At Blooming Blossoms, we have mainly two distinct offerings. There are the beautiful flowers and floral arrangements we specialize in, and there are also our diverse range of houseplants. The former, with our care, are arranged uniquely for you and their beauty lasts a limited amount of time. The latter, with your care, can last a lifetime and grow alongside you and your loved ones.
The orchids, however, I think they fit into both categories. They’re stunningly beautiful, like flowers. But, with your care, they can also last a lifetime and provide you bloom after bloom. Plus, in Providence, we’re “zone 6″, which is fortunate for getting your orchid to bloom again. The zone refers to seasonal changes, temperature, and amounts of sunlight in a given area, and the long-story short is that our little home of Rhode Island is in a great zone for orchids.
So you purchased an orchid weeks or months ago and the blooms have all fallen off.
There are a couple of things you can do to encourage growth and get those beautiful baby flowers to bloom again! Here’s the checklist:
• Make sure it’s living in the right home. Meaning, the root system should be planted in peat moss, fir bark, or sometimes even perlite. Or to make it a bit more fun, you could save your wine corks, smash em, and use those! It’s important to remember there are many different varieties of orchids, so you’ll have to do some more digging to find out the specific combinations or amounts to use for your variety (or you can stop by the shop and we’ll be happy to help!).
• To get new blooms, an orchid’s home should also facilitate a nice and humid environment. To do this, first make sure your potting container has holes in the bottom, so the water can flow through the roots and drain completely. Then, place your pot in another container on top of smaller rocks, sea shells, or other bark. After you water your orchid, the water should drain and rest beneath the rocks or whatever you use. The orchid pot will lay on top of the rocks and the water beneath will supply a steady amount of humidity for your orchid.
• Place your orchid in a sunny window so it can gather more nutrients and strength from the sunlight. In Providence, RI, an eastern or southern window will do the trick.
• Get some orchid fertilizer. Only water your orchid with fertilized water if you want bloom after bloom!
Your Orchid Blooms Fall Off: What to do with the stem
Once the blooms fall off, start the above process immediately. If you’re not adding fertilizer and doing everything else to optimize growth, the stem that held the blooms might start dying from the top down. If you’ve made this mistake like I have before, it’s best to cut the stem from the base and start over again.
If the stem remains healthy, keep your eyes on it because shoots will start to appear one day with blooms on the way!
Something is Growing Out of the Leaves - It Might be a Stem! I'm Not Sure!
If you’ve witnessed the above situation before, like me, there’s a couple things to watch out for. That new thing growing from the leaves might be another root forming. Orchids naturally grow on trees and their roots reach down to dig into their home. If it has a white tip, it’s a root. If it’s green, it’s a new stem!
As always, if you’re curious to learn more about houseplants or flowers, stop by our shop anytime on the east side of Providence – Hope Street to be exact – and we’ll tell you all you need to know about orchids or flowers or houseplants!
