Blooming Orchids Need to be Kept Cool

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 best answer one can give is: Perhaps.

Although the variety of your orchid will be the final determinant, as a general 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 help the flowers to last much longer than in a warm and moist greenhouse or other typical growing room.

Most orchids will not be harmed by putting them into a cooler, drier location when they are blooming. Most will positively benefit from it. 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 which blossom at around the same time. Leave one in your growing room, and place the other in a cool, dry place as recommended 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 even the best-kept orchids will finally begin to fade at some point, of course. When this happens you can move the plant back to the warm growing room. Just take care to shade it from the sun until it has re-adjusted to the warmer surroundings. Otherwise it can become scorched.

One of the keys to success in growing orchids is understanding their life cycles and the different stages they go through. Every stage requires a different kind of care, and the blossoming stage has its own unique "rules.".

The most up-to-date guide to contemporary orchid care, without a doubt, is Orchid Care Expert by Nigel Howard, which is available to be downloaded from the Internet. Mr. Howard's ebook is a complete course in itself, appropriate for neophytes as well as the more experienced. Also, visit the Orchid Secrets web site, which contains an ever-growing database of postings on all facets of orchid cultivation.