[TheChilliMan]

Yes an Orchid

Anyone have any tips? Feeding? What are those grey stems coming from the base of the plant?

[Debz]

That's beautiful.  The grey bits are roots.  Just ignore them and let them do their thing.  Water once a week by giving it more than you think it will drink, let it stand in it for a couple of hours and then pour off the excess.  They are better off with rain water but I have been using tap water since March and it is still flowering.  More buds keep appearing at the end of the flowering stem.
Debz

[Yorkie]

Another thing, orchids like being pot-bound so there's no need to re-pot for a couple of years.  Even at that stage, they recommend replacing the plant in the same pot or one only slightly larger - but make sure you use proper orchid compost.

I think they like bright light but not direct sunlight.

[jannie]

i treat mine different than others , i give them a warm shower once a month and never let them stand in water ,you can very easyily over water them and i use thoose little ready made food dropers but by a pack as they are cheaper once flower has finished you can cut the stem back to the next nobby bit on the stem and they will flower again   keep doing this and you can get some to flower a whole year,i also refill the dropers with the food you can mix yourself ,my oldest orchid is 14 this yr so must be doing something right   i buy my friends and family these instead of flowers now last longer jan

[Porffor]

Wow some great tips
I inherited a non-flowering orchid with our house.. huge bowl style pot and about 6 or 7 flowering stems. Have had it in bloom for some time now. It has only stopped once. water when I remember.. lol and keep it in the same spot it started flowering in - hallway window gets sun but not a lot of draft.
Will remember the cutting back tip though.. and the rootbound one.

Bought a smaller supermarket type, but it didn't last a week.. different position.

[TheChilliMan]

sorry I'm late but wow thanks people. Whats the nobbly bit? Is it the bit where the stem is in sections?

[jannie]

yes sorry  

[TheChilliMan]

no problem, I think things need to be almost childlike for me

[jannie]

i think its because it wasn't a very technical term  :oops: just don't be to kind to it and i'm sure it will flower for the rest of the year i had terrible problems with mealy bugs attacking mine lost about 3  not to worry had all these nice friends buying them for me all the time, had to many in the end had to bite the bullet and tell them to stop and if they insist to buy me plants for the garden, i dont mind digging up a bit more lawn,jan