Orchid Care After Blooming

Everyone is aware of how beautiful those orchids are during the time when they are in full bloom. Many orchids have delicately arched branches with an abundance of large, colorful flowers. Unfortunately, the blooming cycle for orchids is only a part of their annual cycle. After these plants have delighted us with their floral displays, they will eventually lose their blossoms and they will then have to cycle through a dormant period before springing into blooming action once again.

Here are some of the very best tips to help you care for your orchids after they bloom.

  • It is an excellent idea to give your plants a thorough rinsing so that you can clean the leaves, roots, and potting medium. This will refresh and revitalize your orchids. Just set the plant pot in a sink. Then you can pour a gentle stream of room temperature water over the plant. Instead of using freshly drawn water, you should fill a gallon-size milk jug with water the night before and allow it to sit for 12-24 hours beforehand.
  • Try spraying the orchid roots and leaves with a diluted fertilizing solution a few times each week. This will help encourage the plant to generate strong, new growth in the upcoming weeks.
  • Any orchid that you have had in your home for 12-24 months will benefit from being repotted. This is a relatively easy process, but you just need to be careful as you perform each step of the orchid repotting process. First, you need to remove the orchid from the existing pot and then shake the roots to remove any old potting material. Next, you will need to gently rinse the roots of the plant, trim away any roots that have die and place it in a new, slightly larger pot. Add enough orchid potting material to fill in around the plant and then give it a thorough watering.
  • After your orchids have bloomed, you might want to inspect the pots to make sure that the drainage holes are open and can allow water to flow freely from the container.
  • When orchid plants have completed their blooming cycle, they should be protected from direct sunlight and direct airflow. Filtered sunlight and some indirect air currents from a small fan are what these plants need now.
  • Use this time to inspect all of your plants. You can check the potting medium, leaves and pots to make sure that there are no problems that need to be addressed.
  • If your orchid has already bloomed and it is now the summer season you may want to place your plant in an orchid basket and suspend it from a tree branch. This will provide some indirect sunlight as well as a little humidity for your orchid.
  • During the summer months, you should continue to water and feed the orchids on a regular schedule. Even though the plants may not look like they are doing very much, they need the food and water to store enough energy to produce new buds.
  • Allow your orchids to stay outdoors until the temperature readings reach the low 50 range. These temperatures will often help encourage the plant to produce new flower spikes and new blooms.
  • Once your orchids have bloomed and this cycle is completed you have a choice about what to do with the flower spikes. Most people will leave these spikes alone for several weeks and continue to feed and water the plants on a regular basis. You may notice new flower spikes being generated on the older spike. Sometimes these new growths may even produce some additional blooms.
  • If you do not notice a secondary flower spike then you will probably note that the older spike is beginning to shrivel up and turn brown. When this occurs, you need to remove this spike by cutting it as close to the base as you can manage without damaging the plant.
  • There is one other method to deal with flower spikes that have already bloomed. As soon as the blooming cycle is over go ahead and remove the spike from the plant as quickly as possible. When you follow this step, you will usually see some new spikes being produced in 10 weeks to 9 months time.