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I don't do well with orchids but my Mom who is 101 has two green thumbs. She waters them with about three ice cubes and they re-bloom for her.

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11 hours ago, lakeside7 said:

My wife and I seem to be the kiss of death to every orchid we buy. After the first flowers have died off we never get the plants to re bloom

Please all you experts out there throw us some recommendations..... as this becoming an expensive hobby.

I too haven't met an Orchid I haven't killed. I follow all the advice  about light, watering, fetilizing, temperature but nada, never a second bloom.

SunFan

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Don't be intimidated by growing orchids!  They really are quite hardy, often living in the wild at nature's whim.  Never get water in the crown of the plant, don't keep them too wet or too dry.  Most don't like direct sun but bright light.  Google is a great resource.  I have 2 right now that that have been blooming for about 2 mos.  I suggest a start with a phalaenopsis as these are quite easy to grow and might reward you quickly.  They usually have a large selection at decent prices at Costco.

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Main things IMHO and experience are:   sun, yes, but not too much, right amount of watering, I water from the bottom (place plant container in small amount weekly and let it soak up for about 10 min) and they do like humidity....so daily misting esp at the dry times of the year  (simple fine spray bottle).      There is also orchid "food"  (special fertilizer) avail.

https://www.wikihow.com/Grow-Orchids

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Previous winter we rented a house Lakeside where the owner had dozens of orchids hanging outside in orange and mango trees .

No one really cared for them. A sprinkle hit them once a day but it was potted in a very loose medium (moss and bark)  in little wooden crates with narrow slats far apart so the water just drained through quickly and roots were hanging our.. I was amazed how much they bloomed on what seemed like a neglect. We never met the owner (just manager) but he had to be an orchid enthusiast as there was also an orchid greenhouse with assortment  of climate control equipment but it was empty. All the plants were in the trees and also some in the pots around the property..

like this cymbidium

cymbidium1.jpg.e8a73329d5d3e0c881f2733988ce499f.jpg

Personally. I have not much success with them either.

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Much the same experience for us.  We have some perched in our trees.  Gardener sprays water on them twice per week during the dry time but that's about it.  They have been blooming periodically the entire time we've been in this house, 12 years.  Go figure.

 

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My experience is orchids thrive with less attention. I have some that are on their 4th cycle of blooms and getting bigger each cycle. I keep them outside in the garden out of direct sunlight. One exception is local orchids. I have them in  almost direct sunlight  Here is a picture of one I bought in Mazamitla. It is over 2 years old. This year the stalk was almost a meter long with  16 blooms of the tiniest orchid I have ever seen. 

orchid.jpg

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