AboutOrchids

Orchid care changes with the seasons. Growers need to adjust for winter’s approach in the Northern Hemisphere.

• Orchids with pseudobulbs are entering dormancy. If they sport swollen stems like those in the first photo below, they may only need water once or twice per month over winter. Too much water can cause rot, or mess up the plant’s flowering schedule. Cut back on fertilizer, too.
• Orchids without pseudobulbs, like Phals, Paphs, and Masdevallias, don’t go dormant. However, with seasonally lower light levels and cooler temps, it’s best to reduce their water and fertilizer slightly.
• All orchids need good humidity, but home and office heating can dry the air like an arid desert. Low humidity can cause blooms to wilt, and invite pests like spider mites, mealybugs, and scale. Find helpful tips to raise humidity here.
• Consider adding extra light to compensate for the weak winter sun.
• Members of the Cattleya family, like the red and yellow hybrid in the second photo below, may be affected by too many hours of artificial light. They require long, dark nights to trigger flowering. Keep them away from any artificial light at night.
• Remove dead leaves or flowers. This helps limit hiding places for unwelcome pests or disease.
• Don’t panic if a few older leaves wither and drop. Some varieties of Dendrobiums, like the cool grower in the final photo below, lose all their leaves. Other types, like Cycnoches, Epipactis, and Thunia, are also deciduous. Continue to give them bright light and good humidity. Water when their pseudobulbs start to shrivel, only once or twice per month.

Explore posts in the same categories: Dormancy, Fertilizing, Growing, Photos, Problems, Watering

This entry was posted on Saturday, November 26th, 2011 at 8:57 pm and is filed under Dormancy, Fertilizing, Growing, Photos, Problems, Watering.

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