Horticulturalist and celebrity gardener David Domoney appeared on ITV’s This Morning to share some easy tips to keep your orchid in good shape. Orchids can be difficult to look after, especially if you’re not a seasoned gardener. One of the most common mistakes people make is overwatering their orchids. Overwatering orchids can lead to root rot and fungal infections, which can eventually kill the plant.
One of the most popular orchid varieties is the phalaenopsis, also known as the moth orchid. These can actually bloom for two to six months and can rebloom every eight to 12 months. However, many houseplant enthusiasts are often don’t know how to encourage their orchids to re-bloom which means they’re left with a stick-like plant.
With this in mind, David Domoney has shared how to successfully water and position your orchid and encourage it to re-flower.
Flowering
When it comes to orchid flowering, there are a couple of tasks gardeners need to complete. First of all, feed your orchid with orchid fertiliser.
Most orchid fertilisers will have instructions on how much to give your plant on the back of the bottle.
Once the plant has finished flowering, David suggests giving them a “snip”.
He explained: “When it’s finished flowering, if you just follow down the little swellings on the stem and the second one up from the bottom… give it a snip.
“And then there’s every chance from this little swelling at the top a shoot will come out and you’ll get another flush of flowers.”
These “swellings”, also known as nodes or bumps, can be found on the stem. When cutting, make sure to cut above the second node below the last flower or any dead-looking part of the stem.
Watering
If you give your orchid too much water, David said this is, “killing your orchid with kindness”.
Orchids should never sit in a saturated container. Orchids will actually let you know when they’re thirsty in their roots.
When the roots are a silvery, grey colour, they need a drink, when they’re green, they don’t need a drink.
To water orchids, David suggested a simple method: “Just leave it in a couple of inches of water for about half an hour in the sink, remove it and allow it to drain.”
Positioning
Orchids like bright light, but they don’t like direct sun. David suggested positioning your orchid on a brightly lit windowsill that doesn’t get full sun all day.
They also like an ambient room temperature. Placing orchids in a bathroom is ideal as they love the humidity.