New Delivery of Fresh Orchids at B & Q - Only £4.50

DocProc

Just back from my local B & Q, where they had just put out a substantially sized new delivery of fresh single stem orchids.

We saw lots of new varieties, which we had never seen before. Some even had more than one stem too. We bought four of them at £4.50 each.

This is definitely a 'Quick! Grabbit while you can' IMHO, because of the new varieties, which are available and also, if you go now to buy them quickly then you can get your pick of the best ones, whilst they are still available.

They also have some special ceramic Orchid Pots to take the 'clear plastic plant pots', in which the orchids are currently planted, at £2.50 each. These are available in White, Black, Light Green (apple) and Burgundy.

We have a table in the conservatory, which now has about ten orchids on it in a group. My wife waters them sparingly only once per week and mists them with water about once a week too. We haven't actually used any orchid feed on them yet but we do have some in the house somewhere. I guess we must read up what to do with it? They are quite easy to keep.

Anyhow, the important bit....

Some of these plants on that table still have flowers on them, which they've had since before Christmas!!!

We think orchids are fantastic! And at only £4.50 each, these are going to go like hot cakes. I reckon B & Q must have actually sold about twenty, whilst we were there, so I don't think we are alone with our thoughts and feeling on how fantastic these plants are.

DocProc

Over-watering is probably the most common mistake one can make.

Water thoroughly when dry and allow the media to dry between watering. The plants use more water when they are in flower.

Mist the foliage between watering but avoid spraying water directly on flowers as it makes them susceptible to fungus which will make them rot.

Keep evenly moist and never let the media dry out completely. Remove the inner pot from the decorative one, place in the sink or in the shower if you have many.

Add orchid food to a watering can or container, and completely water the base. Allow the water to completely drain before replacing it into the decorative pottery planter. Never allow it to sit in water, as it will kill the plant.

Orchids are not planted in earth, but in the shell of a coconut, bark or cork. Their roots grow from the top, and not the bottom as usually found in plants.

Also avoid excessive water in the center of the plant where new leaves grow as it may cause rot.

There's a lot more at the following web site for those who want to keep a few orchids and want to give them a drop of feed.

This site also tells you how to determine the several different species and what to do after they have finished flowering:

http://www.wikihow.com/Care-for-Orchids

The site information is enough to tell me that the orchids in B & Q are mostly all belonging to the Phalaenopsis species:

The Phelaenopsis species are usually referred to as Moth Orchids and these are one of the most elegant orchids for indoor use. Their long sprays of colorful flowers stay fresh for a few months. Flowering begins in winter or early spring and they do well in most indoor conditions.

chickien_2

Hi DocProc, just been in to my local B&Q in Bury St Edmunds and they have loads of brand new stock and some patterns that I have never seen. One of the ones I bought is white with purple spots, very unusual!
Lot of their older plants look nearly dead but these ones are very healthy still, so I agree, it's definitely a 'Quick! Grabbit while you can'!
Thanks for posting!

NJW69

After they have died off if you cut back the stem to one of the lower knuckles and then keep them on a window sill and water weekly they will come back.

The stem grows again and then you start to get flowers.

It takes months but I keep mine in the laundry out of the way.

Its really rewarding.

a_sav

I only went to have a look, but the old(neglected) stock in pots were £2.00 each, got 4 :j,they will make lovely presents. I have tried to repot a 6 year old orchid think it was not a good idea its looking poorly

Louby-Lou_2

I dont cut my stems back ,have had fantatic blooms on all my orchids 2 times a year for 5yrs now.
They all 7 love it in my conservatory 4 are currently flowering one had 12 blooms the other 10. They need clear see through pots and prefere to be semi root bound if that makes sense. I never feed mine but am doing now as I bought some cheap food.

NJW69

So do you just leave the stems as they are and they resprout buds?

I've got one with about 15 flowers on at the moment and more to come.

Much better than keep buying flowers.