Does A Blooming Orchid Need Special Handling?

So, you've tenderly cared for an orchid for months and now it is finally rewarding you with a gorgeous bloom.  Should you treat the plant any differently now? The answer? Perhaps.

Although the variety of your orchid will be the final determinant, as a rule it would be prudent for you to remove the plant to a cooler and drier place that that in which it was grown. This will assist the flowers to last longer than in a moist, warm greenhouse or other typical growing room.

Most orchids will not suffer by being place in a drier and cooler location when they are in bloom. For most of them, it will be positively beneficial. Nevertheless, you should ensure that the temperature of your orchid's temporary new home should never get below 50 degrees F. at night.

Here's an experiment you can carry out if you happen to have two orchids of the same variety that come into bloom at around the same time. Leave one in the warm room or greenhouse, and place the other in a dry, cool location as advised above. You will almost certainly notice that the one in your "cool room" will have fresh flowers for a significantly longer time than the one that was left behind.

The flowers of all orchids, including those kept in a cooler space, will of course eventually fade. When this occurs you can re-locate the plant back into the warmer growing room. Just be sure to shade it from the sun until it re-adjusts to warmer surroundings. Otherwise it could suffer scorching.

One of the keys to success in growing orchids is to understand their life cycles and the different stages they go through. Each of those stages demands a different type of care, and the blossoming phase has "rules" all its own.

The most thorough guide to today's orchid cultivation, many growers agree, is Orchid Care Expert by Nigel Howard, which can be downloaded from the web. Howard's wonderful guide is a comprehensive education all by itself. And, it is suitable for neophytes as well as more experienced orchid growers. Also, check out the Orchid Secrets web site, which features an ever-growing database of information on all facets of orchid cultivation.