Demystify orchid fertilize with these expert - recommend tips to encourage lots of flower .
David A Land
After your orchid flora ’s efflorescence have fallen off , you ’re leave with a ho - hum clump of leave . But with the right orchid fertilizing tips , a small TLC , and some longanimity , you may have flowers again . fecundate orchids is a little different thanfertilizing other houseplant . Here ’s how to get the fertiliser good to get more arresting flowers from your orchids .
Credit:David A Land
Justin Kondratis lead horticulturist at the Smithsonian Gardens Orchid Collection , where he cares for the nation ’s orchid garden .
How Often Do Orchids Bloom?
“ orchid typically flower once a year , ” says Justin Kondrat , lead plantsman at the Smithsonian Gardens Orchid Collection . raise those beautiful heyday takes a lot of zip for orchid plants . They ’ll involve to replenish themselves to be able to bloom again . “ Once they land up blooming , you need to offer them with the right amount of sunlight , the correct temperature , and most importantly , the nutrients they ask to build strong roots , shoots , and parting , ” he adds .
Tips for Fertilizing Orchids Correctly
Because strong roots , shoot , and leaves are a mustif you require more blooms , Kondrat recommends the follow practices to fertilize your orchid properly .
1. Use 10-10-10 Fertilizer Formulated for Orchids
Dilute the fertilizer to ¼ the intensity level indicate on the label . This is very important . You ’ll be feeding your orchid often , and a weak solution of plant food on a regular basis throughout its growing season is better than one or two feedings of full - strength fertilizer . Lots of small meal are better for your orchid than one or two big meals , says Kondrat .
2. Don’t Fertilize in Winter
In winter , an orchidaceous plant raise very slow due to short daytime and cool temperatures and does n’t need extra nutrient , state Kondrat . If you fertilize in the wintertime , you may damage the orchid by combust its root tips .
3. Start Fertilizing in Early Spring or Late Winter
When the days start to get long and the temperatures ardent in early spring or late winter , orchids begin produce new outgrowth and initiating bud exploitation , Kondrat says . The plant involve supernumerary nutrients to fire this growth and to originate prime . He suggests you begin fertilizing in April , but that may vary slightly depending on where you live . Further in the south , you could start in March , and further magnetic north , you could wait until other May . Whenever your flora starts show signs of newfangled ontogeny , that ’s when to start feeding .
4. Fertilize Every Other Week During Orchid Growing Season
Depending on thetype of orchidaceous plant , its arise time of year is typically March to October . Fertilize every two weeks during this sentence , using a diluted mixture of smooth orchid plant food so you do n’t overfertilize and burn the roots .
Give your orchid a nutritionary boost by spritzing its leaves during the grow season with a mixture of 2 tablespoons ofEpsom saltto a Imperial gallon of water . The magnesium and calcium in the Epsom salt boost the leaves to make more chlorophyl . “ It ’s like a vitamin for your plant , ” Kondrat sound out .
5. Stop Fertilizing Just Before Halloween
By fall , your orchid will be on the style to making buds and will no longer want fertilizer , says Kondrat . “ The light storey are low and temperatures get cool . That signals to the orchid that it ’s time to develop a flower spike , ” he says . More fertilizer now wo n’t force the plant to make more heyday . “ It ’s all about a cycles/second , ” he says . “ The blooms you will see in a few weeks have already started . ”
cymbid orchid do better with aslow - handout fertilizer in a pellet formbecause they demand more food than a dendrobium orchid ormoth orchid . “ Cymbidiums are the hungry athirst Hippo of the orchid humankind , ” Kondrat says . “ They need a draw of food . ”
