This may seem like an odd topic for a health and fitness blog, but house plants are proven to increase one's mood and outlook on life. That is, if we can actually keep them alive long enough and not have to slowly watch them shrivel and die. Enter the orchid. Probably, the most thrown away house plant once Easter and spring are over and all those beautiful blooms have fallen.
Thankfully, orchids are really not that hard to keep alive or to keep blooming. Follow a few super simple steps and, chances are, your orchid will be healthy and blooming for years to come! These little fixes have worked for me for years. And now, I have had random people/family/friends who come by ask me how to keep orchids alive. Well, after running through these simple steps so many times, it just made sense to write them down and share them with you. Let's go!
1. Location
Orchids can be fickle little things and having a good location can mean the difference between life and death. For real. To keep your orchid baby alive and blooming (blooming being the key word), it is best to keep them in a shaded area where they will get mild afternoon sun. Most house orchids like being slightly away from a window with blinds. Direct sunlight is no good.
If your orchid gets brown blotches on it's leaves, that is an orchid sunburn and a sign that it is in too much sun for too long. Direct sunlight is no good. Too little light and your orchid will have dark green leaves- this will not have an easy time re-blooming. A happy orchid should have bright green leaves with no dark brown spots.
2. Feeding
Orchids are super easy to feed, all you have to do is remember! Strange, but orchids LOVE ice cubes. I give each of mine 2-3 ice cubes once a week to keep them happy. This also increases growth and regeneration to make sure they keep blooming year after blooming year (get it, get it??!). Puns aside, orchids should be watered once to twice a week. I give mine about half a cup of water once a week and some ice cubes a few days later as the second watering. If you are seeing lots of water in the catch dish for days at a time, you are probably watering a bit too much.
3. Pruning and Cleaning
This is the most important part of the whole deal. Potting and pruning will mean the difference of an orchid that lives but never blooms and an orchid that blooms annually. If you do this right, your orchid will probably stay in bloom for 5+ months every year!!!
Pruning
An orchid grows by first, having a shoot that produces blooms, then, growing more leaves. Once the last bloom falls, the shoot is no longer necessary and is taking needed nutrients away from the leaves. It is best to cut the shoot a few inches above the base and place some cinnamon on the cut end. The cinnamon cauterizes the wound, so to speak. Give it a few days to heal, then re-pot your orchid and prune some more- but this time, we will be pruning the roots.
Cleaning
The goal of this process is to clean up the roots, check for health signs, and give your orchid more nutrients and space. Like a car, the health of your orchid can only be checked by going underneath. The roots will show you if there is over watering (they will be gooey and white), under watering (they will look dry and shriveled), and if it needs a bigger space (everything just looks packed).
Once your orchid shoot is cut and healing, you can delicately take it out of it's pot. Chances are, you will need a bigger pot, especially if this is your first time re-potting it. I take my orchid out of it's pot over the sink with the stopper in. It is best to have some water running and clean the roots off. Some wood pieces or moss may get stuck in the orchid roots, be sure to gently remove these.
After the orchid has been cleaned, get your gardening or kitchen scissors (something sharp) to cut away the dead parts of the roots. Dead roots will brown, white and soggy, or black. Be sure to only cut these away. Living, healthy roots will look green and feel sturdy. The living roots are needed to keep the plant healthy. Be gentle and make sure not to break any of the healthy orchid roots. This can be a bit more of a task than it sounds, especially if your roots are packed tight together!
After pruning, I let my orchid sit under running water for a few minutes. This helps get rid of any extra debris and lets them aerate a bit. Then, comes the re-potting!
4. Re-Potting
Depending on how much root you cut away, you may need a bigger pot. The best way to tell if you need a bigger pot is to place the orchid about half to 3/4 of the way down in it's old pot; if roots can be seen over the edge or your are having to push it in at all, you need a bigger pot. If the roots seem to have plenty of room (about an inch between the edge of the pot and the orchid roots) and are not coming up over the sides, you can continue using the pot you have.
Orchid mixes are the simplest thing to use for re-potting your orchid. DO NOT use the old potting mix or regular soil. Orchids needs lots of air, nutrients, and very little water retention. Using regular soil will drown your orchid and using the old potting mix will not give it the nutrients it needs.
Fill the bottom of your pot about 1/4 the way full of the orchid potting mix. Place your orchid in the pot and, slowly, continue filling with potting mix. Be sure that the mix gets between all of the roots. Fill so no roots are showing through the potting mix.
If you really want to go above and beyond, add some packing peanuts to the potting mix. Orchids love packing peanuts as much as they love ice. This will help your orchid stay health and blooming!
Finally, give your orchid some water and place it back in it's happy sun spot. You should have some new leaves start to grow in (1-2 of the old ones may die) and a new shoot begin to form in about 4 months.
