How To Prolong Orchid Bloom?

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How To Prolong Orchid Bloom?
How To Prolong Orchid Bloom?

Video: How To Prolong Orchid Bloom?

Video: How To Prolong Orchid Bloom?
Video: How to make Orchid blooms last longer 2024, March
Anonim

I want to admire the luxurious orchid flowers endlessly. These are real regal soloists who look rather ordinary-looking outside the flowering period. The time when one by one the soaring flowers open up and gradually reach the peak of decorativeness, one so wants to stretch it out longer. There is only one way to increase the flowering duration of any orchid - to provide it with the right conditions of maintenance and careful care.

Phalaenopsis orchids in pots
Phalaenopsis orchids in pots

Extending the flowering time of an orchid, increasing the period during which the plant pleases with its flowers is a task as difficult as stimulating or managing orchid flowering in general. Achieving the appearance of buds, and then their blooming, is possible only with proper care.

At the slightest deviation in conditions or an error in watering, even the most hardy and unpretentious of orchids can surprise with unpleasant manifestations. Falling buds, drying out buds and even flower stalks, opening flowers for only a few days, quick opening of all buds and the same fast fading are just a few of the troubles awaiting fans of indoor orchids.

Blooming time regulation is one of the most important means of controlling the flowering process of all orchids. The setting of buds and the flowering itself directly depend on the conditions of care, a change in which can be used in order to stretch the pleasure for the maximum period.

There are two main factors to control the flowering duration of any orchid:

  1. air temperature in two values - night and day values;
  2. the duration of daylight hours.

"Manage" the orchid flowering duration in the same way as when controlling flowering time. Increasing the length of daylight hours and controlling temperatures at night allows not only to stimulate and delay flowering until the desired date, to stop or start the development of buds in the cover, but even to speed up or slow down their blooming.

But all other components of orchid care have an effect on the duration of flowering. It is possible to ensure that plants bloom for a long time and surprise with the persistence of flowers, only with sufficient diligence and careful control of all possible parameters of growing conditions.

The process of controlling the duration of flowering and its artificial stretching can begin from the moment when the buds appear in the covers and can be continued until the last flower blooms in the inflorescences.

Cattleya Orchid
Cattleya Orchid

The problem of shortened or defective flowering can occur with any orchid - both with hybrids and with luxurious species. Usually, a special increase in the duration of flowering is said in relation to phalaenopsis, but all orchids can be "made" to bloom more beautifully and longer if you create the right conditions for them. Subject to all the recommendations for the flowering period, phalaenopsis and wandas can bloom literally for almost the entire year, and the rest of the orchids - from 2 to 6 months. Any shorter flowering period indicates problems with housing or maintenance.

An abundance of light is the key to long-term flowering of any orchid

Long daylight hours are one of the main reasons for the start of the flowering process in orchids and the main condition for its normal course. Any reduction in daylight hours and a lack of intensity or duration of lighting leads to problems with blooming beauties.

Lack of light at the orchid flowering stage leads to unpleasant phenomena:

  • wilting and drying of unblown buds;
  • opening of flowers for a very short time, their premature wilting;
  • dropping flowers one by one.

The minimum daylight hours for orchids are 10-12 hours. Even for hybrids blooming in winter without a twelve hour day, it will be difficult to achieve long and full flowering. A ten hour day allows the orchids to bloom, but in this case, the overall flowering period is usually greatly shortened. In the cold season, daylight hours are increased by additional lighting. If it is not possible to illuminate the whole plant, then it will be organized at least for the tips of the peduncles.

It is worth paying attention to the quality of lighting. Diffused light is one of the conditions for the best resistance of flowers. Blooming orchids fade much faster when exposed to direct sunlight or on a bright sunny windowsill. After all the flowers have bloomed, the need for light is reduced and the plants can be moved even in partial shade. By avoiding intense lighting, providing a quality diffused maintenance regime, it is possible to achieve an increase in flowering duration by several days for each flower.

