What am I supposed to do with it now? I've read online that if I keep caring for it as it is, it will bloom again someday. When might this be? Also, my step mother told me it needs repotted. When and how should I go about doing this? Should I be fertilizing this plant? Thanks a bunch!-
Flowers
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- Joined: Thu Jan 08, 2015 2:30 pm
- Location: Fort Collins, CO, USA Zone 5b, sometimes 6
What to Do When the Orchid Blooms Die?
Hi! I just recently purchased an orchid plant, and its blooms are already starting to die. What am I supposed to do with it now? I've read online that if I keep caring for it as it is, it will bloom again someday. When might this be? Also, my step mother told me it needs repotted. When and how should I go about doing this? Should I be fertilizing this plant? Thanks a bunch!
What am I supposed to do with it now? I've read online that if I keep caring for it as it is, it will bloom again someday. When might this be? Also, my step mother told me it needs repotted. When and how should I go about doing this? Should I be fertilizing this plant? Thanks a bunch!- Attachments
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What you have is a phalaenopsis orchid. it likes 70% shade so it makes a good houseplant. Water it to keep the media moist and the roots should be white or green. If they are white they will turn green when watered and you should not have to water until they are white again. spray for humidy and after you water tip the plant to remove any water that might have gotten in the crown. Phals do not need a lot of repotting and can be repotted in the same size pot. You need to remove all of the old media before it breaks down.
To take care of the spike there are a couple of things you can do.
If you want to try to rebloom the same spike cut off the flowers above the last unbloomed node. There may be a smaller spike from that node for a second rebloom. If after you cut the spike it dries all the way down, then cut it off at the base of the spike.
The other school of thought is to cut the spike after the bloom all the way down. You will only get one bloom a year but the blooms for next year willl be bigger.
This is the phalaenopsis culture sheet from AOS
https://www.aos.org/Default.aspx?id=217
Phalaenopsis for Beginners
fayl-eh-NOP-sis
If you are lucky enough to have a Phalaenopsis, you are about to enter the wonderful world of growing orchids! Phals are one of the easiest orchids to grow in the home. If you follow a few basic requirements, these plants will reward you with several months of beautiful blooms.
Water
How often you water will depend on the potting medium. Bark retains less water than moss. If your phal is potted in bark watering once a week is generally sufficient. If your plant is potted in moss, water when the top feels dry. The amount of light and heat your plant receives will also affect how soon your phal needs watering. Summer months will need more frequent watering, winter will need less. After a few watering, you will be able to tell by the weight of the pot whether or not it is time to water again. If in doubt, wait a day.
It is best to water in the morning. Place the plant in the sink and use tepid water. Do not use salt-softened or distilled water. Let the water run through the plant for a minute or so. Be sure to let the plant drain completely.
If any water remains in the crown (where the leaves join in the center) use a paper towel to blot the water to avoid crown rot.
Light
Phalaenopsis are ‘low’ light orchids. They grow beautifully in an east window and can be grown in a south or west window if protected by a sheer curtain. A phal’s leaves should be olive green. If they are darker it means the plant is not getting enough light; red tinged leaves mean the plant is getting too much light. Once the plant is in bloom you can place it anywhere in your home out of direct sunlight. If your plant does not re-bloom, increase the amount of light that it receives.
Continue watering and fertilizing while waiting for the blooming cycle to begin!
Temperature
Phals are easy to grow because they enjoy the same temperatures we do – above 60º F at night and a range of 70º F to 80º F or higher during the day. 95º F is the maximum temperature recommendation. Keep in mind that temperatures close to the window on a windowsill will be colder or hotter than your general house temperature. Fluctuating temperatures can cause bud drop on plants with buds ready to open.
Fertilizer
Any balanced orchid fertilizer (look at the numbers on the container, 20-20-20, etc.) can be used to fertilize your orchid. Feeding weakly (half strength) weekly works well. Once a month, use clear water to flush any accumulated salts from the potting mix.
Humidity
Use a shallow tray of pebbles filled with water to increase humidity around your plants. Be sure the pot does not sit in water as this will rot the roots.
