We have 2 orchids that we've had for about a year now. When we purchased them they were blooming and when the flowers died off I cut the stem just below the last flowering node and put the pots in a cooler area for about 2 months and than brought them into warmer climate (following instructions suggested online for orchid care). So its been about 4-5 months and no signs of flowering...although one of the orchids has started to grow leaves from the stem!! Is that normal?
I got frustrated with the 2nd orchid and cut the stem off right near the leaves...was that a big mistake? Is it ever going to grow another shoot?
Lastly, the orhids are infested with fruit flies...there's tons of them on the orchid bark everyday, even though we kill off so many. What's the solution for getting rid of the fruit flies?
Thanks for any help you can suggest.
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...require lots of bright indirect or direct sunlight. They don't like their roots to be waterlogged however, they do like humidity so you could set them on a pebble tray as long as their roots aren't in the water. I find the key to blooming in alot of orchids is a day/night temperature differential of up to 10 degrees. I keep my house cooler at night then in the day and have had success in blooming my orchids.
You could also feed them with special orchid fertilizer as recommended on the label.
K
Both the orcids we have are the phalaenopsis orchids. I replanted them from the original pots they came in, using special Orchid mix from Walmart. It had bark and coal and other stuff mixed together. They're kept near a window, but not in direct sunlight. Any more advice would be appreciated. Thanks
Hi mss,
What kind of orchids do you have? Different types of orchids require different types of lighting and conditions. What type of medium are your orchids growing in?
After an orchid has flowered, you can cut off the stalk the flower bloomed on leaving only the green part behind and another flower could still bloom off this stalk. However, cutting this stalk right off won't hurt the orchid either, if the conditions are right it will send out another stalk to bloom off. I assume that is what you meant when you said you cut the stem?
K