Well my orchid is getting another bud on it for the 3rd time! Yipieeee :) But i have a question about the looks of the (what i call the tenticals) not sure what to call them? They are located in the soil around the leaves. They grow very long and i have a lot of them. They look like long finger thingys. Do i leave them to grow, they do not look all that pretty and i am not sure what to do with them or what they are even for? I hope those with the orchid can advise me on what or what not to do with these long "fingers" tia......
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cdnjatgirl, Is that your first orchid? If so you will get hooked like i did. I have not heard of ice cubes in the soil? Maybe smoodgie has heard of that? She also loves her orchids. I only water my orchids about every week or two in the winter, and they have done just fine.
Your orchid may stay in bloom over the holidays cdnjatgirl, as they do last for quite some time. Once the last bloom is done, simply cut just below where the last bud was. It is actually very simple and then just wait, water, watch, water, and then.......all of a sudden u will see what u think is a bud and your not sure and then all of a sudden that wee bud gets bigger & bigger & you will get all excited just like i did hahahah and then u will go and get another orchid! and then you become a pro at growing more blooms, it never fails to get me excited LOL Let me know how it goes, good luck! :)
i bought a new orchid and its in full bloom right now. The last bud opened about a week and a half ago. I'm hoping it'll stay blooming throught the holidays. Someone recommended that i put two ice cubes on top of the soil about every two weeks and thats all i need to do in terms of watering it in the winter. Any thoughts? I can't wait to have an orchid that actually reblooms...good work Chea! :)
Yep, those are the roots -- don't cut them off!!!! They do look kinda funny, but they can be interesting too. A root on one of my orchids wrapped itself around a piece of the potting medium and actually holds it up in the air!!
Whatever you're doing to your orchid, keep doing it -- it's obviously a happy plant :)
Post pics when your buds bloom :)
Tks. for your reply LeChatNoir Well i guess i better leave those "fingers" alone then. Well it is so worth it when i see a beautiful new flower growing in my orchid plant for the 3rd time!! I must be doing something right eh! Again thankyou........ :)
Those fingers you speak of are the plants root system, part of it anyway, and you certainly do not want to do anything to them. Its part of the look as well with orchids so unfortunately, if you want orchids thats what they look like. Also be sure that after the flowers are finished and fall off, that you trim the stem back to just behind the last bud so it will flower again, in another seven to eight months. Water as normal during this time, let them dry out between waterings. By the way, the finger roots are trying to get moisture from the air so its very important not to hurt them, and be sure to feed your plant orchid food as well.