Can someone help me with orchids?

I was given a potted orchid plant as a gift. It had beautiful flowers which eventually died (normal) but no more ever grew back. Please, how much should I be watering? Direct sunlight, indirect light, or shade? What about plant food? the flowers were so pretty, I'd love to see more, but I seem to have a black thumb where house plants are concerned.

Can someone help me with orchids?
Some one told me last night you have to trim them right after their they loose their last flowers... to have it come back.



Humidity: Phalaenopsis are from very tropical areas, and like a good amount of humidity. They also have thick, spongy roots, and like it if their roots are misted when it is warm.



Light and Air: Phalaenopsis like little of no direct light on their leaves. They are more of a shade orchid.



Watering: Water your plant when, after lifting the pot, it feels light in weight. Fertilize often with a high nitrogen fertilizer like Wonderlizer 25-9-9.



Temperature: A temperature of about 55 is the coolest you can have before flowers will suffer. Phalaenopsis prefer regular "in our house" temperatures of about 60-75 day and 55-70 night.



Potting: Repot every year or two with medium to large bark.
Reply:I had exactly the same situation as you %26amp; I am thinking "more light" but I found out I was wrong. We put it in a south window that has a blind that filters the light.



It went crazy. Right now it has four stems with blooms %26amp; four more growing.



I never feed it because I had read that they do not like food. I water it once a week.



The major key was the medium filtered light. That is what made the difference.



I have never trimmed it I just let the stems die down %26amp; pull them off.



Good luck, I hope yours does as well as ours.
Reply:A good Eastern/Western or a filtered Southern exposure is great in the summer. (A unfiltered Southern exposure is best in Winter.) Water well once a week. (Well=Water running out the bottom and drained away from the plant 10 min. after. This can easily be done in the sink.) Fertilize once a month when you water with an Orchid Fertilizer. *Do NOT Fertilize when the orchid is in bloom or during the winter months (Oct-Mar.) as the plant needs a dormant period.

If you set the plant outside, keep it in the shade.
Reply:There are so many different orchid species that it is hard to give advice from your description. See if your friend can give you the name of the orchid so you can find out more about the plant.



If it came in a pot with soil it is probably one of the terrestrial orchids, you can pot it up into a bigger pot with half potting soil and peat moss and some orchid food.



The light levels vary for the terrestrial orchids, there are even some that grow in full sun and others require partial or full shade.



Most like humidity and will be killed by frost.



Most people kill their orchids with too much care and attention.