Keeping Your Orchid Healthy Between Blooming Cycles

It’s natural for your orchid to enter a resting phase after blooming. With a little care and patience, your plant can produce even more blooms the next time. A few fairly simple steps can help your orchid grow new leaves and replenish its strength for its next show of gorgeous blooms.

Light
Light is one of the most critical requirements for a healthy orchid. The leaves can tell you whether you’ve placed your plant in an optimum location. Dark green leaves will alert you that your plant needs more light. Light green leaves indicate the plant is receiving the right amount of sunlight. If placing your plants in windows, you can prevent sunburned plants by hanging a sheer curtain between your orchid and the glass.

Water and Humidity
Other critical considerations are proper watering and humidity, both of which ensure happy, healthy orchids. Overwatering is the most common problem associated with poor performing orchids. When watering an orchid, be sure to drain off excess water. Check that the pot’s drainage holes are operable, and place the pot on a bed of wet pebbles. The orchid should not be sitting in water but be placed just above it. Many people report orchids that flourish when placed in a window sill above the kitchen sink or in a bright bathroom.

Repotting
When the plant is resting is the best time to repot. Choose a potting medium that is appropriate to your variety of orchid. Wait until the blooms begin to fold and a new leaf begins to form, and then remove the bloom spike by cutting at the base of the spike.

The new pot should be large enough to allow the plant to grow for two or three years before needing to be repotted again – approximately 2” larger than the current pot size. While roots growing outside the pot do not hurt the plant, it is better to have them tucked inside because they are vulnerable to being bumped and damaged when climbing out of their pots.

Plant Food
Feeding your resting orchid will help it rebloom faster. Orchids require plant food, known as fertilizer, for food. In nature, they receive this from dead or rotting plant and animal material. Regular feeding with an orchid plant food is essential to getting the best results from your orchids. There are several different nutrients that are required by the plant for proper growth.

A plant food made specifically for orchids - such as Better-Gro® Orchid Plus® plant food - typically contains all the nutrients your orchids need. For best results, always follow the directions on the plant food package. We recommend feeding with Better-Gro® Better-Bloom® Plant Food every fourth feeding to help boost your orchid’s blooming performance.
 
Continue to care for the plant, and it will flourish and reward you with bright happy blooms that last for months.

---