Get notified every time a new article comes out and
keep up with the latest plant care or plant trend.
It’s a sight no Phalaenopsis owner wants to see: a table or floor covered in dying orchid blooms. After waiting several months for their orchid to bloom, many Phalaenopsis owners have unnecessarily experienced this nightmare.
Your orchids are subject to bacteria and viruses, and they can get sick, just like you. Although there are natural remedies available for fungus and insect based viruses, there is no medication for treating an orchid infection. But there are ways that you can shield your orchid from sudden bud loss.
Keeping your blooms healthy is not as difficult as you may think. You just have to remember a few rules. Today’s post covers four steps that you can take to keep your orchid buds beautiful for the long-term.
The most common causes for orchid viruses are poor tool sanitation and orchid handling. You can significantly reduce the likelihood of your orchid catching a virus by ensuring your hands are sanitary before touching your orchid or its potting media.
First, always make sure that you wash your hands with soap and warm or hot water. Second, as an added precaution, wear disposable gloves when handling your orchid. If your orchid is sick, be sure to throw away the gloves after handling. Many people are drawn to touch unopened buds. Buds are the most sensitive part of an orchid so do not touch an unopened bud if it is not necessary to do so.
Keeping your tools clean at all times is crucial to your orchid’s well-being because they come into close contact with your plant. Cleanliness is especially important when you are trimming the spikes. Before you begin working, sanitize your work surface and tools thoroughly with a mixture of bleach and water. Add 90 percent water and 10 percent bleach into a bucket and using a clean rag or paper towel, wipe down the entire surface of your workstation. Soak your tools in the solution for 10 minutes, and then dry them thoroughly with a clean rag before using.
Your potting media is key in providing the right amount of nutrients and circulation for your plant’s roots. Eventually, your plant will use up its media’s nutrients, so it’s necessary to periodically replace your media, not only to keep your orchid thriving, but to prevent infections. Potting medium that has long worn out its welcome will start to decompose, and you know what that means: bacteria invasion. When you repot your orchid, always use fresh potting media and a new grower pot.
Maintaining your orchid’s health is easier when you start with a robust plant. Only the healthiest and most robust Just Add Ice Orchids make it to stores. Before shipping, we place our potted plants in a protective sleeve, which we then place into trays that keep them upright in the box to prevent damage during travel. We also insert heat packs into the box to keep a consistent temperature.
A Phalaenopsis’ buds may be the most sensitive part of the plant, but with the right precautions and care, keeping your blooms blossoming is far from impossible.
For more information about the health of your blooms, watch our video Ask the Grower: Orchid Bud Health.
