High maintenance, good luck. :)

We love orchids but I always end up killing them so I'm not the right one to give advice! I do know they need very little water and I've heard that even a few ice cubes once a week is sufficient.

Follow the directions exactly, and it will be ok. Over-watering is their

biggest enemy.

My orchids are in my big bay kitchen window - full west exposure. I run the water in the pot (warm) for a couple of minutes, weekly. I have been very successful with them - they have even re-bloomed for me. I also run the hot water a couple of times daily, for a few minutes - very hot. It makes steam. Remember, these are jungle plants and they love humidity.

What about re-potting? If and when?

Actually these types of orchids are very low maintenance. Bright or low indirect light and watering every 10-14 days is all that is required. Uness you do provide some specialized care, reblooming is not common so many treat similar to a cut flower bouquet.....enjoy the flowers for as long as they last - can be as much as 6 months - then toss. These are no longer very expensive plants for the most part - Trader Joe's sells them for less than $10 bucks - so make for very economical indoor decor.

The instructions that came with my orchids was to use four ice cubes once a week. People on this sight said no, no, no. However, I still give them just some ice cubes every couple of weeks. I've had the one for 3 years and it's blooming for the third time. The other one I've only had a year or so and it's blooming for the second time so I'm continuing with the ice cubes. Why argue with success.

Don't let them sit in water because the roots will rot. Make sure the pot it's in has drainage holes. What a pretty gift :-)

The Espressos are phalaenopsis orchids, beautiful and low maintenance. Often for selling reasons the roots are packed too tightly with sphagnum moss which will tend to hold too much water and rot the roots eventually. Once it finished blooming which might be a while, buy some orchid mix and an orchid pot that has holes in it, on the small side. I keep my orchids in mostly leca and they do fine. Clear plastic is good because these orchids actually have some chlorophyll in their roots. Some phalaenopsis tend to have some of their roots go aerial, don't force the roots into the basket but do make sure they get soaked and drained when you water. Overwatering is the greatest killer of orchids..Mine rebloom at least once a year.

I remember when orchids were super expensive. How did the price come down so much? Anyone here know?

I doubt you'll have to repot it. I only repot when they start to climb out of the pot literally. I've only tried one little one like you received. It was out of bloom, came into bloom...rotted/too much water...and died. I water once a week. My phals(yours is a mini version) are under a south facing window, on a lower shelf/protected from any direct sun....going nuts....loving life.

You have it right by the window so that's good. I received one for a gift a couple years ago. I can't grow plants in my house, not enough light. I took it to my office and its still alive and healthy but hasn't bloomed again. Maybe you will give it better care, I haven't stuck to a weekly schedule so maybe that's what the problem is. I have never repotted it, its seems to do fine in the original pot.

You need to find out if it is in sphagnum moss or bark bits. If the moss, then very little water is needed weekly, like a Tbls or 2 of tepid water. Please don't use ice cubes.

If it's in bark bits then you can remove the inner pot from the outer, run lots of tepid water in it and let it drain completely. Then be sure to remove any standing water in the outer pot before returning the orchid to it.

Repotting can be done typically every other year, if you get it to survive that long.

I've had my orchids in direct sunlight in an east or west window provided they get it only for a short period of time. Now I have them in a south window with sheers, so the light is bright but not direct and they generally seem happiest with that.

Very pretty! I am in the “water with ice cubes” camp. I have an orchid I got just before Thanksgiving. It has 7 or 8 blooms on it that have been open since then. Not one flower has dropped. It sits in a low light kitchen window sill. I look it over every now and then, wondering if maybe I missed the fact that it’s faux, but nope! It’s real. And apparently very hardy. I’ve been tempted to fertilize, but I hate to mess up a good thing.

Normally I get maybe 8-10 weeks out of them if I’m very lucky and then I just throw them away - I have NEVER gotten them to rebloom so I stopped trying.

Those orchids are really easy, if you do not over water. When finished blooming look really close to see where the swellings are on the stem. It must be green, not brown. Pick a spot that will leave about 6 inches of stem . Cut above a swelling about 1/2 inch. If it looks green and a bit moist, you should get new growth in about 3 or 4 weeks. Mine flower many times in a year. Once in a while instead of the ice cube watering. I sit it in a bowl and water heavily so really gets soaked. After 10 minutes let drain really well . Those very small potted orchids are very durable and reward you if they are happy.

Back when orchids were still uncommon as houseplants I was given one by a friend who was an enthusiast. I'm a cactus and succulent person, so the orchid seemed very exotic :^) By default it got benign neglect similar to how the succulent houseplants are treated (get really dry, then get watered). That orchid did great for a number of years and even rebloomed a couple of times. When we moved, it somehow got lost in a spare bedroom for a month or two and when I found it, it was still doing well. It did not like our new dry climate and died about a year later. So IME, give it good humidity if possible and don't love it to death :^)

They do love humidity - that's why it works well if in a window behind the kitchen sink.

