How to force orchids to bloom is the first thought orchid gardeners have when their plants fail to produce flowers. Fortunately, you can prune, repot, provide ideal lighting conditions, and maintain temperatures to encourage the orchids to bloom.
However, doing them wrong can cause irreversible damage and further delay flowering. Continue reading to learn how to safely force the orchids to blossom.
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How To Force Orchids to Bloom Without Hurting Them?
You can force orchids to bloom without hurting them by pruning and repotting before the flowering season. In addition, provide more than 12 hours of bright and indirect light, watering correctly, feeding bloom-promoting fertilizers, and maintaining ideal day-night temperatures to encourage the orchids to produce healthy flowers.
Orchids don’t bloom when they are facing stress. Insufficient light is a common problem that stops the orchid from producing flowers. In addition, incorrect watering, nutrient deficiency, no drop in temperature at night, and root issues can also halt orchids from blooming.
Most orchids produce flowers once a year in their growing season. They will then wait for the same months next year to bloom. However, some Phalaenopsis and Psychopsis species can flower multiple times yearly. There may be one or two months of a break between two bloomings.
– Prune the Orchid Carefully
Orchid plants possess a balance of growth hormones that initiates their blooming period. Trimming stimulates these hormones, making the plant focus its energy on blooming. The orchid will redirect the flow of auxins, which is the primary growth hormone, toward the nodes responsible for flower production. As a result, flower buds will start to emerge there.
Sometimes, the orchid flower spike is not good enough to produce buds. If it has yellow or brown spots and looks generally weak, you should cut it and help the orchid develop a new one.
Now you may also want to know how to make an orchid grow a new spike, and that would be by pruning and providing the right orchid care. Choose a node at the base of the spike and cut an inch above it, as this is part of the right way to prune it.
After this, take care of the plant, like adding water timely, and you must also try to ensure that there is proper air circulation as well. A new flower spike will grow with time, which will be fresh and healthy to produce buds.
– Repot the Orchid
Repotting promotes blooming, but only when done appropriately. You must be aware of the growing season of your orchids and then shift them to new pots at their start. Moreover, if you are wondering about the way and when do orchids bloom indoors, it is a matter that depends on the species.
A Phalaenopsis orchid produces blossoms yearly but the heaviest in the winter, while Dendrobium orchids grow flowers from February to June. So, repot the Phalaenopsis orchids when the cold season arrives and dendrobiums during spring.
Repotting works because the old potting medium probably needs more nutrients, fewer air pockets, unsuitable pH, or poor drainage. These factors make the roots uncomfortable. As a result, the water and mineral absorption does not occur smoothly, leading to no blooms.
Even if everything seems right, there are also chances of rootbound in the old pot. It is a phenomenon in which roots do not find space to grow and encircle within the potting medium or move upward. This root condition can also stop the buds from emerging on flower spikes.
In short, getting a bit bigger pot is a good option if you than the previous one and add fresh potting medium to it; just make sure that it isn’t one that is a few sizes bigger because this would lead to problems. The orchid roots will perform optimally after repotting, and you will see blooms quickly.
– Focus on Light Exposure
Light is an essential factor in the growth and flowering of orchids. Plants absorb and convert it into energy, which is then used to develop flower buds. But not every light can force the orchids to bloom.
Orchids need indirect light to produce flowers; keeping this in mind, the sun is crucial for them. However, be mindful that you don’t put them directly under the sunlight, as it can lead to scorching. In this situation, orchids can’t bloom.
It is crucial to replicate the natural environment if you want to see flowers. Orchids receive filtered, dappled light through the dense foliage of trees in the wild. As a result, you must aim to find the right spot to ensure the plants get plenty of bright and indirect light for smooth blooming.
Placing your orchid near an east or west-facing window is ideal, as it allows them to receive gentle morning or late afternoon light. You can use LED full spectrum light if there is no space near these windows. Maintain distance between the orchids and the light source if you want to see healthy blooms soon.
Moreover, maintaining a proper light routine also helps the orchids produce flowers. These plants require a balance between darkness and sunshine. Orchids produce healthy blooms when exposed to 12 to 14 hours of light and then 10 to 12 hours of rest to let it find the right balance as you can use timers to ensure a consistent light schedule.
