Want Your Orchid to Bloom Again? Here’s How

A healthy Phalaenopsis orchid will delight you by displaying its colorful leaves, flowers and buds. But like any plant, this orchid goes through a life cycle that includes shedding old blooms and growing new ones.

If you want to encourage your orchid to stay in bloom or grow new buds, a few basic orchid tips should help you get there.

Water

As Just Add Ice Orchids recommends, just three ice cubes a week should keep your plant sufficiently hydrated throughout the blooming process. Watch your pots for signs of overwatering (damp or standing water on the potting material) or dehydration (drying out of the leaves) and adjust accordingly. However, when fertilizing, follow the direction below …

Fertilizer

Using fertilizer while your orchid is already in flower will help it grow new buds. Mix a balanced houseplant fertilizer with water at half the recommended strength – and don’t add ice! The week you fertilize, skip the three ice cubes and instead place the plant in the sink with the drainage holes exposed. Water with the fertilizer solution until you see it starting to run out of the bottom of the pot.

Temperature

Though a Phalaenopsis normally does best in warmer temperatures, a cooler environment can help trigger flowering. Find an area in your home or office where the temperature stays around 55 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit. Keep your pot there for about a month.

Other Orchid Tips

• Just Add Ice Orchids do best in indirect sunlight. While promoting new bud growth, keep direct sunlight out of the plant’s path.
• Watch for a new spike growing from your pot – the root grows upward and the tip resembles the shape of a mitten.
• Once the spike starts growing, support it with a stake. Avoid re-orienting your pots while the stake and buds grow – keeping them in a consistent position will aid the plant in growing a beautiful, arching display.

Learn More! Visit Just Add Ice Orchids to see and hear from the growing experts in our Orchid Care Videos.