General Orchid Culture by Month for the SW Florida Area Click on the name of the Month for Orchid Care Information. January July February August March September April October May November June December Note: Use arrow located on top left-hand corner to return to previous page.
Care Tips for the Month of January Winter is here and hopefully you have made preparations for those cold fronts that rumble through from time to time. If it is below 50 degrees, you will need to protect your plants. Vandas and Phalaenopsis are the most vulnerable so consider bringing them inside. Check your Orchids. Clean up any dead or damaged plant parts to prevent any fungus rot or virus spread. Those plants that like a dry rest period in the winter should be dry and in good sun light now. Go easy on the fertilizer, too. Continue to spray for insect pests every 7 to 10 days, Spider mites love the dry weather.
Care Tips for the Month of February It is now okay to repot plants in need. However, if the orchid is in flower, wait until the flowers fade. Keep an eye on the cold fronts that roll through from time to time. If it is under 50 degrees, Some sort of orchid protection is required. Bring your plants inside or provide some shelter from the cold dry air. Phalaenopsis are spiking; catasetums are waking up, Nobile dendrobiums and Anosmum types are starting to bud. Oh, Spring! You are just around the corner! Dormant orchids are beginning to wake up and push new shoots and flower spikes. Can t wait for all the spring flowers!!!
Care Tips for the Month of March March is the beginning of repotting in earnest. If your media has broken down or your plant has overgrown its pot, now is a good time to start repotting. Look for new shoots and new roots as a signal of the upcoming growing season. Also, the bugs are back so take precautions now and start an insecticide regimen to take care of them. Hope you are having a wonderful time enjoying all those spring flowers popping up on your orchids. Nobile dendrobiums are flowering at my house and my Phalaenopsis are spiking, too.
Care Tips for the Month of April It s dendrobium and phalaenopsis season so, hopefully, you have lots of orchids flowering at your house. April is a great month to repot your orchids. Once they finish blooming and start to show new growth, they are ready to repot. It is best to complete this before the rainy season hits. Now is the time to fertilize your plants as this is the beginning of the growing season. Also, watch for mites and thrips and use an insecticide that will kill them. Make sure you always check the label on insecticides for instructions on proper use. If you are thinking about mounting your orchid on a tree in your yard now is a good time. Make sure the new growth is facing up against the host tree not away from it. The new roots want to be next to the bark of the tree to grab onto it. Secure it tightly so there is no wobble of the plant. Be sure to remove whatever you used to hold the plant on wire, string, panty hose, etc. after it attaches.
Care Tips for the Month of May It s time to repot! Many plants are finished flowering and are starting to put on new growth and new roots. If you haven t repotted in a while, now is a good time. Watering and fertilizing can be back to normal and watch out for pests. Start preventive maintenance spraying for insects and fungus. I like Neem Oil for this purpose. Remember to let your plants dry out before you water again.
Care Tips for the Month of June Be careful that your plants get to dry out some. There is no need to water if your plants are outside. Fungus can attack your plants if left wet for too long. If you only have a few, you might consider moving them to cover and letting them dry out. The rain will also wash away fertilizer, fungicide, and insecticide so be ready to reapply as soon as things dry out. Remember to always read the label for application amounts and frequency. Repotting your plants can still be done. If you see new growth and new roots, repot. If in flower, wait until it s done, then go for it. Now is also a good time to mount plants because the rainy season is coming which helps the plants to establish themselves on the mount easier. Watch out for slugs and snails! They love all the water and come out at night to have dinner. Flower buds, new roots and shoots are their favorite. Lightly sprinkle slug bait all around - it doesn t take a lot. Get the kind that is safe to use around pets if you have them. Again, always read the label for application rates and frequency. Dividing Vandas can be done now as long as you have enough roots (3 or more) to allow the plant to survive the separation from the mother plant. If it has lost a lot of lower leaves you can also trim it up the stem to the new roots and reset it in a Vanda basket or mount it on a tree. Phalaenopsis can also be repotted this month. Bark mix or moss the choice is yours, but remember they have different watering schedules. You don t want to over water either, but moss will usually stay wet longer than bark. Trimming trees and bushes that are shading your plants too much should be done this month if you can. If you do trim, be careful not to burn your plants. They may need some time to acclimatize to the new amount of sun light.
Care Tips for the Month of July Since it s summertime, all your orchids should be growing and flowering. The rainy season has started so watch out for fungus. If you haven t already, you might want to: 1. Spray some fungicide as a protective measure. 2. Space your plants to get more air flow around them. 3. Clean up any old dead debris or leaves that can harbor only bad things. Now is also a good time to mount plants on trees in your yard or on wood mounts to give them plenty of time to attach before the fall. Repot plants in old bark mix or old moss when they quit flowering if you missed it this spring. It s always better to repot than to leave a plant in sour decaying mix.
