There are two occasions when I tend to prune my orchids. The first is after they’ve flowered to encourage new growth and often a second flush of blooms or prepare them for a cooler period ready before they naturally bloom again. The second is to remove diseased or dead flowers and foliage to help prevent the spread of diseases or rejuvenate a dying orchid. Here’s how I go about pruning my orchids. After flowering Some orchids bloom just once a…
The key to preventing and treating orchid root rot and crown rot is regulating the amount of water the orchids receive. Over-watering, which often leads to root and crown rot, is the number one cause of death of orchids kept inside the home. As its name suggests, orchid root rot starts in the root and can then move further up your orchid stem; then, it becomes crown rot. Here’s how from my own experience, I have managed to prevent and…
With sufficient care and attention, it’s not unusual for orchids in the home to live for up to 10 to 15 years or even longer. The orchid blooms can last for up to 16 weeks, depending on the type of orchid. There are a few key things you can do to increase the length of both your orchid blooms and plants, including care and maintenance. I cover all that here in this guide, starting with how long you can expect…
Growing orchids without soil and in water is called hydroponics or water culture. This is a popular way of growing many plants, including ornamental plants and some vegetables. The orchids grow in a mixture of water and nutrients rather than orchid potting mix. This is a clean way of growing plants, and it’s relatively easy, with good success rates even for beginners. And it’s especially useful for those orchid growers who are never sure if it’s time to water their…
Yes, you can take your orchid outside in the summer. But there are quite a few precautions that you must take. First is knowing the conditions that best suit your orchid plant and providing those. And then, you have to adjust your orchid care routine to the weather outside your home. I cover all of this in this article. Conditions for your orchid outside For your orchid’s summer trip outside to be successful, you need to provide conditions much like…
It’s worrying when you find spots on your orchid leaves. The spots may be brown or black or in transition between the two colours, with a few more thrown in. Here are three of the primary diseases – Botrytis, Black rot and Bacterial brown spot – that cause spots on orchid leaves, how to recognise them and what to do about them. Botrytis on orchid leaves What is botrytis? Botrytis is a fungal disease that affects many plants. If your…
As with most plants, orchids can reproduce sexually through seeds and asexually through vegetative options such as dividing plants and, my favourite taking cuttings. As it’s difficult to propagate an orchid through seeds, I usually recommend people propagate by division and taking cuttings. I’ll start this article with the latter two methods as they’re easier and more likely to produce new orchids. Division Division is the easiest method to propagate an orchid. But unfortunately, not all orchids can be divided….
The reason that your orchid is dropping blooms ranges from the natural growth cycle through a change in temperature to orchid pests. I cover these and many more reasons in this article. Natural life cycle If you’ve just purchased your orchid, the blooms may be dropping because of the plant’s natural life cycle. It may have been forced to bloom to be sold and the flower is dying and falling off. Not all orchids flower for a long time. If…
The two main reasons for your orchid wilting are water and heat – either an excess or shortage of each. Plus transplant shock from repotting your orchid plant can lead to its leaves wilting. Read on to determine which problem is plaguing your orchid and what to do about it. Water and moisture Over- and under-watering can both cause wilting Both over-watering and under-watering your orchid have the same effect on the plant. The leaves turn yellow, become wrinkled and…
There’s nothing to worry about if your orchid stem is turning brown after the blooms fade away. This signals that the stem has finished supporting the life of the flower and it’s entered a period of rest. This is part of the natural life cycle of the orchid plant. Here’s what to do about the brown stem, and when it becomes a problem. Blooms have faded What to do with the brown stem Cut the brown, dried out stem back…