Tuesday Tips & Tricks - Orchids

With Mother's Day fast approaching, I am reminded of the beautiful Orchid my family offered me last year. It was gorgeous for a couple of months, making my desk a lovely place to be. Then, the blooms died and I had a a pot of what was essentially green sticks. Not so pretty.

I moved the pot next to the sink. That's my I-don't-know-what-to-do-with-this-but-I-don't-want-to-throw-it-away spot. I left it there. It's still there, but now it needs a new home; perhaps back on the desk. Why? You ask. Because it is beautiful again! How did I get it to go from a pot of sticks to this:

I learned this from a customer of mine who knew more about orchids than anyone I've ever met. He shared his secrets with me after noticing the stunning orchid we had in our store (a grand opening gift from the flower shop down the street). The trick, he told me, is to water the orchid about once a week. Orchids like to dry out, he said. So more importantly, as you water, lift the plant up and out of the pot and let the water run over the roots. As they soak up what they need, the roots will go from a whitish color to green, like in the next picture. DO NOT leave it sitting in water. Note, my roots need a trimming because some of them are dead and my plant needs a bigger pot, but I haven't done either because I'm nervous.  

See how at the edge of the pot the roots are green? That's what you're going for. Even when it looks as if your Orchid will never bloom again, keep heart! It will as long as you lovingly water it, as instructed above, no matter what.

Do you keep seemingly dead plants around in the hopes of their revival? Tell me about it!