Care Tips for the Month of August To reduce fungus growth, (1) try to let your plants dry out once or twice, (2) use a fungicide and (3) give your plants some space for more air flow. When you get a day without rain, consider fertilizing your plants with a liquid fertilizer instead of watering. Give them a good drenching with 1/4 to 1/2 strength. If you use time-release fertilizer, it is still okay to use the liquid fertilizer, too. Remember, this month is the time to stop fertilizing Nobile dendrobiums and many other dendrobiums that need a winter rest. Also, this is your last chance to reset strap leaf vandas. You need at least three roots above the cut. Make sure you tie the plant down to the new vanda basket securely. Usually you need three months for the vanda to acclimatize to the new basket before the fall. It s always a good practice to clean any dead plant matter away from your plants. If you have weeds growing in your pots competing with your orchids pick them out. If you get them before they flower and spread seeds, it slows them down some.
Care Tips for the Month of September Here are some points for this month s orchid care: Most sympodial orchids are finishing their growth cycle or at least slowing down. So, for everything but the vandas and phalaenopsis, cut back on fertilizer. Continue to apply pesticides and fungicides this month. Watch your plants for fungus attacks. If you see something unusual, remove that plant to a segregated, dry place and remove any black areas on the plant. You don t want to spread the problem to any other plants by splashing water. Also, apply snail bait in your growing areas. Remember that Nobile type dendrobiums don t get fertilizer after August. Clean up any dead plant material that may have collected around your plants. Give the plants more space so they get maximum air flow. You can also trim your trees of extra summer growth that will shade and slow down air flow around your orchids. This is your last chance to repot or mount, if you must, because of rotten mix. It still allows a few months for your plant(s) to recover before winter.
Care Tips for the Month of October Fall is here and with it we will start to see some cooling and definite shortening of the daylight hours. This marks the end of the growing season for several orchid types. The Nobile and Anosmum deciduous dendrobiums should not be fertilized any longer and you can cut off watering them, also. Now is the time to move them out of the rain and let them have some rest. Catasetums and related types are also dropping leaves and will need to be removed from the rain and not fertilized any longer. Any of the types of orchids that need a winter rest can be moved to bright light with no rain or fertilizer. Have I said that enough? Many cattleyas, laelias, oncidiums, and phalaenopsis-type dendrobiums will be finished with their summer growth and should be hardened off by cutting back on water and fertilizer. Using lower nitrogen fertilizer with less frequency is best. When we start to get the cold fronts with the rain coming through check that your non-dormant types get enough water. If not you can water them some. Vandas and phalaenopsis also can feel the changes. They can benefit from the lower nitrogen bloom booster fertilizer. This time of the year less is more. Motes says: Space plants to get more air flow between your plants. Water as early in the day as possible. Plants need to dry out before nighttime. Move your seasonally dormant plants to dry bright locations. Reduce general fertilizer. Apply extra magnesium and potassium. If you don t know what type of orchid you have, take a picture and bring it to the next meeting and we will try to identify what type it is and what it needs.
Care Tips for the Month of November Here are some suggestions on how to grow healthy plant by Bill Thoms (from his talk on Bulbophyllums at the SWFOS meeting on October 9, 2018) Water your plants from all sides, not just the front or back. With bulbophyllums, he recommended keeping them wet for a longer time by putting them in shallow trays which helps to hold the water and fertilizer. Maintain good fresh air flow. Water before you fertilize. You won t use as much fertilizer and the plants will absorb the fertilizer better. Feed your plants EVERY WEEK, using ½ the recommended amount on the label of your fertilizer. Bright shade is best for bulbophyllums. For bulbophyllums, grow in shallow, wide plastic pots. Also, grow on horizonal mounts. If you re going to spray pesticides or fungicides, do it when it s cool to prevent leaf damage. In our area, this means you should spray in the late afternoon or early evening He recommended the following for pests and insects: - Slugs and snails slug baits - Roaches chewing flowers Raid House & Garden (check plants several hours after sundown for bugs) - Other insects Neem Oil (add Palmolive soap to mix) Epson Salt 1 tsp/gal monthly
Care Tips for the Month of December December brings cold fronts from up north and is the start of the dry season. Both cause us to change our orchid culture. Watch your watering. Less light and lower temperatures means our plants need an altered schedule for water and fertilizer. Try to water as early in the day as possible to give your plants time to dry out before night time. Water well but only when the plant has dried out well. Check to see by whatever method you use to test for dryness: Stick your finger in the mix and see if it s dry Use a sharpened pencil stuck in the mix to see if it comes out wet or dry Or test with the weight of the pot - lightness equals dryness. Cool weather means less water. If in doubt, go without - same for fertilizer. Also as with last month, bloom booster fertilizer is best and the application of epsom salt will help provide potassium and magnesium. For all those plants that need a dry winter rest, separate them to an area that you won t water or fertilize by mistake. Dendrobiums like anosmum, nobile, catasetums and others need a dry winter rest to flower in the spring so now is a good time to forget about them until you see flower buds or new growth and roots in the spring. Watch the temps if it goes below 50 - vandas, phalaenopsis, and warm growing dendrobiums will need to be protected. Luckily that won t last long. Cover them with an old sheet or plastic drop cloth overnight if you can t bring them in for the night. Don t forget to remove it in the morning when it warms up. If you must repot, make sure you secure the plant in the new mix well. You probably won t get new growth or roots until spring.