Autumn Orchid Care
Autumn colors include the vibrant hues of orchids. For many varieties, shorter days and cooler temps spur new growth and blooms. The change in season requires changes in orchid care, so check these autumn reminders:
- Bring outdoor orchids inside before temps fall too much. Remove any leaf and flower debris, and check for pests. Closely inspect the undersides of leaves and potting media. To prevent infestations, spray with insecticidal soap, pesticidal oil, or rubbing alcohol (surgical spirits) before bringing plants indoors.
- Many orchids, except for Phals and Lady Slippers, are moving into winter dormancy. Start to reduce water for those types with pseudobulbs. Begin to cut back on fertilizer, too.
- Home and office heaters dry the air, which encourages pests like scale, mealybugs, and spider mites. Pay extra attention to maintaining high humidity and good air flow.
- Unless you live in the tropics, increase light levels to compensate for the weakening sun and shorter days. Move plants into brighter light gradually over 2 weeks. Even shade-lovers like Phals and Masdevallias can tolerate some direct sun in fall and winter.
- Don’t worry if lower leaves yellow or die. Deciduous Dendrobiums, Bletillas, Cycnoches, and Thunias will lose all their leaves by winter. Continue to give them bright light and good humidity, and new leaves will emerge in spring.
- To help Phals into bloom, give them slightly cooler temps. For 3 – 4 weeks, keep them below 80°F (27°C) during daytime, and at night, let them drop to 60°F (16°C.) Then return them to their normal 65°F (18°C) minimum. Healthy plants will start to grow a new flower spike within a month. Cymbidiums also want cooler nights to flower. Many won’t bloom if they’re kept too warm in autumn.
Explore posts in the same categories: Dormancy, Fertilizing, Growing, Watering
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October 5th, 2012 at 11:55 am
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October 10th, 2012 at 12:44 pm
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October 14th, 2012 at 5:53 pm
Wow, superb weblog! Very helpful info. I did not know that orchids need cool temps to bloom.