How to Get Orchid to Rebloom: The Right Way to Manage it

How to get orchid to rebloom is a very important task that you can do to maintain the visual interest of your garden. If your orchids look unhealthy and are not blooming as they should, you should take the necessary steps to help them thrive again.

Our article will discuss all the steps to help your orchids rebloom like never before!

How to Get Orchid to Rebloom in 11 Easy Steps

To get orchid to rebloom, look for the healthiest node, and check the color of the spike and the stem. Remove the clip or stake and gather your tools to trim the flower spike. Water and move your plant in the right place, as you wait for the orchid blooms.

This is becuse with the right steps, an orchid can rebloom as long as the stem is healthy and you have made the right cut. It just needs to be no more than three inches in height. The only time orchids do not bloom on old stems is when the stems are damaged or diseased.

Most orchids bloom once every year in late spring and summer. They usually retain their bloom for six to ten weeks when they are provided with the right growing conditions, and with the right orchid care, you can make them bloom every three to six months.

1. Look for the Healthiest Node

Nodes are the bumps that go up the stalk. It is where new growth comes out after the orchid is well-rested. You can easily identify the healthiest node next to the last blooming flower. You can distinguish between healthy and useless nodes by color; a healthy node is always green.

Some nodes have a bit of growth, which is another way of distinguishing between healthy and poor nodes. Such nodes are ideal to select so that they would produce the best type of orchids in the long run, so note that a healthy node also ensures a healthy bloom in the end.

2. Check for the Color of the Spike and Stem

The leaves and spikes of moth orchids are typically green even after they enter their dormancy stage. The lush green indicates that the plant is still alive and has sufficient water in its roots. It is, therefore, important to inspect the color of the leaves and spikes to know if the plant can bloom again.

Note that the leaves can fall off, depending on the orchid species, and this is a natural process that happens. In such a case, have a thorough look at the stalk and make sure it is healthy. You can easily tell if the is dead or is about to die if the stalks are turning yellow or when the leaves have dark spots.

What you should do is simply remove such stalks or leaves to ease the re-blooming process. Also, you should keep in mind how different damaged stalks are the most common reasons restricting the plant from blooming again.

3. Remove the Clips or Stakes Attached to the Stalks

Most gardeners hold the falling stalk with clips or stalks. It can be a temporary fix, but you need to do much more other than find ways to support the stalk. This is beacuse the flower will not grow in a correct manner if it isn’t stalked; however, you must remove the clips and make sure it is unattached.

A hanging and dull-looking stalk is an indication of an unhealthy plant. For a long-term solution, you must remove any attached clips or stakes, as the damaged stalks need to be snipped.

4. Gather Your Tools

Now that you know there is a chance that your orchid reblooms, the next step is gathering your tools. Selecting the right kind of tools determines the success rate of your process. This method only needs a few tools.

You only need a razor blade or a pair of sharp scissors, an orchid fertilizer, and plant stakes and ties. Just make sure to sterilize the razor blade or scissors to minimize the risk of contamination.

In this case, you may go ahead and use sterilizers available in the market or make your sterilizer solution by combining one part bleach and nine parts water. Use a cotton swab to rub the solution on your tools, make sure to place them in for a little bit of time, so that they would get properly disinfected.

5. Trim the Flower Spike

You can carry out this step when the bloom has withered, turned brown, and begun to fall. It might seem like trimming a part of the plant is harmful, but it is not; rather, it is a step forward in preparing the plant to repeat its bloom.

Now, you must note that cutting away the unhealthy stalks or spikes is a way to get the required nutrients to the healthiest node, leading to a healthy bloom. Take your sterilized scissors or razor blade and snip off no more than three inches in height.

This step also helps to reduce the hiding spots for pests. Snip the entire spike if all of the nodes are brown or unhealthy. This is because you must be aiming to grow a spike that is healthy and stable, as it would result in a prosperous growth in the long run.

6. Do Not Stop Watering or Feeding Your Orchid

Allow your plant to grow normally, and ensure the surrounding temperature is between 64 and 84 degrees Fahrenheit. The temperature range may sound much, but any spot that receives bright and indirect sunlight is perfect for placing your orchid.

On this notion, make sure that you would keep the plant in the same place to help it produce new flower spikes. This period also helps the plant to replenish the energy lost from flowering. Also, remember that since the orchids grow in a soil-less potting mix, water orchids two or three times a week, depending on the temperature and humidity level of the plant’s surrounding area.

When you water the plant, you can go a bit overboard; on the contrary, do not leave the leaves dripping wet in water, as it can cause leaf rot. Ensure that the plant becomes dry between watering sessions; orchids do not grow well in consistently moist environments. The ideal water amount is approximately three ice cubes per session.

Fertilizing is key when it comes to reviving the orchids. There are two kinds of fertilizer options available for orchids. You can fertilize them with a liquid fertilizer with a twenty-five percent strength.