Cutting the spike
When the blooms are finished, you can cut the spike down to the level of the leaves and the plant will bloom with larger flowers and a strong stem within a year. You can also cut off the stem leaving two nodes (those little brown lines on the stem below where the flowers were) on the stem. One of these nodes will then initiate and generally produce flowers within eight to 12 weeks. See the video on the AOS website: Where to Cut a Phalaenopsis Spike
Continue watering and fertilizing while you are waiting for the blooming cycle to begin again! Repotting is usually done every one to three years.
To take care of the spike there are a couple of things you can do.
If you want to try to rebloom the same spike cut off the flowers above the last unbloomed node. There may be a smaller spike from that node for a second rebloom. If after you cut the spike it dries all the way down, then cut it off at the base of the spike.
The other school of thought is to cut the spike after the bloom all the way down. You will only get one bloom a year but the blooms for next year willl be bigger.
This is the phalaenopsis culture sheet from AOS
https://www.aos.org/Default.aspx?id=217
Phalaenopsis for Beginners
fayl-eh-NOP-sis
If you are lucky enough to have a Phalaenopsis, you are about to enter the wonderful world of growing orchids! Phals are one of the easiest orchids to grow in the home. If you follow a few basic requirements, these plants will reward you with several months of beautiful blooms.
Water
How often you water will depend on the potting medium. Bark retains less water than moss. If your phal is potted in bark watering once a week is generally sufficient. If your plant is potted in moss, water when the top feels dry. The amount of light and heat your plant receives will also affect how soon your phal needs watering. Summer months will need more frequent watering, winter will need less. After a few watering, you will be able to tell by the weight of the pot whether or not it is time to water again. If in doubt, wait a day.
It is best to water in the morning. Place the plant in the sink and use tepid water. Do not use salt-softened or distilled water. Let the water run through the plant for a minute or so. Be sure to let the plant drain completely.
If any water remains in the crown (where the leaves join in the center) use a paper towel to blot the water to avoid crown rot.
Light
Phalaenopsis are ‘low’ light orchids. They grow beautifully in an east window and can be grown in a south or west window if protected by a sheer curtain. A phal’s leaves should be olive green. If they are darker it means the plant is not getting enough light; red tinged leaves mean the plant is getting too much light. Once the plant is in bloom you can place it anywhere in your home out of direct sunlight. If your plant does not re-bloom, increase the amount of light that it receives.
Continue watering and fertilizing while waiting for the blooming cycle to begin!
Temperature
Phals are easy to grow because they enjoy the same temperatures we do – above 60º F at night and a range of 70º F to 80º F or higher during the day. 95º F is the maximum temperature recommendation. Keep in mind that temperatures close to the window on a windowsill will be colder or hotter than your general house temperature. Fluctuating temperatures can cause bud drop on plants with buds ready to open.
Fertilizer
Any balanced orchid fertilizer (look at the numbers on the container, 20-20-20, etc.) can be used to fertilize your orchid. Feeding weakly (half strength) weekly works well. Once a month, use clear water to flush any accumulated salts from the potting mix.
Humidity
Use a shallow tray of pebbles filled with water to increase humidity around your plants. Be sure the pot does not sit in water as this will rot the roots.
Cutting the spike
When the blooms are finished, you can cut the spike down to the level of the leaves and the plant will bloom with larger flowers and a strong stem within a year. You can also cut off the stem leaving two nodes (those little brown lines on the stem below where the flowers were) on the stem. One of these nodes will then initiate and generally produce flowers within eight to 12 weeks. See the video on the AOS website: Where to Cut a Phalaenopsis Spike
Continue watering and fertilizing while you are waiting for the blooming cycle to begin again! Repotting is usually done every one to three years.
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applestar
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- Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
- Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)
Imafan has been giving us great advice on taking care of orchids. If you search for orchids with imafan26 as the author, you'll find many post in which she shared her expertise. 
Last year, I posted about my new babies:
Subject: Is such condensation in orchid pot normal??
