Preparing for Fall
Orchid care changes with the seasons. As fall approaches, it’s time to adjust water, fertilizer, light, and temperature.
If warm growing orchids have been kept outside for the summer, it’s time to bring them indoors. Phals, Cattleyas, and Vandas should be checked for pests, and then brought inside before nighttime temperature become too cold.
Orchids that go through winter dormancy, such as Dendrobiums, Cattleyas, and Odontoglossums, need slightly less water and fertilizer in the fall.
Day length shortens and the sun drops lower in the sky in the fall. Many orchids enjoy being moved into brighter light to compensate for a weaker sun. Slowly transition plants into brighter light over several weeks.
Here in San Francisco, we usually have warm weather through September and early October. I’ll spend the next few weeks paying attention to weather forecasts, especially nighttime lows, to decide when to start bringing plants indoors. In the meantime, I need to figure out how I’m going to find room for them inside. Let’s see, which is easier, housecleaning or buying more shelves?
Explore posts in the same categories: Dormancy, Fertilizing, Warm Growers, Watering
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