Are You Letting Your Orchids Rest?

Orchids require "rest" time every year. The exact time for this depends on the species, but for most orchids it should start some time in the fall and continue well into winter. You must treat your plants differently at this time than you would during their energetic growth periods (spring and summer usually). This is an often-overlooked part of growing orchids successfully.

A good general practice is to allow your orchids rest from November through the middle of February. How do you do this? Basically by lowering the temperature where you keep your plants, and by restricting their water.

For orchids that originate in hot or very warm regions, you should keep the temperature at about 60 0r 65. For species from cooler climes, you can let the temperature drop to as low as 45 degrees Fahrenheit.

During this time, provide your orchids just enough water to keep them from shriveling. The bulk of the moisture should be supplied by misting or by taking steps to keep the air humid. From time to time, though, you should poke down into the soil and examine the stem, roots and rooting medium of your plants. If these are beginning to dry out you can water them directly.

Some species will continue to grow during the winter. These will need somewhat more water than those that truly go dormant. If you see new shoots coming up, though, try to avoid wetting them or they else they might rot.

Some orchids are deciduous. This means they will lose their leaves after they have finished their growth for the year. You need to give these as much sun and light during their rest period as you can. This will allow their pseuduobulbs to ripen, which in turn causes them to grow stronger and flower more freely.

Proper orchid care is not that hard or mysterious. But to prevent problems will require more detailed information than can be included in a short article. The most up-to-date guide to modern orchid care, many agree, is Orchid Care Expert by Nigel Howard, which is available to be downloaded online. Howard's clearly written guide will provide a complete education on the subject. Also, be sure to visit the Orchid Secrets web site, which has a growing database of articles on many topics of orchid cultivation.