How to Care For Orchids

Orchids (Orchidaceae) are one of the most popular indoor plants with striking blooms during the flowering season and vibrant green foliage all year round. Plants can live up to 15 years with proper care, and although they have been known to be difficult to care for, we’ve got all the tips to help keep your orchid happy and blooming on schedule.

The most important thing when choosing an orchid is to pick one that suits your home’s conditions as some thrive under lower or brighter light conditions and varying temperatures. Selecting one that fits your environment is a key to achieving beautiful orchid blooms and growing success.

Related: Learn to Care for Pilea Plants, Calathea, Fiddle Leaf Figs, Golden Pothos, Snake Plants, Rubber Trees, Monstera Plants, Christmas Cactus, and String of Pearls Plants.

How Often Should I Water Orchids?

Overwatering is a common mistake in orchid care. Your orchid does not like to sit in soggy water, so after you give it a good drink, let it dry out most of the way before watering again. You can check the moisture level by sticking your finger into the plant at the soil line and once the top few inches of soil feel dry you can water again.

If you don’t allow the plant to fully dry out, it can develop root rot if the soil is too wet and that can kill the plant. It’s best to water earlier in the day so the plant has time to dry out before nightfall. You’ll also want to ensure that no water remains in the crown or the leaf joints of the plant after watering, so tilt your plant to the side over a sink to allow any trapped water to run off.

Although more orchids are killed by overwatering than underwatering, too little water can lead to “accordion growth,” where the leaves will grow with accordion-like pleats.

Containers with drainage holes are essential to keep orchids happy as they will allow excess water to drain out the bottom, so make sure to dump out any excess water left in the saucer after watering.

How Much Sunlight Do Orchids Need?

Most orchids enjoy bright indirect light, so keep them near a sunny area but out of direct sunlight (south or east-facing windows are best).

It’s a good idea to check the light needs of the species you are buying as some enjoy brighter to lower light situations. It is often inadequate light that prevents an orchid from blooming, so paying attention to your variety’s needs is key.

Popular high light orchids: Vanda, Cymbidium, Cattleya, Epidendrum, Dendrobium, and Brassavola orchids all enjoy more light.

Popular medium light orchids: Cattleya, Dendrobium, Phalaenopsis, Paphiopedilum, and Oncidium can thrive in medium light environments.

Popular low light orchids: Phalaenopsis, Miltonia, Paphiopedilum, Oncidium, Dendrobium, Masdevallia, Bulbophyllum, and Encyclia all enjoy low light situations.

Should I Fertilize My Orchid Plant?

For optimal growth, you can use an all-purpose fertilizer diluted to half strength or follow the instructions on an orchid fertilizer once a week during the growing season (spring and summer). You can stop feeding the plant in the winter while the plant’s growth slows, but overall the fertilizer should increase the health and beauty of your plant.

Temperature and Humidity for Orchids

Different types of orchids have varying preferred temperature ranges, but orchids do best between 50° and 90° degrees. They prefer humidity levels from around 40% to 70%.

Orchids are generally pretty happy indoors, but keep orchids away from vents or cold drafts to reduce temperature shock. If you live in USDA zones 5-11, you can keep your orchids outside. Just make sure to bring them in when the nighttime lows drop below 55°.

Since orchids enjoy higher humidity, you can use a humidifier nearby (especially if your air is dry) or you can put some pebbles and water in a tray and simply place your pot on top. Just add water to right below the top of the pebbles and the pot will sit on top of the stones and the water in the tray will evaporate, creating humidity around the plant.

As orchid temperature preference ranges from species to species, your plant will fall into one of the following categories:

• Cool: 60-70° degrees during the daytime and 50-55° degrees at night.
• Intermediate: 70-80° degrees during the daytime and 55-65° degrees at night.
• Warm: 80-90° degrees during the daytime and 65-70° degrees at night.

Pruning Orchids

Different varieties of orchids require slightly different pruning methods, but in general pruning will give the plant more energy to spend on its flowers.

With all pruning, make sure to use clean and sterilized scissors or pruning shears to make your cuts, and remove spent flowers after the blooming cycle or a withered stem as needed so the plant can refocus that energy to making new blooms.

Repotting Orchid Plants

You’ll always want to wait until an orchid is done flowering before repotting. Because they are epiphytes (meaning they are a plant that grows on the surface of another plant) orchids especially don’t want a soggy soil situation, so you need to make sure you have the right soil for your orchid mix.

When choosing soil for your orchid, you’ll want soil that is lightweight and fast-draining to avoid root rot, so usually a mix of items like bark, sphagnum moss, charcoal, perlite, and peat are what makes up an orchid-specific soil mix. Orchids will do much better with this type of soil that promotes good drainage verses a standard potting mix (and make sure to choose a pot with drainage holes to allow excess water to drain away).