Orchid bloom
Orchid bloom

Temperature correction and use of temperature changes

Slowing down the blooming of the buds allows you to adjust the timing of flowering or stretch the blooming process for several weeks longer. At a normal night temperature of 18 degrees, orchids open their buds in covers in a short time, about two weeks less than at a temperature of 12 to 15 degrees.

Lowering the night temperature will slow down bud development and increase overall flowering time. For well-developed buds, the slowdown with decreasing temperature is also 1-2 weeks. When selecting such conditions of low temperatures, it is worth considering the preferences and capabilities of specific orchids. After all, for example, Phalaenopsis does not like cooling below 18 degrees.

The difference between day and night temperatures is also the basis for the correct blooming of orchid flowers and their long-lasting beauty. The difference between the indicators during the flowering period should be between 4 and 6 degrees. It will be very difficult to achieve long flowering without falling night temperatures.

Even more important is the temperature during the flowering stage, when the first or all flowers of the orchid have blossomed. Heat for any blooming orchid is contraindicated even during the day. The orchid is kept in discreetly warm or cool conditions.

Other factors directly affect the rate of blooming of flowers in an orchid and the length of the flowering period. When adjusting flowering using night temperatures and lighting, one should not forget about the following components of care:

Fresh air

Access to fresh air, good ventilation (especially for orchids grown in florariums or showcases). Blooming orchids should be protected from drafts, even if flowering occurs in the warm season, but ventilation should be regular.

Air humidity

Air humidity, which must be maintained at an optimal level for a particular type of orchid (dry air evens out the positive effects of low temperatures). The standard is considered a minimum of 60%. Humidity can be increased in any convenient way - by finely dispersed spraying or by installing any humidifiers. As an additional measure to increase the duration of flowering, it is sometimes recommended to spray the tips of the peduncles, which stimulates the development of new buds, but it is better to experiment with such measures only on phalaenopsis.

Watering the orchid

Watering, which should create stable conditions and not allow the roots to completely dry out during the entire flowering period, but be extremely careful. Any increase in humidity, even slight waterlogging, affects the buds, including those that begin to bloom. At this time, both too frequent and too abundant watering are contraindicated. Most orchids bloom longer if they are slightly dried during flowering, reduce moisture levels (and accordingly shorten flowering time with heavy watering). Watering during flowering should be insufficient rather than excessive.

Top dressing

Top dressing. Standard recommendations for growing orchids state that fertilizing should be carried out at a frequency that is optimal for each type of orchid, fertilizers with the correct ratio of macronutrients. But in fact, it is in the dressing that the main reason for the short flowering period in the most common indoor orchids lies. The application of fertilizers causes a sharp wilting of all flowers and stimulates the processes of active vegetation, respectively, even the "freshest" flowers can close in just one day. From the budding period to the end of flowering, feeding for any orchid should not be carried out. Phalaenopsis is particularly sensitive to feeding at the stage of even budding. For orchids, in the recommendations for the cultivation of which there are obligatory feeding during flowering,it is worth using a special mixture of fertilizers with a high potassium content, but at a lower concentration.

How to prolong orchid bloom
How to prolong orchid bloom

Do not forget that, like any other flowering houseplant, the orchid is sensitive to changing the place of cultivation. It is advisable not to transfer the plants or even move them on the same windowsill, providing stable conditions and leveling stress factors. The maximum movement that any flowering orchid can withstand is the minimum movement required during watering. But the plant immediately after it must be placed not just in the same place, but fully observing the location of the peduncle and leaves in relation to the light source. Even a slight displacement of a few centimeters will change the illumination, and orchid buds (and even blossoming flowers) sensitive to the light regime will immediately react to the changes by deteriorating flowering. Orchids lose sensitivity to turning 4-7 days after the blooming of all flowers, in parallel with an improvement in resistance to a reduction in the duration of daylight hours.

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