Orchid´s Good Care

Let me guess, you too are crazy for orchids, then welcome to my post on orchids´ care and tips. Orchids are one of my favoooouuurite and you already know it, if you have landed here from my earlier post on Orchids, if not then you probably would like to check it. The one basic reason for Orchids being my favourite is—they are very easy to handle. As easy it is to handle, that easy it is to maintain it in good shape. But to do that we need to know just few things and we are good to go.

Stop worrying and start caring for those beautiful Orchids—care tips for orchids

Cutting the spike or pruning for re-blooming:

Orchids blooming lasts for almost 3 months. Once the blooming season has passed, you can cut the blooming spike, this will help the plant to propagate re-blooming and you save the plant investing its energy to dry out the spike completely on its own. Above is one of my orchid, which is done with its blooming on the red marked spike.

Now, there are two points where you can cut the spike, first, you can cut the stem down to the leaves and ask the plant to grow a new one; or, second, you can cut it just below the blooming stem on the brown arched line.

I do the second, as it saves the plant from re-growing the complete spike.

If your plant is healthy with green stem then prefer cutting below the flowering node; if the stem is brownish that means the orchid is not perfectly healthy, in this case, cut the complete stem.

Staking or pinning-up orchids: To see orchids grow is fascinating but aligning the spikes and having a beautiful cascading blooming effect could be a bit trickier. Orchids have a tendency, to grow in the flow of light and that´s the reason why most of the orchids happen to smile through the windows in most of our households.

You´ll also notice that most of the orchids are finely pinned up to have a stunning orchid blooming look. Is it important to stake? Well, yes, this is because the blooms are hefty for the delicate spike to carry off the weight. Secondly, if the spikes are left unattended then they grow in a bow down fashion, making the plant look clumsy. So, to get a upright posture, grace up the blooms and attain balance for the spikes: orchids require stacking.

Start pinning-up!

You will need a bamboo stake and flower clips (tiny). The best time to do this–once the spike has outgrown about 5-6 inches. Do not try and do it before the clock, as you might end up breaking the spike as also don’t be too late, when the orchids begin to bloom.

How´s it done? With delicate hand, insert the bamboo stake close to the spike, right across the pot in such a way that the stake is deep enough to be sturdy and erect. While, doing this make sure your do not rapture your roots or be harsh on the plant, also make sure the plant remains stable. Next, very carefully stake the spike at and around the node or at 3 inch of length (whichever is smaller), do not twist, turn or bend the spike too much. If you think that the stake is not close enough than redo the insertion of the stake to avoid any bending of the spike. Continue staking up the spike at equal intervals. Again, be very caution with the spike, you do not want to accidentally wound it before giving a chance to bloom. Keep pinning up till its end and add new when the spikes grow tall. Do the same for the rest of spikes, if you have double for more spikes.

I am sure now your orchids look stunning and elegant which is all staked up!

Repotting Orchids:

It is said that re-potting an orchid can be done any time of the year, but I say do it only when your Phal is off-blooming. It is said that plant like orchid, Phals in this context need re-potting every 1-3 year, but my thumb rule is do the re-potting only if it´s actually necessary. Orchids resent disturbance. Consider re-potting if the potting medium is spoilt and do not have good aeration or when the plant itself is growing at a pace which causes imbalance.

For Re-potting use a well aerated plastic pot with sufficient holes in the bottom, this is necessary for water to drain out completely and effectively. Remove the Phal from the old pot, remove all the bark or the moss stuck to the roots. Cut off all the roots that has dried off. Use fresh potting medium(bark/moss). Put your potting medium into the new pot till it’s a bit less than ¾ of the pot. Place the crown/plant and cover the remaining space with potting mix. Let the crown be an inch or 2 into the pot from top. While re-potting let the process be quick, so that, the plant(roots) is not exposed to direct light for too long.

Orchids are far most adorable indoor plants. It is always great to share more and more over plants and its well-being. Plants nurture us more than we do, and so, it goes without saying that the more I share about them the more I learn myself.

Happy Orchids!