Get more ideas on how to plant, grow, and care for various tropical plants with our Tropical Plants: A Field Guide. Search for:. What should I do when my orchid stops blooming? Above: In the wild, many moth orchids thrive in humidity and moist climates, in filtered sunlight beneath a canopy of trees. Keep them out of harsh, direct sunlight. When should I re-pot my orchid? Above: Once established, a moth orchid will bloom year after year. How much sun does a moth orchid need? Above: If you put a moth orchid in a west-facing window, the problem is it gets sun in the hot part of the day.
Should I put my orchid in a Swiss-cheese pot with the holes? Tip : Give roots lots of air by tucking them into medium-size pieces of bark. Above: Fertilize your orchid every second time you water it, with a diluted solution of fertilizer. How often should I water my orchid? If you were given a Phalaenopsis orchid around Valentine's Day, chances are its bloom cycle has finished. This is merely the beginning of a new journey and an essential part of caring for orchids. As noted in our previous post , Phalaenopsis orchids go through a resting phase called dormancy after blooming.
Dormancy typically lasts for six to nine months but may vary from plant to plant. Providing your orchid with quality care during its dormant phase will help ensure that your orchid reblooms again. When all the blooms have fallen from your Phalaenopsis orchid, follow these steps to trigger orchid reblooming. Note: I f your orchid is currently losing blooms, you should remove the wilting ones to preserve the life of the remaining blooms. Wilting blooms produce ethylene which causes the surrounding blooms to wilt faster, too.
At this point, your orchid is dormant, but not dead. It will stay this way for six to nine months until the new blooms appear. The key to getting the bloom was more light. Good roots bring good blooms. An orchid may have deceptively beautiful leaves with a root system that is in dire trouble. Often root trouble is the result of overwatering or lack of repotting. Orchid roots need oxygen to survive and without it they smother. The media that orchids are potted in is not like the dirt that traditional houseplants are potted in.
Even the best orchid mix breaks down over time and requires replacement. Often times fear of the repotting process will cause people to leave an orchid in the mix for far too long. This may be preventing the orchid from having enough stored strength to bloom. The selection of a top quality orchid mix is of the utmost importance.
Don't be fooled by generic orchid mixes sold at hardware stores. When it comes to orchid mixes, quality and freshness really matter. Once you see for yourself the difference a fresh mix from the highest quality ingredients makes compared to store brands you won't ever want to go back to those inferior mixes again. Watching an orchid carefully can give clues to trouble at the root zone see clear pots. When we buy orchids at the store they are typically quite young.
Over time each new leaf or pseudobulb should be bigger than the previous one or at least the same size. This determination can typically be made when the next new leaf or pseudobulb begins to form, or the plant goes into its bloom cycle. There are two types of growth patterns for orchids, sympodial and monopodial. The monopodial orchids, Phalaenopsis and Vanda being the two most common, grow up off a single central stem with leaves on either side.
We expect to see each leaf be at least as big as the leaf before it and hope to see at least one or two new leaves per year. The next bloom spike on a monopodial orchid comes from the base at the underside of a leaf, usually 2 or 3 leaves down from the newest leaf and on the opposite side as the prior bloom spike. In order to keep blooming over the years, monopodial orchids such as Phalaenopsis need to put on new leaves each year. Over time, as the orchid grows in size and strength it will send out a bloom spike on each side of the stem simultaneously.
Sympodial orchids have multiple growths and usually grow one or more new growths per year. Often the growth pattern looks like a corkscrew with each new growth coming from the side of the one before it in a circular pattern. For example, a young orchid which is purchased in bloom might have 4 or 5 stalks, most with leaves, with the bloom coming from the largest stalk. This is because small particles of soil will suffocate the roots, and they need ventilation in order to keep the orchid healthy and promote reblooming.
Unfortunately, some orchids resent being moved and will refuse to bloom for up to a year after repotting, but this is an essential part of orchid care, and without repotting, it may never bloom again at all. Another sign that you should repot your orchid is if several roots start to creep over the top of the pot, as this indicates that there is no room available in the pot. Orchids are tropical plants that enjoy warm environments, but in order to rebloom, they need to experience a temperature drop.
This temperature change is a cue for the plant that it is time to rebloom. There are two ways to achieve this; either move your plant to a lesser used room in your home or move your orchid to a different room each night.
If you have a room in your home that is cooler than the rest, such as a basement or a spare bedroom, move your orchid to this room to spend the night, every night, for two weeks.
Alternatively, if your home is heated during the day, turn the heating off overnight, and this will allow your plant to experience the necessary temperature drop. This will help to promote reblooming. Though orchids do need a temperature change to produce flowers, take care not to put it in a room that is too cold, because orchids are sensitive plants that will not react well to this.
Table of Contents. After-Bloom Care. Too Much Light. Not Enough Light. Too Much Water. Too Little Water.
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