This dormancy stage usually lasts about six to nine months. After that, your orchid will have the energy to rebloom again. However, sometimes orchids need help with this process and require even more attention than they did before. With the right amount of tender love and care, you can get your orchid to rebloom.
After the flowers drop from the orchid you have three choices: leave the flower spike (or stem) intact, cut it back to a node, or remove it entirely. Remove the flower spike entirely by clipping it off at the base of the plant. This is definitely the route to take if the existing stem starts to turn brown or yellow.
Let's talk about the Phalaenopsis orchid or moth orchid, the one you likely got from the grocery store. This is the only orchid that will rebloom on the same stalk. All other orchids will bloom again, but not from the same stalk. All other orchids can be trimmed at the base of the flower stalk.
They will bloom again, but in the meantime, you have a few options: You can let it be, while making sure to fertilize it monthly or sometimes even as often as every other week. Use a houseplant fertilizer or balanced fertilizer (example: 20-20-20) at half the recommended rate.
While each growing environment is unique, and watering habits vary from person to person, it is generally a good idea to water about once per 7-10 days, when the mix gets dry. Too much watering leads to root rot, crown rot and other over watering problems like fungus gnat infestations.
What About Watering Orchids In Bloom? Regularly water orchids that are blooming, growing new roots, or new leaves. While some orchids such as Cattleyas and Dendrobiums like to dry out between watering, others such as Phalaenopsis and Paphiopedilums like to remain evenly moist.
New orchid spikes
Orchid flower spikes are usually greener than roots and have a flatter, mitten-shaped tip. While growing, spikes remain green along their full length. Orchid spikes usually emerge from between the plant's leaves, not from the plant's center.
How long does it take a new orchid spike to grow? If you notice a spike forming, be patient; this fixture on your orchid can take around three months to grow. For healthy spikes, you'll want to have a healthy orchid in the first place.
Orchids will grow new stems, fortunately. You can propagate a new Phalaenopsis or Vanda orchids from stem cuttings. Or you can divide a cattleya's rhizomes. You can also expect a flower spike to grow back after cutting it down when its blooms die.
Phalaenopsis orchids bloom in the late winter through the spring. In late June and July the Phalaenopsis orchids in our collection finally lose their blooms, some will remain in bloom for awhile longer. The ideal time to repot orchids is when they go out of bloom and Phalaenopsis is no exception.
If you find that your orchid has bad roots, snip them off with a sterilized cutting tool and then repot it. On the other hand, if the part of the orchid that connects the leaves and the roots is mushy, it is time to toss the plant.
Orchids work in cycle between growing new leaves and new roots to new blooms. And without it having current leaves, a new leaf cannot grow because leaves grow from the middle of existing leaves. Without leaves it can not produce new leaves, new roots, and thus new blooms.
So what's an easy way to encourage your orchid to spike? Give it a little cool air! Place your orchid in a cooler part of your home for about a week, avoiding cold blasts of air from fans or air conditioners. An optimal nighttime temperature is between 60 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
Most orchids grow during the summer and bloom in the fall, winter or spring.
Your orchid has tightly tangled roots.
This is a surefire sign your orchid needs to be repotted. Give plants breathing room by placing it in a larger pot every year or two with fresh potting soil.
Most orchids will have aerial roots reaching out into the air, rather than digging down into the potting media. These roots are looking for a tree branch to attach to. These roots absorb moisture from the air. Do not trim off these wandering roots, just let them do their thing.
Dry orchid roots look a bit gray; so if your orchid roots look gray, you've waited too long to water. On the other hand, orchid roots that have just been watered are bright green. If your orchid roots still look bright green, then it's definitely too soon to water.
If you do not remove the spike, the flower spike will dry up and turn brown over time. There are some orchids that can re-bloom off of the same flower spike more than once. Certain species of Oncidium such as the papilio can bloom off of a broken or cut back spike.
Regular tap water is fine, as long as it isn't softened with salts. Room temperature water is best, but you can water your orchid with ice cubes without harming the plant. About once a week, place up to three ice cubes on top of the potting medium, preferably where the cubes don't touch the leaves.
An orchid generally needs water once a week during the winter and twice a week when the weather turns warm and dry. An orchid shouldn't go longer than two to three weeks without water; it will start dying.
Use lukewarm water (do not use salt softened or distilled water) and water your plant for about 15 seconds and be sure to thoroughly wet the media. Then allow the plant to drain for about 15 minutes.
Orchids require enough sunlight to produce flowers, but some require full sun for the whole day while others grow better only in the shade. Most orchids fall somewhere in the middle – requiring indirect sunlight or dappled light.