You can also do what most gardeners do; take a nylon sock and add a slow-release fertilizer to it, just enough to form the shape of a ball, and then bury the ball in the potting medium or sprinkle granules of the fertilizer in the pot. Even though fertilizing the orchids benefits them, they are light feeders, so do not over-fertilize them.

You can feed them with a diluted fertilizer once a month during the period when you are helping them to bloom. A good fertilizer option contains twenty percent nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, or NPK fertilizer, a balanced one because now all three minerals aim to help your plants thrive.

Parallel to this it is important to note that you must cut down or increase the fertilizer slowly. To elaborate further, if months have gone by, and you are habitual of fertilizing the plant once a month, you cannot change your fertilizing schedule to every two weeks as it is very likely that the plant will go into shock, which can lead to further plant problems. Ensure you remain consistent with the feeding and watering schedule when the plant prepares to re-bloom.

7. Move It to a Cooler Location

The plant is ready to initiate its re-blooming cycle as soon as it grows a full leaf after you have trimmed the orchid flower spike. As soon as you notice this signal, move your plant to a place with a temperature range between 60 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit at night.

You can use this temperature range in the winter by placing the plant near a window, but you need to closely check the temperature as it can get too chilly at night. Since the temperature cannot remain low throughout the year, you can place your plant outdoors at night when the temperature is near 53 degrees Fahrenheit.

Moreover, note that when you are growing it, an important factor that will help it grow is the light, as the plant needs bright, indirect sunlight throughout the day as temperature is vital in pushing the plant to re-bloom. This way, the reblooming process of the plant will be at its utmost potential.

8. Wait for the New Spike

It is time for the new flower spike to appear. The new spike usually looks like a root, growing upwards, and has a knobbly bud at its tip. However, if you do not see such growth, add an orchid-blooming fertilizer to the pot.

Now, it is very important to remember that the Phalaenopsis can rebloom easily compared to the rest of the species. Still, you can always place it in a different temperature location. This means that the duration is a dependent determiner in the following case, which would change from one variety to the other.

9. Place the Plant Somewhere Warm

When you see the new spike growing, place the plant in its original warm location, and it can be both indoors or outdoors, depending on the temperature. You can have it inside if you live somewhere with a tropical temperature or cold most of the year.

Once the spike grows up to five inches long, you can stake it and tie it loosely to provide support and help it grow better. Now is the time to increase the weekly feeding with a diluted fertilizer until you see a new flower emerging, but only in this phase, because you should give it the right requirements to have a successful bloom. You can repeat the entire process, from snipping the spike to making adjustments to help it bloom in the next three to six months.

This timing is important because these plants would bloom once yearly, but they can bloom again in every three to six months if you care for them correctly. If properly looked after, phalaenopsis orchids can grow much quicker than other orchid species.

10. Resume the Watering and Fertilizing Schedule

Once the plant shows new signs of growth, you can continue looking after your orchid. But remember, the plant needs more nutrients than when it was resting. There is no strict rule on watering the orchids; it is very easy and common to overwater them, and the rule of thumb is to insert your finger if it feels dry, so you must add water.

You can also place your plant under running water for about a minute and then repot orchid, so the excess water drains out of the pot’s hole; of course, you should place it in a medium pot, because a big one may increase the chance of coming close to diseases. To help the plant recover from all the stress, fertilize it every two weeks.

11. Reattach the Clips and Stakes

Now that you have signs of growth on the snipped stem, you can reattach the clips and stakes you took at the beginning of the process. These clips, or stakes, help the orchid grow straight and support the emerging.

You can also use ties to link the plant with nearby support. However, wait to reattach them until the stalk is fully grown, or they may stunt its growth. You know, when the stalk is done growing when it begins developing new flowers.

You need not do much to make the orchid grow a new spike. Water the plant just enough to keep the soil moist and not soggy, almost equal to three cubes of ice. Feed it with an orchid bloom fertilizer to help it recover and grow a new spike better. Also, get rid of any damaged stalks or spikes.

The orchid can rebloom inside with the same techniques as preparing the plant to rebloom outdoors. It is important to remain consistent with the watering and feeding routine of the plant. Maintaining the temperature indoors is equally significant in determining how long orchid blooms last.

Conclusion

You are prepared to rebloom orchids correctly using the valuable information from our article! But before you leave, let’s do a quick recap of the main points once more:

• Identifying the healthiest node is extremely important as it is where you need to cut.
• Do not abruptly change your orchids’ watering and feeding schedule, as it can cause them to go into shock.
• Get rid of all the dead, diseased, or damaged stalks, which are useless and can increase the issue by manifolds.
• Refrain from watering orchids excessively, as they do not like to remain in consistently moist environments. Water the plant only when the top few inches of the soil feel dry.
• The reblooming period of orchids differs for every species; therefore, patience is key.

Now that you have all the recommended techniques, you can rebloom your orchids professionally! Get your tools and get ready to help your orchids flower more beautifully than before.