M&S Orchids ?

Kevie192

Hi all,

I was looking at orchids in M&S today but before I buy one I thought I would ask on here.

Has anyone bought any orchids from M&S? Are they good quality plants?

I'm also fairly new to houseplants so I wondered if one variety is easier to look after and will flower more than others? There were some really big, tall orchids with big flowers and some with lots of little flowers and they were about the same price so I couldn't decide what to buy!

Thanks,

Kevin x

somewhereweknow

Great quality. Bought one for my godmother's birthday last June and it grown huge and has not stopped flowering since. They are really easy to look after, from my experience they like the light, but not too much heat. All my long-living orchids have been on window ledges facing east.

Happy tending!

silverjay

I received one of the smaller flowering ones for my birthday last year. Once the flowers died it did nothing. It is currently sitting on my kitchen windowsill (facing east) with two large green leaves and a smaller one that has been there since I had it. I assume it is still alive. I am hopeful that it may spring into a growth spurt soon.

ukbill69

Ive just bought a monster one from the garden centre. Cost us £30 and is about 1m tall with 2 stalks and tons of flowers.

schumie

I was bought one from M & S as a house warming present in October 2009 and it sits on my kitchen windowsill and flowers and just won't stop. I think it was about £10.00 which frankly is amazing value i think and it looks pretty and takes so little time and effort. In fact its my birthday soon as i have asked for another one

harrys_nan

I have 13 Orchids (lucky me) they are very easy to look after, mine seem to thrive fine, water approx every 7 days but do not leave in water. feed every few weeks. most of mine have come from supermarkets and good value for money. When the flowers die off cut the stem back to a bud lower down and they should grow another stem. When thy finish flowering they have a period of non flowers then start again. The only one i have had a problem with is a "Vanda" orchid that i had from gardeners World at the NEC that has never flowered since i bought it

Debt_Free_Chick

To keep orchids going and to get them to flower again, it's essential that you get light to the roots - this is why they come in a clear plastic pot. So make sure they are not "in the dark" in another pot and put them on a light - but not south facing - windowsill.

cubegame

Debt_Free_Chick wrote: »

To keep orchids going and to get them to flower again, it's essential that you get light to the roots - this is why they come in a clear plastic pot. So make sure they are not "in the dark" in another pot and put them on a light - but not south facing - windowsill.

Depends on the orchid. This is generally true for moth orchids which are actually not grown in their usual wild state, which is horizontal. Therefore the roots need light to encourage non-terrestrial roots.

Terrestrial orchids will not care if they are in a clear pot or not although it can help to see if they are in need of repotting.

We have over 60 orchids dotted around our house and we generally wouldn't buy from a supermarket as they tend to be forced into flowering to get blooms for the shop. This does tend to decrease the longevity of the plant for the expense of a long initial bloom.

Try to buy from an orchid nursery if you can. A boring old moth orchid will be cheaper from one of those as opposed to a supermarket one.

cubegame

harrys_nan wrote: »

I have 13 Orchids (lucky me) they are very easy to look after, mine seem to thrive fine, water approx ever 7 days but do not leave in water. feed every few weeks. most of mine have come from supermarkets and good value for money. When the flowers die off cut the stem back to a bud lower down and they should grow another stem. When thy finish flowering they have a period of non flowers then start again. The only one i have had a problem with is a "Vanda" orchid that i had from gardeners World at the NEC that has never flowered since i bought it

How do you water your Vanda orchid? We place ours in a jar weekly and immerse the roots in filtered rain water until they go green. They are then drained and hung back up. Then the roots are given a slight mist every two days. We get sucess with flowering with this technique.

Vanda's hate tap water with a passion and it normally kills them within a year or two.

harrys_nan

cubegame wrote: »

How do you water your Vanda orchid? We place ours in a jar weekly and immerse the roots in filtered rain water until they go green. They are then drained and hung back up. Then the roots are given a slight mist every two days. We get sucess with flowering with this technique.

Vanda's hate tap water with a passion and it normally kills them within a year or two.

I have mine in a vase ( so no compost) mist most days then I have to be honest, when i remember I soak them while still in the vase. Have had for about 2 years and its only ever had the original flowers, will try rain water and see what happens. Thanks for that tip, :T
PS I do not leave the water in the vase I do drain it out after the roots have gone green

tanith

I too have 13 orchids I have mine on different windows around the house , I rotate them to the lightest window . I plunge the pots in warm water (from the tap) for an hour a week then drain completely and feed once a month . I always have 3/4 in flower at a time so put the ones that are in flower where they will be seen and then move them when they finished but they stay in flower for months at a time.. I might try them with rainwater see if it makes any difference but I haven't lost any in 4yrs.. I sometimes cut the stalks right back to the bottom and sometimes leave them and get new shoots from the old stalk..

I am so lucky as OH works in a large corporate building and they have orchids on the reception desks, then once a month someone comes in to change all the plants in the building and OH and his colleagues fight it out for the half a dozen orchids that are just discarded.. I don't know why the gardening firm don't take them back and recycle them but as I get the benefit of a new orchid every month I'm not going to complain..

I found some lovely square glass vases in Tesco last week and I've put two of my orchids in the vase with just the bare roots they look lovely so I'm thinking of doing it will all of mine that way the roots get any light thats going and aren't hidden inside another pot..