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| Fertilizing to Make Your Orchids Bloom All plants follow the seasonal cycle, even those grown indoors and, therefore, will produce new growth in the spring and summer. Most plants are not actively growing during the winter months. Many orchids will flower during the winter months but will not be producing new roots or leaves during this time of year. Flowering will depend upon how many nutrients the plant was able to store during the growth period. An undernourished plant will produce few, if any flowers. The following method should encourage additional blooms from your orchid plant: Sometime in February or March, when we begin to have more sunny days, begin feeding plants a high nitrogen fertilizer (i.e. 10-5-5). This will start the growth cycle for most plants and encourage multiple growths. Try using a five-part approach: meaning that you add fertilizer to the water four times in a row and the fifth time use pure water to rinse salts from the roots. In April switch to a balanced fertilizer (i.e. 10-10-10) for three waterings and then use a bloom boost (i.e. 10-30-20) on the fourth watering. Again, the fifth watering should be pure water. Continue this method throughout the summer. Late in the year, usually in October when the weather begins to change, switch entirely to a bloom boost (i.e. 10-30-20). Fertilize four times in a row and then stop fertilizing until you begin the cycle again in February or March. Because plants receive less sun and lower temperatures in the winter months, they are not actively growing during this time. Therefore, they do not require fertilizer and need less watering. The strength of the fertilizer you use will depend on how much light your plants receive. If grown in a greenhouse they can probably take a full-strength fertilizer solution. If grown indoors where they are receiving less light they will need only a half-strength fertilizer solution. Too much fertilizer or a solution which is too strong will usually show up as brown or black leaf tips or even as very lush, green growth with poor flowering. Too little fertilizer or a solution which is too weak can show up as poor flowering or new growth which is smaller than the older growth. On a mature plant each new growth should be at least as large as the last growth. Once a plant is in bud or spike it probably will not need fertilizer. Do not let the plant dry out once buds appear or the buds may drop off before opening. |
