Please help me with my new orchid

A question about : Please help me with my new orchid

I was given an orchid for my birthday two months ago and it's still going strong! This is a first as all those I've had previously died on me.

I've kept it in a north facing window away from heat or strong sunlight and watered it from below when the compost felt a bit dry.

Is this right? Should I be doing anything else?

What I wanted to ask was whether I can/should repot it? It came potted in what seems to be no more than a plastic drinking cup and it's very tightly packed in there. It will only stand upright in the plant holder because I've wedged it into some gravel. Does it need to be tightly packed in the pot like this?

All advice welcome.

TIA

Best answers:

• Cut the stem hard back, wait for a new stem to grow.
  And try to train the stem to grow straight, its fairly flexible.When about a foot high allow to bend
  Don't over water.
  Don't worry about overcrowding roots , thats normal
• Before you cut the stem off check that there isn't a new shoot growing out of it as mine often sprout a new flower stalk from the old one. I feed mine with orchid food about once a month and wipe the leaves with a slightly damp cloth to keep the dust off. good luck
• I don't do house plants normally as I kill them, but I was given one as a moving in present 5 years ago and its doing well considering I neglect it for months at a time. I occasionally remember to water it but don't do anything else and it flowers time after time. I have got a new flower shoot showing off an old stem. I did think about cutting it back but forgot lol
• I have 4 orchids at home atm, one I have had for around three years and its still flowering really well.
  Like the others have said, the pot is fine.
  As for cutting back, don't cut back too far down. That is a mistake I have made previously and it never grew back. You see the little nooks all the way up the stem? Most people suggest cutting just above the lowest one however, I'd go one above that. Like one of the others said, just double check that there aren't any new shoots already developing before you chop away.
  It will take a while before a new shoot begins to grow.
  They like a lot of natural light but not direct sunlight. I water mine once every two weeks with probably half a cup of water. I've never actually fed mine before either until just recently for a plant which has a new stem growing. x
• Just read all the advice on here - Thank you
  I was bought an orchid as a gift and when the flowers dropped I cut the stem back to the node just below where the flowers had been - now I think that might have been wrong and I should have cut lower down?
  The stem wound 'leaked' for about a week and there is no sign of any more flowers on the way but there is a new healthy looking leaf growing at the base so I presume the plant is OK.
  So......should I leave well alone or cut the stem further down?
  And what sort of food would be appropriate please or none?
  I am watering about every 10 days.
  TIA
• Cut more and water less.
  I would still cut very low. And water even less,
  Post #8 ........... just leave the poor thing alone.
• If the 'roots' are fat and green it doesn't need watering. Once they start to look a bit shrivelled ( but not too far gone), dunk the plant pot into water for about 10 minutes and then let it stand and drain. That's about all the care they need apart from making sure they don't get too hot and keep them out of direct sun which will scorch the leaves.
  I cut the flower stem back to a couple of nodes above the plant base and that works for me. Different folk seem to prefer different methods but they all seem to work.
  Be aware that the growing tip of the flower stem is pretty delicate and can easily be knocked off as I discovered last year :-(
• Just came on to say a big thank you to everyone who gave orchid advice. I followed instructions, new stem has grown and lovely flowers just coming out.
  Spurred on by this success I have nurtured a Christmas cactus I got as a gift last year. That too s just coming into glorious flower. OK so that's a few weeks early but I'm pleased.
• Christmas cacti are brilliant plants they require minimum care and give fantastic flowering display but mine never flower at christmas, it's something to do with light levels and the growers must use artificial light to get them into flower at the desired time. I have a christmas cacti which I left outside undercover a few years ago the temperature dropped to something like minus 6 degrees one night and the poor thing got frozen, I salvaged three leaf nodes and planted them up and luckily one eventually grew into a fine plant which is now in flower these plants are tough.
• Has it been in full flower yet as they don't last very long? Mine sit on a windowsill out of the sun I have heard say that when they are in flower they shouldn't be moved I don't know if this is correct.
• Cool and bright light is best. They don't like warm & dry indoors, and they'll lose flowers much faster if they get hot. I, too, have heard not to move them once in flower, but I'm afraid I ignore that, and plant trundles around where I can enjoy it best.
  Once flowering is over, remove the dead flowers with a little twist, keeps new flowers coming. You can break off a leaf and pot it on as a cutting for further plants.