Boost Your Orchids with These Tips

Orchids are one of my favorite indoor plants because they remind me of Hawaii, especially in Kauai when I lived there for 2nd and 3rd grades.

I have one orchid that is in its second bloom. It was given to me in April 2021 and it had beautiful blooms shooting off of two stems. The blooms lived for about six weeks. In September last year, four buds began to grow so they did bloom again. Generally, they bloom in the spring.

Orchids are so elegant and colorful. They're also very sensitive. If you care for them properly, they'll live for a long time and if you're lucky, they will bloom again. It took a little over four months for mine to rebloom so it requires patience.

The last orchid I had didn't survive. Note there are many different varieties. If you don't have experience caring for orchids and want one, I recommend visiting your nursery so you can speak with someone regarding its care. Otherwise, you can find them in grocery stores or even at your large hardware store that has an inside area for house plants.

Soil

Orchids do not need soil but some people grow theirs in soil. My plant is in a large pot of peat moss. We also have one that is in soil but it hasn't had any new blooms for almost a year, but there's hope since it is growing new leaves. If you use peat moss, when the top of the peat moss feels dry to the touch, then it's time to add moisture.

Water

I usually put four to five ice cubes on top of the peat moss to water my orchids once a week. If you choose to use water, don't drown it where it will be soggy on the bottom to the point you could develop root rot. Also, don't use tap water. Use bottled water to refrain from the minerals found in tap water. Your plant will require more water in the summertime. Some people mist their plants.

Temperature control

Orchids do not like to be in cold weather and you want to make sure they aren't in heat that exceeds 86 degrees. You don't want to place your orchid plant in direct sunlight either. I have mine next to a patio window facing east where it is exposed to some filtered light but not in the path of the sun shining through the glass. Also, in the winter, you don't want to keep orchids too close to windows because of any cool drafts seeping through.

The blooms

Usually, after blooms fall off, you want to trim the stem down near the base. I did not trim one of my stems because I noticed new growth coming out of it which eventually did produce more buds which were exciting. I didn't expect it to bloom again so soon.

While caring for orchids is a delicate matter, you also don't want to over-complicate the experience. Keep it simple and be patient. There's nothing like watching new orchids bloom!

The blooms of orchids are available in a variety of colors and some of the blooms have different hues of the main color which makes them so pleasing to watch grow. Some colors are red, pink, white, blue, green, purple, orange, and yellow. Allegedly, blue is supposed to be a rare color.

According to Allan's Flowers and other florists, the colors represent a meaning. For example, for the blue orchids,

[Blue Orchids] themselves are unique flowers in that they often become overshadowed by the popular red rose, pink tulip, or white lily. Blue orchids are a symbol of rarity, uniqueness, beauty, and even spirituality. Gift a blue orchid to someone you believe to be beautiful in their own unique way. (Source.)

Thank you for reading.

© Cathy Coombs