Orchids Dormant Stage
This year all my catasetum alliance and calanthes went from leaf drop to new growth without going dormant.
Orchids dormant stage. In eight months to a year they are ready to be removed from the adult plant. There are two ways that new orchids grow. It is extremely easy to overwater an orchid during the dormant stages encouraging root and crown rot. Some orchids may grow in autumn or winter starting new leaf growth flower spikes and roots when temperatures dip and days shorten.
Omit watering on fertilizing weeks. Some orchids such as cattleyas and oncidiums have a swollen bulb at the base of each leaf called a pseudobulb where they store water. Keikis grow on the side of the stem developing new roots and leaves. Most home growers mistake the natural dormancy of the orchids as the decline of health or as the death of the plant.
Just give your orchid some extra care during this period and youll be rewarded with even more blooms next time. Could this have anything to do with this years weather here in the bay area. One reason why orchid plants shed leaves and blooms is the dormancy stage. Orchid plants go through the dormancy stage as a normal cycle of its life.
While the orchid is dormant you can expect the stem to shrivel up and for leaves to dull and flatten out. Do not water your orchid on weeks that you fertilize. Keiki is a hawaiian word for baby orchid. As soon as your orchid goes dormant start fertilizing it every other week to help rebuild its nutrient stores for blooming again.
Use a balanced 20 20 20 houseplant fertilizer diluted to half strength. April 4 2016 at 427 pm it should still be getting a sufficient amount of indirect light. Plants with pseudobulbs need winter dormancy. Size color shape growing conditions etc.
Orchid growth slows when temperatures drop in winter. Consider the dormancy stage. Some species prefer to suspend water after all their leaves have fallen off enjoying the dry spell for up to a month. For some orchids this is a true dormant period meaning the plants may appear shriveled or dead until they regrow leaves and begin to flower.
The first a keiki is a small clone plant of the mother carrying the same characteristics. Fertilize your orchid every other week or at least once a month with a balanced houseplant fertilizer at half strength. American orchid society fairchild tropical botanic garden 10901 old cutler road coral. Instead of tossing out your phalaenopsis orchid when it goes into its dormant phase encourage reblooming by following these five simple orchid care steps.
Orchids can bloom for years to come. It sounds like it might need a bit more air flow if its becoming mouldy. When an orchid goes dormant it will need less water and less fertilizer.