Orchid Care - Caring For Orchids Before and After Blooming

If you give your orchid good care before and after blooming, it will continue on their growth cycle path and bloom again. Many people are afraid that their orchids will never bloom again, but this is not true if you follow some basic rules of orchid care.

Begin by purchasing a plant that is mature and has already bloomed once or is in the process of blooming. That way you guarantee a basic degree of success and should not have an orchid which never blooms. It is your efforts at orchid care which will be rewarded with its next period of flower production.

So, let's look at some of the basics of orchid care before blooming. Orchids need a goodly amount of water but not too much water. How much is enough depends on the kind of orchid you have. For instance, some orchids should get very dry before watering while others should not. If you have a moth orchid, which is one of the easiest to grow, the soil should not get overly dry nor should it ever be soggy.

It is the same situation with the humidity and orchid care. Depending on the species of orchid you have, necessary humidity levels can vary from forty to seventy percent. Most orchids tend to be on the higher end of this spectrum as they grow wild in the tropics. You need to find out what humidity level is needed for your specific type and then meet it. If you live in a cold area but have an orchid that needs warm air and a lot of humidity, you could try growing orchids in a glass home, such as a terrarium.

A terrarium, greenhouse, or other type of shelter can also help you maintain the correct temperature levels for your orchids. Again, the species of orchid will determine its favorite temperatures but a general range is sixty-five to eighty degrees. Your plant is helped to flower abundantly by 10-15 degree cooler temperatures overnight.

Another blooming requirement is bright light, but that doesn't mean hours of direct summer sun. Too much direct sunlight can cause sunburn and scalding for orchids. Inside, you can experiment with windows, especially those facing south or you can use the terrarium or enclosure approach where you can place florescent lighting.

If you get the light just right, your orchid's foliage will be yellowish and not dark green. Dark green means too little light and under these conditions, the orchid may not bloom.

Blooms are also dependent on a plant well-fed with plenty of fertilizer. You need to fertilize orchids every couple weeks. In most cases, use a very diluted mixture. The decision is yours whether it be organic or synthetic, such as 10-10-10, 30-10-10, or 10-10-30, but don't let the fertilizer burn the plant.

Plants are dormant for several weeks after blooming. Continue with normal care for orchids during this time. Depending on the type of orchid, you may need to cut off the flower stem and surrounding sheath. Other orchids do not need the stem trimmed at all. Be sure to know which orchid you have and its post-bloom process.

If your orchid has been in the same pot for two years or more, it is time to repot during the period in-between blooming. It may be too large for its pot or the medium in which it is planted may have overly decomposed. Be gentle and repot the orchid in osmunda fiber, fir bark, gravel, peat moss, or another material good for growing orchids. This should give it a good start on its next period of growth and new blooms.