Question
okay, so i went on an orchid spree and i have five now. idk what there names are they are all different i believe. i have one purple orchid, one white orchid with spots, one that is like lime green and has purple spots,another that is white and has hot pink in the middle and one white one with purple in the middle. i got all them because i love orchids and my dad has a few like me. he said thay are really easy to take care of so i thought it was no biggy. i have been using the ice cube method. i water them once every week or two, sometimes longer. but i have only had some for about 2 weeks and the peddles are already starting to die off. i can see baby blooms where a new flower would grow but most of those has turn brown and fallen off as well. also on the very first and second one i got the leaves on the bottom are turning brown. they look really sick! idk what to do. i keep watering them, as normal, they are out of direct sunlight. what could be wrong with them?!?!???? PLEASE HELP ME SAVE THEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer
Mary, always good to hear from a newbe. For some successful orchid growers like your dad it is always easy. Over the years I have heard from hundreds of new growers, many of whom have an emotional stake in what happens to their plant(s). Let's consider this the first part of an ongoing conversation since I have found that when I provide ideas and suggestions they often raise more questions.  First. relax, and consider this the beginning of an ongoing learning experience.

In the future, you will want to be sure you know what type of orchid you have.  They shoul;d have some sort of tag in the pot.  If not, perhaps your dad, if he is close by, can help identify it.  There are many types of orchids and some require different growing conditions than others.  I'm going to assume that, except for color, yours look pretty much the same.  The most common type of orchid for pot culture is the phalaenopsis orchid.  Another name for this orchid is the moth orchid because of the appearance of the flowers.  Unlike other house plants, in nature, orchids usually grow with their roots exposed on tree branches, tree trunks, and even rocks. Pot culture must attempt to reproduce those conditions.  This is done by using a pot with lots of drainage holes for air movement through the root zone and a very coarse potting mix that promotes rapid drainage and air flow through the potting mix. Ingredients in an orchid potting mix consist of fir bark, tree fern, charcoal, perlite, lava rock, etc..  Most commercial orchid potting mixes contain fir bark as one ingredient and, over time, fir bark will decay, and create a more soil-like condition which retains moisture and inhibits air flow.  For that reason, it is recommended that plants be repoted in this special orchid potting mix after each flowering.  There are several types of orchid potting mixes on the market (eg Lowes or Home Depot garden centers often have it).  Choose the type that has fir bark as an ingredient (about 1/2 inch size pieces on the average).  Then, strain it to remove the dust and fine particles that are present.  Before use, soak it for at least an hour. When you unpot a plant, rinse off the roots and remove any that are mushy.  These roots have died due to a poor root environment.  Yoy may clean and reuse the same pot if the remaining roots will fit and it has enough air holes in the bottom.  Place the roots into the pot, rotating the pot as you insert the roots and, when they are fully into the pot, slowly add add handfuls of the wet potting mix until the pot is filled within an inh from the top. Place the pot aside to drain overnight.  Then move to a growing area such as an east facing window sill.  Place in a pebble tray and it will appreciate air movement from a small fan. Water it outside of the pebble tray and then place it in the pebble tray to drain so there is moisture in the pebble tray. Always allow the potting mix to dry out before watering.

Leaf yellowing, leaf drop, and bud drop can be traced to problems in the root zone so this potting and repotting is essential to plant health.  Since orchids will rebloom if grown well, I can't overemphasize the proper potting mix.

I recommend that you abandon the ice cube method.  That is a recent gimmick pushed by some commercial growers to make it appear easy to water plants.  In fact, it creates several problems.  The plants don't like to get cold feet which can come from melting ice water. Always water with room temperature water.  Secondly, the potting mix beneath the melting ice cubes gets the benefit of most of the melt water and other areas of the potting mix remain relatively dry.  When you water, soak the potting mix thoroughly so as to uniformly wet all areas of the potting mix.

Individual orchid flowers stay open 4-6 weeks.  Since they were in bloom when you got them, it is difficult to assess hopw long the flowers had been open before you received the plant.  The flowers may be following from a natural aging process. There are many factors involved in bud loss.  Buds are especially sensitive to changes in temperature or humidity. If the plants were exposed to cold while in transport from the source, this could have caused buds to turn brown and fall off.  The same could be said in moving the plant to a less humid environment.  Finally, there could be a root problem mentioned earlier.