How and when to strengthen orchids

If we are lovers of these plants, we cannot forget a vital aspect. Strengthening orchids is a task that we have to add to our list. One that, many times, we completely forget or relegate to the months before its flowering time. However, strengthening orchids cannot be left just for that time of year. On the contrary: it will have to be a constant and regular activity if we want to help our plant.

In addition to strengthening the orchids, we must do it according to each vegetative moment of the year. Yes, improving the health of our plant is important. However, if you do it in the wrong season, that good gesture towards her can turn against you. A compelling reason to understand not only what the tasks are to strengthen orchids, but also when to carry them out.

Thus and aware of its importance, let’s see what methods to carry out to strengthen orchids. And no: it is not just about using a fertilizer for orchids. The thing goes much further.

REASONS TO STRENGTHEN ORCHIDS

If we stop to think, this constant work of strengthening the orchids is totally logical. The vast majority of them live in one of those types of plant substrates that contain no nutrients: pine bark. A support that not only allows the support of the plant. In addition, it makes it easier to avoid a real enemy of your crop: the danger of excess water in orchids.

Although pine bark fulfills these two vital functions, it has one important deficiency. And it is that our plant will only have the irrigation water to obtain the basic hydration for its survival. Something that necessarily implies strengthening the orchids by providing them with specific nutrients that help their growth.

Normally, only a properly nourished and strong plant can give us its incredible flowers. And it is that flowering supposes a tremendous effort for any plant. A huge waste of resources, which can only happen if the plant is strong enough to cope with wear. Something that is also subject to other aspects such as being located in a place with good light, having a good degree of humidity or, simply, being comfortable in a certain location. Let’s not fool ourselves: considering them capricious plants is not free.

Added to this, the morphology of the orchids also gives us a clue to their needs. We must bear in mind that we are not only talking about a tropical plant grown far from its origins. It is also, in a very large percentage of its immense botanical family, an epiphytic plant. Or, what is the same, that lives with the roots in the air. A detail that makes it clear to us to what extent this part of the orchids is vital. In fact, they are the extremely sensitive ones when it comes to humidity.

WAYS TO STRENGTHEN ORCHIDS

Once we understand the importance of strengthening orchids, we are going to focus on how to do it. But, even more than that, in that vital when we were talking about. An authentic calendar that will give us the clue of how to treat our plant throughout the year. The best way to get orchids to bloom quickly. Something that, let’s not fool ourselves!, is the great objective of all lovers of these plants.

Let’s see, then, how to strengthen orchids by attending to different aspects of the plant. All of them equally important to your health.

1. Subscriber at rest, a way to strengthen the orchids in a moderate and gradual way

All plants have a dormant vegetative season. One that, except for plants that flower in winter, usually coincides with the arrival of the cold. It is this drop in temperature that precisely helps the plant enter a kind of hibernation. A time when it will require much less irrigation, and in which it remains dormant.

In the case of orchids, this period of rest can also be marked by the end of flowering. Or, to be more exact, for that moment in which the floral wand begins to dry up. A natural clue to know that, in the following months, we will not see it have that explosive growth of the past months. Far from cutting it immediately, it is advisable to wait to see how it evolves. Sometimes, even if it begins to dry out, it can sprout again. If this is the case, the ideal is to wait to see if the buds form and the flowers open.

When the plants go dormant, it’s time to fortify the orchids with a slow-release fertilizer. In this way, the nutrients will feed our plant according to the specific needs of the plant.

2. Transplantation, another fundamental aspect to strengthen orchids

When we talk about strengthening orchids, we always think of fertilizers. But no, it’s not just about that. As we said before, the roots of the orchid are the ones that largely determine the health of the plant. For this reason, pampering them is the ideal way to promote their growth and improve their well-being.

And, although the orchid’s substrate does not provide it with nutrients, it does not hurt to change it from time to time. The reasons are varied. On the one hand, renewing it allows us to give our orchid a new substrate. One that has not been degraded, and that greatly facilitates its holding. But not only for that we have to consider it. The change of substrate also allows redirecting, at a given moment, an excess of irrigation. The new substrate will be completely dry, and it will make it easier for us to alleviate any mishap that could go further in time.

In parallel with this aspect, strengthening orchids also requires a change of pot. And we don’t mean just a new one but, rather, a bigger one. The growth of these plants is sustained, above all, in the development of their roots. That is why it is more than usual to see how they grow out of the pot. For this reason, and to promote its correct development, it is interesting to take advantage of winter to do this transplant.

3. The revitalizing fertilizer, key for moments of plant weakness

With the end of winter, it’s time to strengthen orchids. A time, the step before spring, in which they will need our help. Both the lack of light and the temperature may have weakened our plant. Therefore, it is essential to ensure that it receives the necessary nutrients at one of the key moments of growth. And no, we are not referring to a fertilizer for orchids focused on flowering.

The revitalizing fertilizer for orchids allows to improve the general tone of the plant. Something necessary, especially if our plant has overcome a fungal attack. A very common disease in the cold months, which is usually coupled with incorrect watering and a temperature lower than what our plant needs. For it to have the necessary effect, the ideal is that we opt for a fertilizer in pipettes.

In this way, the fertilizer will be released and the plant will be able to absorb it slowly.

4. Regular fertilization starting in spring, the ideal one for healthy plants

If our plants are in good condition, it does not hurt to strengthen the orchids by applying a fertilizer on a regular basis. Thanks to it, the spring months will allow the plant to take in the nutrients it needs to prepare for flowering.

But not only that. A regular subscriber of our plant will not only favor the creation of flowers. It will also promote leaf and root growth. Finally, if we choose a fertilizer for orchids rich in phosphorus, we will help our plant to be healthier. Something essential to make it stronger and more resistant to any possible plague that may afflict it.

And you, which of these tips do you follow to strengthen orchids? Share it with us!