Without flowers, orchids are inconspicuous plants. With the right care, the flowering period can be extended. After flowering, a resting phase is important, during which the plants also need proper care so that they can gather strength for new flowering shoots. In particular, waking up the plants towards the end of the dormant period can be decisive in determining how abundant the next flowering phase will be.
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extend flowering time
Many receive a flowering Orchidaceae as a gift or buy it in bloom. Proper care is important to ensure that the flowers of freshly purchased plants last as long as possible. This includes the following points:
Location: The location of the orchids should be bright but without direct sun. In nature, the exotics often settle on trees and even terrestrial varieties prefer shady locations. You should also offer these lighting conditions to the plants in the apartment.
Temperature: Orchids are uncompromising when it comes to temperature. You need at least 12°C to a maximum of 20°C. Under the shady canopy of large trees, the temperature does not rise further, even in tropical regions, and if so, not permanently, since the degrees drop again at night. In summer you can therefore easily hang the orchid on a branch of a tree. In winter it is a bit more difficult to provide the right temperature for an Orchidaceae. Above all, you should avoid drafts.
Fertilization: Although orchids are very undemanding plants, they have a very high nutrient requirement when they are in bloom. During flowering, the orchid is also fertilized weekly with watering. For this you should only use an orchid fertilizer in liquid form. Liquid fertilizers allow the plants to absorb them more quickly, which in turn benefits flowering. The flowering period can be significantly extended.
Watering: While the orchids are blooming, you need to water them at least once a week. No cold water from the tap is used for this, it should be at least room temperature. In addition, orchids do not like calcareous water, which can also lead to a shorter flowering period. To water, you can either immerse the plants in a bucket for a few minutes or water them directly. However, you have to empty the water in the cachepot afterwards.
propagation
Where there is a flower, it can also happen that an Orchidaceae will have offspring. This can happen either through the formation of a seed capsule or the formation of so-called Kindel at the inflorescence. Depending on the variety, only propagation via seeds may be possible. The popular Phalaenopsis variety is easier to propagate via Kindl, while terrestrial varieties are more likely to form seeds. In principle, however, propagation via seeds is possible with every orchid, but pollination must be done by hand.
Whether propagation is allowed or not varies from case to case. Basically, a propagation of the plant costs a lot of energy, which means that the nutrient requirement has to be increased. It also enters the phase of dormancy later that it still has to train its offspring. However, there is nothing to prevent healthy and vigorous plants from being used for propagation.
Only when you accept the Kindl or you remove the ripe seeds does the flowering break begin. When removing, you should make sure that you cut off the remains of the inflorescence completely, as leftovers can begin to mold.
pruning
In order for the plants to be able to safely go into the flowering phase, dried parts of the plants must be removed. This applies to inflorescences as well as to aerial roots. In the dormant phase, the plants mainly need their energy to regenerate and form new plants for leaves and flowers. During this time they are also particularly sensitive to diseases and pests.
A clean pruning of old plant parts prevents bacteria or pests from settling there that damage the plants. It is always important to use a clean cutting tool when cutting back. A sharp knife is ideal for this. Scissors have the disadvantage that they can crush plant parts, which in turn leads to the death of tissue.
repot
When orchids stop blooming, it’s time to repot them. If the plants are repotted before the flowering break, this can possibly be such a big shock for them that they drop a large part of the flowers or closed flowers die off. The procedure for repotting is as follows:
- Carefully remove the orchid from the pot
- shake off old substrate
- Check root health
- remove dried roots
- Place the plant in a new pot with new substrate
- Submerge the plant for at least an hour
After repotting, the orchid does not need any additional fertilization for about four weeks. In the coming dormant phase, the new substrate already provides it with sufficient nutrients. How high the nutrient requirement is then depends on when the plant enters the flowering phase. In autumn and winter, the need for nutrients is lower than during a rest in summer, when faded plants can use the fertilizer even better.
The same also applies to casting. Although the watering intensity is also reduced during the rest phase, this is again adjusted to the season. In winter it is sufficient to water every three weeks, in summer the frequency is increased to two weeks.
Orchids in winter
Most Orchidaceae enter the flowering phase in autumn or winter. This time is ideal because at this time the temperatures are lower and there is less daylight. Almost all plants – even the exotic ones – are then in dormant mode. Depending on the variety, the plants may bloom again until late autumn, such as Miltoniopsis. The lady’s slipper or Venus slipper is very flexible in its flowering period and can also flower in winter.
flowering time
Blossoms in late autumn or winter are short-lived and over after about four to five weeks, even with good care. In spring and summer, the flowering period can last for several months if the plants are properly cared for.
end of the rest period
The end of the dormant phase is determined by the orchid itself. This phase of regeneration usually lasts up to six months. The end of the flowering period is very easy to recognize, as the plant begins to form new leaves and shoots. In connection with this, you also have to start fertilizing weekly again so that the plant has sufficient nutrients available.
No new bloom
An Orchidaceae needs a lot of attention and plant lovers want to be rewarded with a new flower. But sometimes the flower is a long time coming and despite good care, it can no longer get out of the resting period. If the period of dormancy exceeds a year, this is not due to poor or insufficient care, but that the plant lacks the incentive to wake up again.
There are three measures that help to get the plants out of the break:
- reduction in watering
- Reduction of fertilizer application
- Drop in temperature at night
As with many other plants, the orchid’s survival program starts when water and fertilizer are reduced. They are worried that they will not survive and try to provide offspring in time by creating a new generation with a flower.
The lowering of the temperature at night, on the other hand, simulates a condition that many Orchidaceae find in their natural habitat. Even in tropical regions there are seasons when temperatures drop significantly, at least at night. If you simulate this condition in the living room for several weeks, the orchid usually starts to produce new inflorescences. The advantage is that the simulated environment allows you to better control the time when orchids bloom again. This allows you to extend the resting phase and wake up the orchid at a better time, such as in spring.
