A gardening expert has shared some helpful tips to orchid owners to encourage their houseplant to bloom even more flowers. Ish, a garden designer and TikTok creator, explained how he’s simplified the process with a few care techniques.
Ish claimed that producing a second flower on orchids isn’t as difficult as first thought, you only need a few simple steps. Orchids generally flower with a period of growth in the summer followed by a bloom spike in fall and flowers in winter or spring. This is how you can encourage some more wonderful blooms on your plant.
For anyone unfamiliar, a second flower refers to a new flush of blooms on a plant after the first has faded. To encourage a second flower, once the first has wilted, the plant will need a “good snip”.
The gardening expert explained that there are two different points on the plant you can cut. You can cut the plant right above a leaf node, which could encourage the plant to branch out and give a second flower.
Ish said: “However, if it doesn’t, what you want to do is snip it right at the base of the stem. It seems mad, but it will grow back.”
It’s important to look after the orchid’s roots. He continued: “Unlike traditional roots that like to be underground, these like to see some of the sunlight. They like an indirect sunlight, so on an easterly, west-facing window, they’ll absolutely thrive.”
To check if the plant’s roots are thriving, all you need to do is pour over a bit of water on top of the roots. If the roots turn a deep green colour, they’re doing well.
However if the roots are grey and dry, you can cut them away. When it comes to watering, orchids will need a little bit every couple of weeks.
You can keep the same bark in the plant pot in the first year, as it will have used all the energy it needs to.When caring for houseplant orchids, they thrive when placed in bright light, but not direct sunlight.
They also need regular watering and misting, either with rainwater or boiled water rather than tap water, according to the Royal Horticultural Society. If you’ve followed all of the necessary steps and you still can’t see any sight of the second flower, Ish urged people not to worry.
As orchids flower annually, there might be times when the plant has a lot of foliage, then “out of nowhere” a stem may start to grow. A new stem will need enough support to help the plant flower.