To repot an orchid:

1. Soak the roots in water for 10 minutes as this will soften the roots and they will be more flexible during repotting.
2. Carefully remove the orchid from its old container and trim away any dead or wilted leaves and flowers with a sterile cutting tool.
3. Place the orchid in its slightly larger new pot and fill in empty space with fresh new orchid potting medium.
4. Water plant as needed and give it adequate light until roots are established. If the plant is droopy, you can clip it to a stake to keep it upright as it gets stronger.

The best pot options for orchids are:

• Clear plastic pots: The advantage to a clear pot is that the orchid roots can engage in photosynthesis with the incoming light and you can see the roots and the amount of water left in the pot as the soil is darker when wet and lighter as it dries out.
• Terracotta pots: The clay that makes up terracotta pots is more breathable than a glazed ceramic pot so the soil dries out faster.
• Orchid pots: These unique pots have small holes or slits on the side to promote airflow and keep soggy roots at bay.

Propagating Orchids

As it is extremely difficult to grow orchids from seeds, division is the best way to propagate your orchid.

1. Carefully remove your orchid from its existing pot.
2. Examine the roots and remove any that don’t appear plump and healthy with a sterile cutting tool.
3. Carefully pull apart the roots to divide the orchid into two plants and place each in a new pot with fresh orchid soil.
4. Water plants as needed and give them adequate light until roots are established. If the plants are droopy, you can clip them to a stake to keep them upright as they get stronger.

How Do I Get My Orchids to Rebloom?

While it varies between species, most orchids bloom at least one time per year and the gorgeous flowers last anywhere from 2-4 months.

Water is very important in getting your orchid to bloom. If your orchid isn’t blooming, try watering more in the spring or in the season right before it’s scheduled to flower. There are also some varieties like the Phalaenopsis orchid that require drops in temperature at night to encourage blooming, so if your nights are warmer than 55° you can place them outside for a few nights to enjoy the cooler air.

Overall, with proper care of your orchid with adequate watering, proper temperature, humidity, fertilizer, and orchid-friendly soil, you should enjoy yearly blooms and pretty green foliage in the off-season.

Different Varieties of Orchids

You’ve got a lot to choose from when it comes to orchids as there are 30,000 wild varieties and over 100,000 hybrids. Not all of these are available at your local flower vendor, but the most popular houseplant varieties are:

• Corsage Orchids (Cattleya): These orchids are native to Costa Rica and are often used for corsages for special occasions. They are also referred to as the “queen orchid” and they come in a large variety of colors and shapes.
• Vanda Orchid (Vanda spp.): Native to Southeast Asia, these orchids enjoy a more humidity and a higher light spot in your house. They can enjoy summer outside before being taking indoors for winter.
• Dancing Lady Orchid (Oncidium): The stunning yellow flowers on this variety looks like a dancer twirling in a skirt. In addition to its striking look, some varieties also have a very fragrant sweet smelling bloom.
• Boat Orchids (Cymbidium): These plants are known for their long-lasting large blooms. They have multiple flower spikes for more blooms and are among the oldest horticultural orchids in the world and have been grown in China for thousands of years.
• Moth Orchids (Phalaenopsis): Often called “the beginner orchid,” these orchids are one of the easier varieties to grow, have thick leaves, long-blooming flowers, and single stalk blooms with thick oval leaves. Flowers are most often pink, white, purple, or a combination of the three colors.
• Cane Orchids (Dendrobium): From southeast Asia, these orchids are popular and one of the largest of the groups. They are split into two groups, hard-caned and soft-caned, are usually have purple or white flowers.

Diagnosing Common Problems

• Drooping or Yellow Leaves: Orchids can experience yellowing leaves when they are getting too waterlogged from overwatering. Try letting the plant dry out almost completely before watering again. This can also be the cause of drooping leaves, but sometimes that’s also a sign that your plant needs a spot with brighter light.
• Pests: Orchids aren’t prone to a lot of insects, but if your plant is invaded by spider mites, fungus gnats, aphids, mealybugs, scale, thrips, or whiteflies, keep some neem oil or some insecticidal soap on hand to combat pests.
• Dropped Buds: If your orchid is dropping their buds before the plant flowers, then you’ll have to do a little detective work to see if the plant is near a draft, has been over or underwatered, needs more humidity, or is near fruits that are giving off ethylene gas.
• Wrinkled Leaves: Leaves that appear wrinkled or shriveled are usually a sign of underwatering, so give your plant a drink and check the water levels often so you aren’t waiting until the plant has been dry for a while before watering again.