– Apply Water Smartly
The orchid not flowering issue can be resolved by watering correctly, so you should water every week before the start of the blooming season. Ensure the roots get adequately soaked whenever you pour water. Also, let the potting mix dry between the times you would water it.
When the blooming season arrives, and you still see no signs of buds, stop the watering or reduce the amount. The orchids will feel stressed when you do this. As a result, their defense mechanism will get activated, forcing them to produce flower buds. Resume the regular watering when you see bud development.
Moreover, another reason for no blooms is overwatering before the blooming phase. Root performance slows down when you make the potting medium soggy, and this is because the oxygen supply gets restricted due to water. In addition, root rot can also occur in this situation.
Knowing this, you should carefully dig up the potting medium with a small trowel and examine the roots. If they smell and feel soft, it means the roots are unhealthy. In this situation, remove the pot of the orchid, cut the sick roots, re-plant it in a new pot, and allow them to recover. Blooming will occur after the orchid becomes healthy.
– Maintain Day and Night Temperatures
Keeping a watchful eye on the thermostat is vital to make orchids produce radiant blooms. Most orchids generally prefer daytime temperatures ranging from 70 degrees Fahrenheit to 85 degrees Fahrenheit.
However, there should be a slight drop in temperature during the nighttime, around 55 degrees Fahrenheit to 65 degrees Fahrenheit. If there is no drop after the evening, then orchids will not bloom. Temperature influences various physiological processes within orchids, which are critical for blooming.
Furthermore, temperature fluctuations affect the production of essential growth hormones in orchids. These hormones, such as gibberellins and cytokinins, regulate various developmental processes, including flowering.
You can do these things to maintain a suitable temperature near orchids to induce blooming, like using fans, humidifiers, or even placing it near the air conditioners to drop the temperature. Put the orchids in a well-ventilated room, or try to use terrariums or specialized orchid greenhouses to create a microclimate closely matching the preferred temperature range.
– Add Orchid Bloom Fertilizers
You may also worry about, how to make orchids bloom constantly and as most orchid species cannot produce flowers throughout the year. But you can prolong the orchid bloom cycle by adding bloom boosters.
These fertilizers are specifically manufactured to make orchids produce blossoms. They are usually nitrogen-free and rich in phosphorus– a nutrient critical for blooming, and note that feed it the right way for desirable results.
Most bloom boosters are generally added with the fourth watering. You should again add a dose when the flowering is about to end to force the orchids to produce more flowers. Remember that you should follow the application instructions on the bottle, or you may hurt the roots.
– Balance the Humidity Levels
Unsuitable humidity also stops the orchids from blooming, so we recommend orchid gardeners regularly check it with an accurate hygrometer. Moreover, know the moisture preference of the orchids you have.
Moth orchids like the humidity to be above 40 and below 60 percent. So, if the instrument shows a moisture level out of this range, you know why there are no flowers. When the humidity is low, you can mist the orchids regularly or turn on the humidifier for a few minutes. Keep a hygrometer when you do this. When it reaches 40 percent, stop what you were doing.
If the humidity is higher than required, you can maintain a foot distance between two pots for air circulation and use a dehumidifier. Keep humidity-measuring instruments near the orchids when you do this too. Hopefully, you will have blooming orchids in a few days.
But how to tell if your orchid will bloom again, is what you should start to look for root sprouting and new growth. If the orchid plant has these signs, it will bloom shortly.
Conclusion
Orchid gardening is all about flowers, but when these plants fail to produce blossoms, some things force them to bloom, which are:
- Prune the flower spike and repot the orchids before the flowering season and try to add bloom booster fertilizers.
- Ensure plants get 12 hours of light daily, as insufficient light is a big reason behind no blooming.
- Add water the right way, which is when you see the soil dried out, that is the right time to irrigate it.
- Maintaining appropriate temperature and humidity also encourages the orchids to bloom.
These simple things will encourage the orchid to produce vibrant blooms that will stay on the plant for weeks, so, do them right now and have a garden full of beautiful orchids.
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