With their striking shapes and dazzling colours, orchids are among the most popular houseplants, but many owners quickly give up on them when the blooms fade. Now, one gardener has shared a simple method she claims revived her orchid after it appeared to be dead for months.
TikTok creator Ashley Hess (@thehesshomestead_023) told her followers that “orchids are a total scam” in the way they are often sold in supermarkets, with tightly packed roots that can suffocate the plant. Many people, she explained, end up throwing their orchids away at the first sign of decline.
Instead of tossing hers, Ashley carefully removed the plant from its pot, loosened the compacted soil around its roots, and gently rinsed them clean.
“They do not want to be tightly confined like this,” she explained, stressing the importance of treating the delicate roots carefully.
She then placed the orchid in a jar of water, changing it regularly to keep it clean. “This was my orchid that was dead on my table for months,” she said.
“It just had the leaves and this stem and it stopped. The roots are almost non-existent.”
Within weeks, she reported, the plant had grown a fresh stem and produced new blooms. Excited by the results, she urged others: “Get them out of those little prisons!”
The approach, sometimes called the “water culture method”, has divided opinion among plant enthusiasts. Some warned that standing roots in water could increase the risk of root rot, a concern echoed by orchid specialists, including the YouTuber known as Orchid Whisperer.
Ashley defended her method, noting that orchids in the wild cling to trees where their roots are exposed to air and moisture. “Different methods work depending on your space and climate,” she said.
Experts advise that while water culture can work for some species, results will vary depending on the orchid variety and growing conditions. Gardeners are encouraged to research their specific plant before trying alternative methods.