There is no doubt about it: the elegant beauty of an orchid is truly unmatched. They truly are the queen of indoor potted flowers. Like any true queen, however, they do best in the proper environment. Proper orchid care is vital if you want your flower to blossom!
Orchids don’t need terribly much to thrive, however, if one of the few very important things they need to survive gets just a touch off, they will react to it. So, what should you look for when checking to see if your orchid is healthy or not? And what should you do if your orchid is showing signs it isn’t feeling so hot? Here are five signs your orchid is feeling under the weather, and some tips for proper orchid care that’ll help bring them back to life.
Webbing on the Leaves
Have you seen a mysterious silky web start to envelop the leaves on your orchids, but somehow you haven’t found any spiders? That’s because spiders aren’t what is hurting your plant. The culprit to this ailment is actually probably mites! Mites are related to spiders and ticks but are much smaller. Mites will feed on your orchid and cause yellowing on the leaves along with the webs.
What do you do if you suspect mites? The easiest way to keep mite populations low is with water. If you spray the plant with water or perhaps place them in the shower, the mites will be washed from the orchid plant. Mites actually tend to appear more when you go long periods without rain because the plant is drier, so knowing when and how to water orchids is very important. Remember- orchids like humidity so you should be spraying them regularly or keep them near a humidifier.
Your Orchid Hasn’t Bloomed in Over a Year
You’ve been doing well keeping your orchid alive (you’ve even learned how to water orchids!), but for whatever reason, it will not bloom again! Your orchid should rebloom every year around the same time you bought them, so this can be frustrating and a major sign your orchid is not super healthy. There are three things you can do to try and get your beautiful orchid to bloom again.
You can start by making sure the temperature drops a bit at night. Keeping them by windows helps, but they need about a ten-degree temperature drop at night. If they aren’t in a spot that gets a bit cooler at night, try moving it somewhere else. Moving it to somewhere with adequate light during the day could also get your orchid blooming up a storm again. You can try somewhere with either more or less light and experiment a bit, however, know that bright shady spots are best (aka it needs light but not direct light all day.) Finally, there is a chance you might need to repot your orchids in a fresh potting medium for orchids.
Droopy Leaves
If your orchid’s leaves are a bit sad and droopy, the issue isn’t the potting medium for orchids; the issue is water! The orchid has either been kept too wet and that has caused the orchid to experience root loss, or it has been left to dry out, which can also cause the leaves to droop because they aren’t getting the water they need to survive.
If your orchid has droopy leaves, the first thing you will need to do is remove the potting medium for orchids to check out those roots! If they are all mushy, they have been overwatered. If they are dried up and shriveled, they have been underwatered.
If your orchid has been under watered, you will have to soak the roots in clean water for five to ten minutes. Then you will remove the soft and dead roots. When you repot it, be sure that you are planting it in a pot that has just enough room for the remaining roots. This may mean you will go down in pot size. After you have repotted it, be sure to increase the humidity but decrease watering for ten days before resuming regular watering.
Bud Blast
Bud blast may sound good — like it sounds like such a blast! However, bud blast is actually very frustrating. Bud blast is when your orchid will grow buds that grow yellow and die before they even blossom. These developing buds are the most sensitive part of your orchid and will need some serious TLC!
Bud blast can be fairly simple to avoid, however, because it is caused when the orchid is under stress. If you have recently changed the orchid’s environment to somewhere warmer or cooler, switched out the potting medium for orchids, or it perhaps got more or less water than it’s used to when you went out of town, that is totally normal. Just avoid any sudden changes if you can.
Crown Rot
Crown rot is caused by water getting left in the top, or the “crown”, of the plant during colder conditions. This rot will quickly work its way down the base of the plant and end up killing your orchid if it is left untreated, so it is important to act quickly.
If you see crown rot on your plant, you should immediately cut off the affected leaves with a sharp blade and sprinkle the plant with cinnamon. The best way to avoid your plant dying from crown rot is to prevent it in the first place because you usually won’t see it until it’s too late. Be sure your orchid is getting enough ventilation to prevent crown rot, and water it in the morning so it’s dried out by nighttime.
Did you catch your orchids’ ailments too late? That’s okay, you can try again with new knowledge. Bouqs has plenty of orchids available! Did you end up saving your orchid and want to celebrate with more flowers? Bouqs has you covered there, too!
Shop All
