Orchids are my favourite at the moment and alot of great advice here,thanks!

I am soon to be in your situation. A friends mum recently died and her hobby was growing orchids, so she had an overabundance of them. Apparently some are heading my way and I have NO idea how to grow them :,(

Sorry I can’t assist but would recommend the Gardening Australia website or maybe try contacting your local orchid association.

Our orchids live in a well shaded spot outside. Most are planted in charcoal, some in pine bark. I break the rules and water leaves and all, but always before 10am so they have time to dry off before night fall. I water about once a week, less often in winter, more in summer, with just water. About once a month I use soluble orchid fertiliser. I don’t repot unless I’m splitting them or they’re bursting to the seams. Some of mine flower more frequently than others. I move them inside to enjoy the flowers, then back outside again. Best of luck.

I have a Phalaenopsis orchid (bought from the supermarket), and I’m also a novice when it comes to orchids. I keep it inside, on an East facing windowsill, so it gets the morning sun. I only water about every 8 or 9 days, and it seems to be thriving. It hasn’t lost its first lot of flowers yet, but the instructions say to repot in orchid potting mix once every year when it loses its flowers. Hope this helps!

yep grow them from a seedling in a greenhouse and re-pot them when necessary. Give them nutrients

Agree with whats been mentioned below with finding out the type and amount of water. Another tip is to look at the colour of the leaves, if it’s dark green then your plant isn’t getting enough light. Direct sunlight will also bun the leaves, so give it a bit of shade.

We have had orchids for over 30 years & all have grown from the original plant that we received from a neighbor. Ours seem to thrive on neglect & being pot bound as we rarely repot them until they are bursting out of their pots, only feed them very occasionally maybe once a year ir after repotting) & they flower every year unless they have just been repotted. After repotting & being separated they may not flower for a year. We keep ours in the bbq entertainment area where they get some sun but never out in full sun & heat.

I’ve had my moth orchids reflower several times and simply water with warm water once every two weeks and apply a tiny bit of orchid food once a month. Dont get the leaves wet, and put them in a well lit spot but not hot sun. Also it can take up to a year for a new flower spike to grow so you need to look after the plant carefully in between flowering too. Good luck, it is really satisiyfing when you get them to reflower.

I grow cymbidium orchids outside under a group of three fruit trees. That way the orchids are shaded from the extreme heat during summer but get full sunlight during winter when most of them flower. I find that just about everything that flowers doesn’t grow too well inside the house – the air is just not moist enough for plants.

Firstly identify your Orchid. I have a few Moth Orchid commonly bought from Flower stalls. They hate the westerly positions where they get too much heat. Never put them near a window it can dry them out too much and the heat off the window is too severe. Do not get water on or in between the leaves this can cause rot and kills the plant. Water less so you don’t kill the plant. I use a medicine cup and water with this 50ml every three days or so in summer. Mine are all thriving in my bathrooms. They like the humidy. I use Orchid plant food once a year and I even half what they say. Good luck.

To give you an accurate answer it would help to know what type of orchids you are growing. Perhaps the white one you bought is a phalaenopsis (moth orchid) commonly sold in most garden shops. It depends on what they are potted in, moss? bark? etc. With this type of orchid if it is in moss then you should water well and then let almost dry out before watering again. In bark water once a week. It likes a warm sunny spot but not in direct sun. It flowers once a year but the flowers can be long lasting and if you cut down to the second lowest node after flowering you will encourage another flowering. Cymbidium orchids should be kept moist and watered once a week in winter and several times a week in summer. A feed every few weeks but you don’t have to use special orchid food any fertiliser is OK. It doesn’t matter what type of orchid the basic care is the same – sunshine, water, food.

No; however; I have given them to an orchid lover and she has made them thrive; will ask for her top tips.