I think the yellow one would have been blooming by now, too, except I accidentally cut off the old blossom spike without realizing a new shoot had begun to grow from it 
The white one was in a location that was a little cooler than the others, being closer to the window. I corrected that yesterday when I rearranged, so hopefully, it will be more happy and give us a floral display soon.
Last year, I posted about my new babies:
Subject: Is such condensation in orchid pot normal??
Some of them are blooming again nowapplestar wrote:I think my question will fit in here without being too OT.
DH gave me a couple of new phal Hyb. orchid plants a little while ago. They are beautiful and are making a lovely grouping with the existing two also in bloom (the big white ones and the little magenta splattered ones that have just started to bloom
The white one was in a location that was a little cooler than the others, being closer to the window. I corrected that yesterday when I rearranged, so hopefully, it will be more happy and give us a floral display soon.-
Flowers
- Senior Member
- Posts: 116
- Joined: Thu Jan 08, 2015 2:30 pm
- Location: Fort Collins, CO, USA Zone 5b, sometimes 6
Thanks so much for the advice to both of you! imafan26, that link you gave me lead to hours of great reading regarding repotting, fertilizing, and cutting the spike, so much that I can't wait to go buy more orchids! (Uh oh, I'm going to become a crazy cat lady, but with plants 
)
Photo below will be my future.
)Photo below will be my future.
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Yea orchids are like that. They grow on you. I am in 2 orchid clubs. One since 2004 and the other I think from 1997. I have a small collection of orchids about 300 maybe less. I think I am killing them faster than I am replacing them now.
I don't have a shade house but I do shade my benches, although I don't take very good care of my orchids. After a while people end up liking a particular color or group of orchids and you find out what grows well and what does not. I have had some orchids a very long time and some I kill off quite quickly. But I usually have something in bloom almost all of the time. I do have to clean up my benches and get rid of the orchids that did not make it. That way I will have room for more.
Phals, Catleya, and Oncidiums are the easiest for me to grow. I kill off dendrobiums pretty quickly. I have given up on the masdevalia and dracs although I like them, it is just not cold enough or high enough for them to survive. I have some of the vandas and they bloom but I will never win any awards for culture. They are crooked, yellow (too much sun) and have a lot of botritis (I don't regularly spray anything in my yard). I did divide and repot one of my older specimen orchids and so far they look like they are holding. Ask me six months from now how they are doing, it may take that long before I know if I killed them. I did take off a vanda keiki and that one looks like it will do o.k.
Do enjoy your orchid. Phals will typically bloom in the cooler months of the year from February till about June at the latest.
I don't have a shade house but I do shade my benches, although I don't take very good care of my orchids. After a while people end up liking a particular color or group of orchids and you find out what grows well and what does not. I have had some orchids a very long time and some I kill off quite quickly. But I usually have something in bloom almost all of the time. I do have to clean up my benches and get rid of the orchids that did not make it. That way I will have room for more.
Phals, Catleya, and Oncidiums are the easiest for me to grow. I kill off dendrobiums pretty quickly. I have given up on the masdevalia and dracs although I like them, it is just not cold enough or high enough for them to survive. I have some of the vandas and they bloom but I will never win any awards for culture. They are crooked, yellow (too much sun) and have a lot of botritis (I don't regularly spray anything in my yard). I did divide and repot one of my older specimen orchids and so far they look like they are holding. Ask me six months from now how they are doing, it may take that long before I know if I killed them. I did take off a vanda keiki and that one looks like it will do o.k.
Do enjoy your orchid. Phals will typically bloom in the cooler months of the year from February till about June at the latest.
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applestar
- Mod
- Posts: 30550
- Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
- Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)
I've been playing with a "photo to art" app called "Waterlogue" on the iPad.
You can also get similar effects with other apps and Photoshop type software:
... I wish I could actually paint like this ... I'm going to start practicing watercolor painting this year 
You can also get similar effects with other apps and Photoshop type software:
- image.jpg (62.94 KiB) Viewed 1459 times