Orchids are some of the most beautiful flowering plants that we know of. Their blooms last many weeks, they are very elegant and they are very easy to take care of. So many of these beautiful plants wind up in the garbage after their blooms fall off because the customer thought that they has killed it when the Plant was very much alive and would have bloomed again once or twice during the next year. Orchid plants can live a very long time, but here are some tips to maximize their vitality.

The main thing you can do to destroy an orchid plant is over-water it. Orchids come from a tropical environment and are used to heavy soaking rainfall followed by periods where they completely dry out. This is what you need to recreate in your home and it is very simple to do. What you need to do is:

1.  Stick your finger into the potting mix about 1 inch deep and feel for moisture. If it is even the slightest bit moist, don’t water it yet.

2.  When it becomes bone dry, place the plant in its plastic container into the sink and soak in a few inches of water for 10 minutes until it is completely saturated. After that, drain the water in the sink and allow the remaining water to drain from the holes in the bottom of the plastic container that the orchid came in. Never let the roots sit in water for long periods of time.

3.  After about a week, feel the potting mix again with your finger and repeat the process if it feels bone dry.

This is a great way to water your orchids and to know when they need water. We have some orchids here at the shop that we have bloomed over and over again and it’s very satisfying to watch them come back to life twice a year and produce the most beautiful large blooms.