Potted orchid care tips by Woolworths
Have you ever been gifted a breath-taking orchid or purchased one to brighten your living space & need help looking after it? Taking care of your new orchid is nowhere near as intimidating as you may imagine it to be.
Technologist in House Plants, Dr Waafeka Vardien, & Woolworths joined us to share some advice for you can care for these exquisite plants.
Garden day is on 11 October 2020 and orchids from Woolworths make great gifts!
From very small (entry-level) ones to multi-spike orchids or orchids that are trailed that we like to refer to as “luxury” orchids. Woolworths loves LOCAL, so all of their orchids are grown in South Africa.
Where to place orchids in your home:
Placement plays a vital role in whether or not your orchid will last. It’s just as important as watering and maintenance. Where you put your orchid inside your home/ office is important because it affects the amount of light the orchid is exposed to as well as air movement around the orchid. Orchids love light but direct sunlight can be harmful especially to the leaves. Things to watch out for is – if it’s placed near a window that it’s insulated against a draught.
How often to water your plants:
Watering an orchid is different than it is for other plants. When watering the orchid, the first thing to consider is where the orchid is in. Is it in a pot with drainage or in a cup that’s placed inside another pot? The roots must never be submerged in water so you need to drain away.
Then, consider the growing medium – is it in bark or moss? Moss can hold water for longer than bark can and with moss watering can occur one every 10 days whereas with bark once every 7 days are fine.
Once you considered those, the best thing is to water your orchid for 15 seconds and leave it for 15 minutes to get rid of excess water. You probably want to do this at your kitchen sink.
In winter – you don’t have to water as frequently as you do in summer. In terms of the volume of water – 50ml is sufficient – the ice cube block is a classic example that you need only a little water for your orchid.
How to maintain a healthy and happy orchid:
With a clean environment (make sure your moss or bark is not too wet, has no fungus, and that the orchid pot is clean).
Fertilize once or twice a month and prune away dead roots (that have gone brown or appear dried out).
What to do with the plant when it stops blooming:
When your orchid stops blooming, continue to care for it the same way you would when there’s still flowers on. It’s also perhaps the best time to repot or add fresh moss/bark.
Orchids will smother if they remain in the same media for too long. They are air plants and oxygen around the roots is important.
For successful re-blooming, prune/ cut a centimeter or two above the first node - this is the little bump nearest where your first bloom was.
Check out what Dr. Waafeka Vardiez had to say on our Instagram page:
