6 Tips to Keep Orchids Blooming and Last for Years
Orchids are flowers as beautiful as they are delicate, and their care is often the subject of doubts and mistakes. In this article, we list some tips to keep orchids blooming, from irrigation to location.
If well cared for, orchids can last for years and give us tons of beautiful flowers. Follow the tips below carefully to have a healthy and blooming orchid.
Suitable vase
Although we are often marketed in transparent containers, not all orchids are suitable for this type of pot. Floor orchids, for example, do very well in ceramic pots or any other opaque material. It is the climbing orchids that need to receive light on the roots, and among these we find the very famous Phalaenopsis .
In any case, any type of orchid will grow roots out of the pot if it does not receive the amount of light it needs.
Irrigation
Orchids must have constantly moist roots, but great care must be taken not to create stagnant water. Irrigation should be done by spraying water on the substrate (in the case of ground plants) or by immersing it in water for about 2 minutes and no more. Let the plant drain well to avoid stagnation.
The best way to know when the orchid needs water is to put your finger in the substrate to see if it is moist or not. Another way is to make sure that the roots are apple green in color. If they are not grayish, they need water.
Flowering
To have an orchid in continuous flowering, you must change the substrate once a year, but you can keep the same pot because orchids do not grow in size.
As the plant is watered, the substrate loses its nutrients and it is therefore important to change it. Also apply a dedicated fertilizer and remember to choose a substrate specially designed for orchids.
Tips to stimulate flowering
One of the most effective tips to stimulate the flowering of orchids is to give them a little cold. During the coldest months, such as February, March or October and November, place the orchid outside, on the balcony or terrace, while avoiding frost, exposure to the sun and cold currents.
Keep the orchid outside for a week. In this way, the plant perceives the change of season and will activate flowering.
In case the roots are already exhausted and the plant has not bloomed for a whole year, try to apply another trick which consists of putting a teaspoon of honey dissolved in the water that we use for irrigation. Do not do it more than once a year.
A transplant
To do this, it is really very simple: just take the plant out of the pot and place the pine bark. Spray the roots with a fungicide for orchids, then use a substrate to replant the orchid.
Continue to fill the pot with substrate and, to make it settle, give the pot a little nudge.
Pruning
When an orchid stick stops producing flowers and enters a layer of rot (takes a brownish color and begins to dry out), cut it with sterilized scissors.
To help the cut heal, add a little ground cinnamon.