I have a orchid, it bloomed last year in October, how come not this year? Iooks healthy!?

They need pretty specific PH content to bloom. Get a fertilizer specifically for orchids.

I have a orchid, it bloomed last year in October, how come not this year? Iooks healthy!?
Contact GYNOS, Greater New York Orchid Society.



David Horak, president.

718 282-0341
Reply:Need more info, Scott. An orchid that has not bloomed in a year probably has not been supplied with optimum conditions to facilitate proper growth and blooming. First, what kind is it? Some species are notorious for being difficult to get into bloom. Others, such as Phalaenopsis, are easier to grow than African violets. If you purchased the plant in bloom, then brought it home from a greenhouse and placed it in a dry and/or poorly lit area, then it is suffering. Some plants simply take a very long time to acclimatize themselves to new conditions. Try an orchid fertilizer, but reduce the dose to half strength. If it hasn't been fertilized, then it's given a full dose, it will force the plant to produce growth, and it could result in weak growth, not healthy growth. Ensure that it has the appropriate growing medium for its species: some are best grown in a redwood/fir bark mix; some are best in sphagnum, or a mix of the prior; others mounted to a cork board with osmunda fibre. Place some horticultural charcoal in the medium when repotting to keep the medium "fresh". Pots should be of a type that allow drying after watering; if the fleshy roots sit in water, they will rot. Try to mimic the natural conditions from the orchid's native habitat. If the plant is a rain forest native, they receive lots of water, but there is drying out between rains, and the roots never sit in water, as many grow in trees. I say "IN" because orchids are not parasites. They simply grow in organic matter caught between rain forest tree branches, up high for maximum exposure to light. Some grow on the bark of trees, also. This is called epiphytic. Some grow on the ground in organic matter of the forest. These are terrestrial. So you see, you must mimic the type of growing medium of that species in order to be successful with it. When watering, do a thorough watering so that the water comes out of the bottom of the pot, ensuring that the entire growing medium is wet, as roots will stay in a moistened area and not venture farther if only a light watering is given. Most orchids require bright light or screened sunlight to bloom. Full sun will burn leaves if it's on a regular basis. Some require cool nights to set buds. Their are so many species-specific variables that you can't just make an across-the-board assessment without knowing what type of orchid it is. There is also a plant called "Orchid cactus" which is not a true orchid at all, but a succulent. It is the night-blooming cereus that blooms once a year for one NIGHT, (fertilized by moths in nature), and closes the following day, and dies; and if you miss that event, then you missed it for the year. And it can take years to bring it into bloom after it is acclimatized. Could this be the plant that you are referring to? Write again with the type of orchid you have. There are excellent source books on the subject, and web searches will yield much information. Good luck.
Reply:Orchids can be tricky! Many need a period of night temperatures 15-20 degrees cooler than daytime temperature to set buds.

I have found, after years of growing them indoors, it is more cost effective to buy one in bloom rather than trying to get one to rebloom.