me.

The blooms are done. Cut them off.
Next decide if you really want the cymbidium.
Cymbidiums flower only once a year, they take up alot of room, and have certain needs.
The most important being bright light, and cool nights.
Mine are outside where they get nearly full sun, and nice cool nights most of the year. I think they require cool nights in late summer and fall to make flowers.

If you do still want it I'd repot, and find a very bright spot. But acclimate it slowly as it's leaves look rather dark. And that means it's probably used to shade.

My outdoors care is going to be different than indoor care. But I pot in medium bark and water every day to 2 days.
They like to be moist. Not wet.
To be honest they are the same schedule as my actual garden.

Cut and sterilize the spots and yellow leaves. My cymbidiums outside have all sorts of spots. Doesn't impede blooming.

And have fun.
And don't worry if it dies. Just post the next when he buys and we'll help again.

I am also wondering what type of potting media that is and did you repot it or did it come like that? The pseudo bulbs do look almost buried which would lead to rotting of the leaf bases and then the leaves dying off.

Have you checked the roots?
They can tell you the health of the plant before the leaves can sometimes. Mushy roots= rotting. That happens if they don't get enough air.
Wrinkled roots, (too dry)
Black root tips = burning (poor water quality, and/or accumulation of fertilizer in the medium.)