The Orchid is a plant that can be offered to express love or friendship to a woman or a man. In the great family of Orchidaceaethe Phalaenopsis is the Orchid most frequently offered, on all occasions or just for fun… to please someone you love. This is a very trendy gift, and whoever receives an Orchid cannot remain indifferent to its fascinating beauty. But now, after a few months (or a few weeks sometimes), the beauty withers, and many people find nothing better than to throw it away, thinking it is definitely dead. This is a serious mistake, because an Orchid blooms again year after year against some good care. Let’s see how to perpetuate the message of love or friendship that we have received as a gift through a splendid Orchid that just has to be encouraged to produce new flowers majestic.
Withered orchid flowers: what to do?
The flowers of a Phalaenopsis type orchid have a lifespan of several months. They are of course already in bloom when you receive them as a gift. When the flowers fade, all that remains are long stems held in stakes and fleshy (evergreen) leaves. The attraction of a deflowered orchid is no longer the same, but that’s no reason to throw the plant in the compost. His life is not over yet, and after a period of rest, it will bloom again.
After deflowering, it is necessary to cut just the part of the very défleurie, just above a node, which will promote new flowering after a few weeks or months. Cut the stem flush with the collar only if it is completely faded. One or more new stems will form after some time.
How to treat an Orchid to encourage it to bloom again?
One of the easiest orchid species to rebloom is the Phalaenopsis. But you still have to take care of it a little to enjoy the breathtaking beauty of its flowers.
Brightness
The Orchid needs a lot of light. The ideal is therefore to install it near a window located to the north or east, but above all not near a south-facing window because it would burn the plant.
Humidity
The Orchid hates atmospheres that are too dry. For which’hygrometry that is sufficientso we take care:
- Spray the foliage lightly between two waterings, especially at the level of the collar, but with great moderation in order to very slightly moisten the collar and the surface of the substrate.
- To raise several Orchids together or to place his Orchid in the middle of green plants. They will create an ideal microclimate by breathing.
- To place his Orchids on a sufficiently large tray, covered with a bed of pebbles or clay balls that are covered with water. It remains to put a small mesh above this bed, on which it only remains to position the pots, a little as if the plants were installed on an island.
Please note that the flower buds and flowers of an Orchid must not be wet under any circumstances.
If the rooms in the house are too dry and/or too hot, you can invest in a humidifier to allow its Orchids as well as its other indoor plants to benefit from sufficient humidity.
Preferably, a rainwater or a filtered water in carafe at room temperature to spray and water an Orchid. Watering should be done only if the plant really needs it. It consists of baste the pot in a tub of water for about fifteen minutes and then let it drain out of the tub. Do not water if you notice that the substrate is still a little damp. We can also realize that it is time to water when the pot is ultra light.
Dusting
You have to pass a soft cloth (not necessarily wet) on the leaves of the Orchid every 8 or 10 days in order to dust them. It is absolutely essential.
Fertilisation
As Orchids are generally planted in substrates that do not contain nutrients, it is necessary to make fertilizer inputs for Orchids to dilute in water, throughout the year, but at very low doses each time so as not to burn the roots. Ideally, a special fertilizer is distributed every 2 to 4 weeks between October and February, and every 10 days from March until the end of September (never more frequently) but always after pre-watering.
In the 48 to 72 hours following a fertilizer application, it is strongly recommended to spray a little water on the surface of the substrate. This allows the mixture to re-wet by about 1 cm.
Repotting
An Orchid is repotted in a specific potting mix which can be purchased at any garden center. But note that it is beneficial for this type of plant that the substrate contains at least 30% maritime pine bark. This component degrades very slowly so that it can only be replaced after 24 months. In addition, it retains water reasonably well, facilitates air circulation, and the roots adhere easily to it.
It is best to repot your Orchid in a transparent plastic pot with many holes, which makes it easy to check the condition of the roots and the level of dryness of the mixture. Unattractive, these pots can of course be placed in a basket or a cache-pot.
Are there any factors that influence the color of an orchid’s flowers?
The depth of flower color of all plants is influenced by the following conditions:
- light intensity,
- The heat.
Starting from this principle that we meet in nature elsewhere, we can therefore easily place an Orchid in a place perfectly adapted to obtain flowers with intense colors. The conditions also impact the color of the foliage, which can either show spots or turn reddish if the Orchid is exposed to direct sunlight.
The flowers tend to turn pale in case of overexposure. This is why it is strongly recommended to place the plant near a glazing equipped with a curtain so that it benefits from homogeneous light and does not experience excessive heat. Moreover, Orchids grown in a relatively cool room (18 to 20°C) are adorned with flowers with more intense colors than those grown in rooms that are too hot (above 23°C). In a cool atmosphere, we can see that the flower buds are already more pigmented but they are also biggerespecially in Phalaenopsis.