By growing keikis, orchids can reproduce without flowering and seeding. Some orchid varieties are more likely to make keikis. Besides the Phal and Arundina above, Dendrobiums, Epidendrums, and Vandas often produce them. Keikis are exact genetic copies of their mother plants.

While a baby orchid may seem like welcome news, it often indicates a problem with growing conditions, and it appears in lieu of flowers. Common causes include overwatering, low light, prolonged hot temps, or lack of winter dormancy. In the event of a broken flower spike, some Phals and Epidendrums grow keikis from the flower spike just below the break. The keikis then grow their own flower spikes.

Not only are keikis potential red flags, but they also have a couple of drawbacks. First, the mother orchid probably won’t bloom while nurturing the baby. If your priority is flowers, remove the keikis promptly. Second, some varieties can take as long as 7 years to mature and flower. Others may flower in just a year, even while still attached to the mother plant. If you don’t know which category your orchid falls in, you may need a lot of patience.

If you want to keep your baby orchids, leave the keikis attached until they have 2 or more leaves, and their roots are at least 1 inch (2.5 cm) long. Depending on your orchid variety and growing conditions, that may take just a few weeks or more than a year. Cut them off the mother plant with a sterile blade, and pot them separately. Congratulations, you have a baby orchid!

Orchid growers who keep plants outdoors know that bugs are inevitable. It’s easy to reach for the insecticide, but consider that you’ll kill beneficial insects along with pests. With predators gone, the pest population often returns unimpeded, resulting in an expensive and toxic cycle of chemical use. Without insecticides to interfere, Mother Nature can establish a balanced ecosystem. Beneficial insect predators keep plant eaters in check, and you only need to monitor that your bug-catching workforce is doing the job. In the event of a pest invasion, you can supplement natural predator populations by purchasing ladybugs or beneficial nematodes. If you feel that you need to use chemicals, choose pesticides that only target specific insects, like BT for caterpillars and mosquitoes, so beneficials won’t die with the pests. Let those good bugs stick around, and let Mother Nature work for you.

Since I don’t have any automatic watering systems, that means I have my work cut out for me. With my mister bottle for indoor orchids and a hose for outdoor orchids, I spray down the plants numerous times during the day. It’s more about wetting the leaves and roots than watering the potting material. In addition, I wet down any surfaces, like the wood surface of our deck, so the evaporating water can supplement the meager humidity.

Even some delicate orchid varieties, like this Masdevallia which likes to stay below 75F (24C) all year, can handle the heat as long as there’s good humidity. Fortunately, this hot spell is only forecast to last for the weekend, so the fog can take over again soon. But for now, I have to grab my mister bottle and go…

• Orchids that have just finished blooming often enter a cycle of new leaf and root growth. This is an ideal time to repot so the new roots can grow into fresh potting material.
• If the orchid is potted in bark, repot once every 2-3 years. To test if your orchid is due, dig out a piece of bark and squeeze it between your fingers. Bark that remains solid is still in good shape; bark that squishes or crumbles is rotted. This means that the roots cannot get enough air flow, and it’s time to repot.
• If the orchid is in moss, repot every year, or whenever the moss becomes moldy or slimy.
• If new leaves start to rot, the cause may be that corresponding new roots need better air flow. Those new roots may be out of sight underneath, but they are essential for the plant’s health. Remove the orchid from the pot and repot it.
• If excess water is slow to drain out of the bottom of the pot, then it’s time to repot.
• When repotting, keep in mind how orchids grow in the wild as epiphytes, or air plants. In pots, they need good drainage, which means that water and air flow freely through the potting material and out the drainage holes.
• Check out these helpful videos showing an orchid pro repotting an orchid in moss, and repotting one in bark.

• Move orchids from their brighter winter locales to the shade needed for spring and summer. For most orchids, if leaves are a light green color, then the orchid is receiving enough light to bloom.
• Keep an eye out for new leaf and root growth, which often starts after flowers finish. This is a good time to repot, if necessary.
• For dormant orchids, increase watering and fertilizing gradually. With deciduous orchids like Bletilla and Cycnoches, water new growth sparingly for the first few weeks. Too much water can rot new leaves.
• As always, maintain high humidity and good air movement around plants. New growth is especially susceptible to pests when the air is dry or stagnant.
• For growers in colder climates, continue to watch for pests, keep plants in brighter light, and take heart that the long winter shall pass.

While melting ice allows the orchid to slowly absorb water, two successive regular-temperature waterings given 10 minutes apart can accomplish the same. Also, ice cubes may not provide enough water to run through the pot and flush out fertilizer residues.

If you’ve been using ice successfully, it’s likely that you have a tough, modern orchid hybrid. However, even resilient hybrids may produce less blooms than normal because of the cold. For all plants, cold slows down metabolic processes that are essential for growth. If ice has been working for you, then don’t stop on my account. But otherwise, save the ice for your lemonade or cocktail.

• Cattleya
• Cymbidium
• Dendrobium
• Epidendrum
• Miltonia
• Odontoglossum
• Oncidium
• Vanda

The following orchid varieties do not experience a dry season, but with lower light levels and cooler temperatures, it’s ok to give them a little less water also.

• Masdevallia
• Paphiopedilum
• Phalaenopsis

It’s always worth repeating that orchids need good humidity, but the dry air of home and office heating provides an extra challenge. Low humidity can cause blooms to wilt quickly. Dry air also invites pests, especially spider mites and scale.

Finally, consider adding extra light to compensate for the weak winter sun. That should keep you busy, but remember that repotting season is just around the corner.

If you fertilize with a high nitrogen fertilizer, like 30-10-10, its time to switch to a low nitrogen variety, such as 10-30-30. No matter what kind of fertilizer you use, start to taper off with weaker solution and less frequent doses. Many orchids are beginning to enter a dormant stage. Start to reduce watering for Cattleyas, Cymbidiums, Dendrobiums, Epidendrums, Miltonias, Odontoglossums, Oncidiums, and Vandas. This mimics the start of the dry season in their jungle homes, and it’s part of the annual cycle they need to bloom. Maintain good humidity as always, and compensate for the dry air of home and office heating.

If a few lower leaves yellow or drop, don’t panic. Some Dendrobium varieties completely shed their leaves, but they’re just dormant, not dead. Continue to give them good light and humidity, and they’ll spring back to life in a few months.

If your Phals aren’t blooming right now, give them a few weeks of cooler nighttime temperatures. This can cause them to start growing a flower spike. Then you’ll really have some fall color to enjoy.

This little charmer has a strong, sweet scent. It’s native to temperate forests of Japan and Korea, and it can handle a wide range of temperatures. Mine seemed happy living outdoors in our mild climate for the past few years. I kept it shaded for spring and summer, and moved it into brighter light during winter’s weaker sun. This year when I moved it back into shade for spring, I put it alongside a larger orchid, my Zygo. In shadow of the larger pot, it was fine for light, but not for water. I didn’t notice that the larger pot was blocking the Sedirea from the hose until a heat wave, when the leaves flattened and shriveled. It was all downhill from there, despite my attempts at resuscitation with extra water for a few weeks.

While I won’t be enjoying these blooms again in my garden anytime soon, I do get to take away some lessons. First, Sedireas need regular water, and second, I have too many orchids to keep track of them anymore!