I used the ice cube method for years but the running water and drain method has resulted in re-blooming and lasting for multiple years. I have yet to re-pot mine. I think I'll wait until next Dec when there is a local orchid show and take my 4 there and pay them to re-pot them properly.

Please give us an update in 6 months.

I don't have the patience to deal with houseplants anymore. I do buy orchids at Trader Joe's and keep them on my kitchen windowsill until they finish blooming. I've never had one bloom for 6 months, but 2 months is fairly common.

I've never had good luck with orchids myself. If I get gifted an orchid I take it my moms...

I agree with georgiesmom. I have lots of orchids that have rebloomed up to 4 times. I just give them 4 ice cubes every week or ten days.

Good advice here especially about the special orchid potting soil. You can get it at Home Depot, Lowe’s and probably Wal-Mart in a small bag. It looks as if it’s in a styrofoam cup, no? It probably needs a slightly larger pot as explained with holes and for more stability. The one shown in maddielee’s photo looks about right. You can use a small plant stake to keep it upright, which it looks like has been done.

Good luck with it. And enjoy that sweet gift!

Getting an orchid to rebloom is never a done deal, using ice cubes or not (which most orchid enthusiasts do not advocate). Phals are probably the easiest to rebloom but even with those, it can be hit or miss unless you are providing exactly the right conditions.

I am a very successful orchid killer, so no advice from me. Just wanted to say I love the bright pink color, so pretty.

MaddieLee, yours is gorgeous too, and I am impressed with its age. Mine are lucky if they make it 8 months.

https://www.yourorchidquestions.com/espresso-care  

This will give you all the info you need and you will have great success - I know, I've done it! Mine seem to thrive on forgetfulness and poor care :)

I grow almost all of my orchids outdoors, but mine are mostly cold-hardy like epidendrums, dendrobiums, cattelayas, cymbidiums, etc, and people here plant cymbidiums and epidendrums in the ground, especially since they get too large to bring indoors. I keep phalaenopsis indoors during the winter because they are not cold hardy, but I put them in a very shady area outdoors from April through November. They seem to like having somewhat cooler temperatures at night, and this can stimulate blooming.

They need very little fertilizer, but what I use most is 20-20-20 in very small amounts and only feed them about once a month.

I've had more trouble getting phals to rebloom than any other orchids, and so perhaps I am not giving them enough humidity when I put them outdoors. One that I had bloomed for eight months, and I got bored with it before it stopped blooming.

They do best in clear plastic pots that have slits in the sides so that the roots can get some light, but I put some of mine in the regular orchid pots that have small holes in the sides, as they are prettier.

Don't repot until it is done flowering, and remove the flower stem as noted above. I use an orchid mix from Home Depot, and I add a bit of perlite to it. You can also put styrofoam packing peanuts in the bottom of the pot, but make sure they are white.

Glenda, I was inspired by your post to give an orchid another try. I got this little guy yesterday and after reading everyone's tips, I hope to keep it going for awhile. I picked one with buds that haven't opened yet hoping that will add to the life of the plant.

Have to tell you what I did with mine, tonight. Someone said they like humidity. So when I showered this evening, I took it in the bathroom with me. When I finished the mirrors were all foggy, and I closed the door when leaving so it could absorb the moisture :o)

Remember that a squirt of water from a spray bottle with a mist setting is also "humidity".

I'm in a relatively dry area. My wife does very little (round down to "nothing") for the handful we have and they seem to do just fine. I couldn't tell you what kind they are but I know they're not prize species or specimens. I suspect that varieties that require a minimum of care are the ones that find their way to retail stores in large numbers to be sold for inexpensive prices for people to enjoy.

High humidity. Bright lights but not direct sunlight. Temp. 60-75 °F. Water the roots only to prevent crown rot. They love acidic environment esp the potting medium. Cut above the nodes to promote continuous bloom. Use complete fertilizer with higher Potassium and Phosphorus content for blooming ( It is the last two numbers of complete fertilizer,such as 10-30-20, the 30 and 20. Don't neglect.

I would love an orchid but I'm afraid I'd kill it. Do they have good looking fake ones?

This is my friend, Bob's, orchid. He lost his wife, to cancer, last summer, and was afraid the orchid might not survive. He's kinda proud of himself with how well it is.

joann, I have a fake one as well. The beauty of that one is that it can be placed anywhere in the house and doesn't require water!! It's in a really nice ceramic vase. I got it from a neighbor for $5. :)