Marianne's Response

Another Orchis Question

Is There a Sure-Fire Way to get Orchids to Rebloom?

Posted by bstohler on December 9, 2019

Marianne's Response

I wish I could say "Yes" but in reality orchids rebloom when they are happy with the light, water, humidity and temperature. They also like a slow release plant food but are not heavy feeders.  There are thousands of orchid varieties and the one in the photo you sent is the most common called a Phalaenopsis or moth orchid. The easiest way to learn how to get this type of orchid to rebloom is to visit the video library for PlantersPlace and you can see the YouTube video. The most likely reason for an orchid not to flower again is lack of sunlight. Grow a Phalaenopsis orchid near a bright, East facing window and soak the roots when dry but do not let the roots sit in water. In most homes this means about once a week the orchid will need watering. When an orchid is getting the right amount of light the foliage will be bright green. Dark green means too much light, and pale or yellow is not enough light.  In the video that I made on getting Phalaenopsis orchids to rebloom I shared a tip from professional growers in Hawaii. Light and humidity are not a problem in the tropical climate but to force  flowering, the growers move the orchid to a cool room for about two weeks. If you have a room that gets down to 55 degrees at night let your orchid camp out for several weeks in this cool room and see if a new flower spike pops up. Gardening is an art not an exact science as every home and garden is unique. So go ahead and try several changes and see what works to get your orchids to rebloom.  Keep growing, Marianne Binetti