How Can I Make An Orchid Bloom Last Longer?

Last updated on October 23rd, 2023 at 08:44 pm

Orchid blooms are known for their beauty, but they can be relatively short-lived. To extend the blooming period of your orchid, follow these tips:

1. Proper Care: The most crucial factor in prolonging orchid blooms is providing the right care. Make sure your orchid is healthy and thriving. Different types of orchids have slightly different care requirements, so be sure to know the specific needs of your orchid species.
2. Ideal Light: Orchids generally require bright, indirect light. Too much direct sunlight can cause the blooms to fade and wither quickly. Adjust the light levels based on the type of orchid you have.
3. Optimal Temperature: Maintain the appropriate temperature for your orchid. Most orchids prefer a daytime temperature between 65-80°F (18-27°C) and a slightly cooler night temperature.
4. Humidity: Orchids thrive in higher humidity levels. To maintain humidity, use a humidity tray, a room humidifier, or mist the air around the orchid, taking care not to wet the flowers themselves.
5. Proper Watering: Overwatering can lead to root rot, which can affect the longevity of the blooms. Water your orchid when the top inch of the potting medium feels dry, and be sure to let excess water drain away. Avoid letting the orchid sit in standing water.
6. Fertilize Wisely: Use a balanced orchid fertilizer, and follow the recommended application instructions. Over-fertilization can lead to excessive vegetative growth at the expense of flowers. During the blooming period, you can use a fertilizer with a higher phosphorus content to encourage more blooms.
7. Repot When Necessary: Orchids generally don’t need frequent repotting, but if your orchid is root-bound or if the potting medium has broken down, consider repotting after the blooming period. Repotting can rejuvenate the plant and improve its overall health.
8. Deadhead Spent Blooms: Remove spent flowers and stems as soon as they wilt. This helps the orchid redirect energy into new growth and future blooms.
9. Proper Air Circulation: Adequate air circulation helps prevent mold and disease, which can affect the health of your orchid. Ensure good airflow around your orchid.
10. Dormancy and Rest Period: After the bloom cycle, some orchids may go through a short dormancy or rest period. During this time, reduce watering and fertilizing to allow the plant to recover before the next blooming phase.
11. Stake and Support: Use stakes or supports to keep the orchid’s flowering spikes upright. This can help prevent damage to the blooms.
12. Avoid Disturbance: Orchids don’t like being moved around frequently. Once you find a suitable spot for your orchid, try to keep it there as much as possible to minimize stress and encourage longer-lasting blooms.

Remember that the specific care requirements can vary depending on the type of orchid you have. Some orchids may naturally have shorter bloom periods than others, so it’s essential to understand the needs of your particular orchid species to provide the best care for prolonged and healthy blooming.

Flowering time: getting orchids to bloom longer

With improper orchid care, your plant may not bloom at all or may bloom very sparsely. To avoid this, we have put together a few tips for you, so that your orchid appears in full splendor and thus enchants its viewer.

• Your orchid needs a lot of light, but it should not be placed in the full midday sun.
• The orchid also does not tolerate large temperature fluctuations. That is, the fluctuation should not be greater than 2-3 ° C.
• Avoid drafts near them.
• In its natural environment, the tropics, it is used to high humidity. Make sure that the indoor climate is at least 60% humidity.
• Excess water should not remain in the pot, but should always be able to drain off well.
• Always use special orchid fertilizer for fertilizing.

Tip: If you spray the aerial roots with water and they turn greenish afterwards, then they are still healthy. If not, then they are already dead and you can carefully cut them off with a sharp knife.

With its elegant and differently colored flowers, the orchid is a real eye-catcher in your home. Delicate and graceful, it grows in height and forms its unique flowers that will make your home shine. Even if the orchid does not normally grow in our latitudes, you can still make it bloom effortlessly in your home. In our article we would like to show you what you need to consider when caring for orchids. After all, your plant should feel comfortable and safe with you!

The history of orchids

The orchid (Orchidaceae) describes a plant family with up to 30,000 species. In addition to their lush green leaves, they also form flowers in a wide variety of color combinations. So there is something for every taste. The realm of orchids is very diverse. They are found on every continent except Antarctica. However, the tropics and subtropics of South America and Asia are among their favorite natural habitats. Orchids have been cultivated for hundreds of years. It is used in herbal medicine, spice production and symbolism. Already the Greek philosopher and naturalist Theophrastus of Lesbos described these plants around 300 BC. But only by Carl von Linné the orchid species got their binary nomenclature as we know it today.

Orchid species

Since the family of orchids includes many species and more and more are added, we have listed for you the most common orchid species that we know as houseplants in our latitudes:

• Phalaenopsi
• Cattleya
• Cymbidium
• Dendrobium
• Brassia

The right orchid location for your home

Proper orchid care also includes finding the right location for your plant. For plants, the location can range from shady to partial shade to sunny. Depending on the type of plant, it will have different requirements for its location. Your orchid also makes some demands on its environment in your home. If your orchid is placed in a location that is unsuitable for it, this can quickly mean the end for it. Therefore, we have briefly summarized some requirements for the location.

A location at a window facing west or east is very suitable for your orchid (no direct sunlight).
In general, the plant tolerates temperatures of 25-30 °C best. This way it can develop its flowers optimally. In winter the temperature should not fall below 18 °C.
Humidity of at least 50% is ideal for the orchid.

Orchids in the bedroom yes or no?

Your bedroom can also serve as an orchid location. Here the plants feel very comfortable. It is even scientifically proven that they increase the humidity in the room, which leads to an improved indoor climate. Moreover, with their elegant flowers they create a good mood atmosphere.

Attention: If you are allergic to pollen, you should of course avoid any flowering and green houseplants in your bedroom.

In our article “9 plants for the bedroom” we show you other green beauties that are suitable for this room.

Orchid care: watering, fertilizing, pruning, etc.

Orchid care includes some important things that you should pay attention to. How to properly water your plant or start your own orchid family, we show you here.

Watering orchids correctly

Watering orchids properly is very important. It is not only important which water you use, but also which method you use to water your plant. This is the only way to ensure that the plant grows optimally and does not rot in the end because you watered it too much.

It is best to use rainwater for watering. Since many orchids grow on trees, this water is very suitable for watering. Tap water, which often contains lime, is not suitable for watering orchids.

Which Method Should You Use For Watering

Dipping as a watering method is more in line with natural conditions than ordinary watering. Orchids are found mainly in the rainforests of our planet. There, sudden and heavy rainfall is very common. Therefore, place your orchid in a container full of water once a week (twice in summer if you wish). The roots will start absorbing water immediately. After about half an hour you can take them out of the pot again.

Fertilize orchids correctly

Proper orchid care also includes the correct use of fertilizer. Orchids are normally used to getting their nutrients from the air or rainwater. Due to the sudden rains that often occur in the tropics, they always get small amounts of salts, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, nitrogen, zinc and manganese. To ensure this supply of nutrients at home, you should not use the usual plant fertilizer, but a special orchid fertilizer. This has the optimal composition of nutrients.

Tip: Fertilize your orchids only in the growth phase, in winter they do not need extra nutrients from you. If you use the dipping method when watering, add a dose of liquid orchid fertilizer every two weeks. This low dose fertilizer is sufficient for your plant.

To cut orchids aerial roots or not? – The right way to cut orchids

If you want to complete your orchid care properly, then regular cutting of orchids is also part of it. After all, the plant should be able to show its full flowering glory. The orchid is one of those plants that have so-called aerial roots that hang out of the ground. These special roots serve the orchid to absorb water and nutrients from the air. The texture resembles a sponge and is also responsible for water retention. Even though the aerial roots may not be visually appealing, they are vital to the orchid. Therefore, you should never cut them off, unless they are dead aerial roots.

Propagate orchids: Start your orchid family

Repotting your orchid is a good time to propagate your plant. By cutting off the plant, you can start your own small or even large orchid family. By regularly cutting off the offshoots, your plant will stay young and vital, and will also produce a beautiful flower again and again. Here you have a step-by-step guide:

• Carefully detach the connected roots of the offshoot and the mother plant. Also remove any dead roots.
• After dividing the offshoot from the mother plant, place it in a new larger container.
• Now continue to fill the pot with orchid soil. Make sure that there are not too many cavities.
• Once the small cutting is well settled in its new pot, you can water it with a spray bottle full of water. After some time, the roots will have anchored themselves in the new soil, then you can use the weekly dip for watering.

Are orchids poisonous?

You probably also ask yourself whether your plant contains dangerous substances that can have a toxic effect. For this reason, we want to clarify the question here: Are orchids poisonous for cats, dogs or children? Since there are over 30,000 different species, it is not possible to say that orchids are poisonous or not. Nevertheless, you can safely assume that the orchid you buy in a store is not poisonous to your four-legged friends or children. Nevertheless, you should take care that it is not consumed. If this should happen and you are unsure, it is best to take your pet or small child to the doctor. Better one course too much than too little!

Tips for problems with orchids

As you can see, proper orchid care must be skillful. If you still notice that something is wrong with your orchid, it may be that it is affected by plant pests or some other disease. Or maybe the location is not optimal. For this reason, in the article “Orchid diseases what to do?” we have listed the most common problems and how you can treat or prevent them. We are sure that with the right care and lots of love you can give the orchid a new home with you! If you would like to have more orchids in your home, feel free to check out our orchid collection. Here we have already compiled our orchids for you!