Wilted orchid flowers always make an ambitious orchid care beginner a little nervous. How do you know when wilted orchid flowers are normal and when they are not? Thrilled and excited, you bought an orchid, brought it home from the garden center and placed it on the windowsill -exactly as described in the care instructions. The extravagant flowers were full, lush and a real eye-catcher. The next morning you wake up and see that they have wilted and are drooping. We have summarized the possible reasons why orchid flowers dry and fall off in today's article.
Orchid flowers wilt for 6 reasons:
- Lack of water
- Temperature fluctuations
- diseases or pests
- Stress due to change of location
- not enough moisture
- and the end of a normal life cycle
1. End of natural life cycle
Although orchids bloom for a very long time, the flowers do not last forever and eventually die. The most famous type of orchid, the butterfly orchid or phalaenopsis, can bloom for up to three months without wilting. The flowers of Dendrobium and Oncidium orchids last about a month and those of Cattleya orchids last about two weeks.
How long do the flowers of different types of orchids last?
Below you will find a simple table with the most common orchids and the length of their flowering period (in weeks). Note that the times given are under the right conditions and that each major category has many, many subcategories. This is just a rough guide.
Cattleya orchids: 1.6 – 3 weeks
Cymbidium orchids: 8 – 10 weeks
Dendrobium orchids: 4 weeks
Miltonia orchids: 4 – 8 weeks
Oncidium orchids: 4 weeks
Odontoglossum orchids: 6 weeks
Lady's slipper orchids (Paphiopedilum): 6 – 8 weeks
Butterfly orchids (Phalaenopsis): 12 weeks
Stanhopea orchids: 3 – 4 days
Vanda orchids: 6-8 weeks
Don't worry about the flowers wilting if it's an orchid you just bought. As with any new relationship, there are times of adjustment. Moving is always difficult, especially for an orchid. They like to stay in one place for life.
2. Environmental changes cause orchid flowers to wilt
Flowering orchids hate being repotted or changed locations. Some varieties and individual plants are more hardy, but most don't like the adaptation.
Keep this in mind when you suddenly move the orchid from the greenhouse into your study with optimal humidity, lighting, watering, fertilization and everything else you can imagine. The orchid reacts to this transport and handling phase by wilting.
NEVER repot a flowering orchid. She has used up her energy for a magnificent flowering and no longer has enough to survive a new change. Even worse is the additional stress caused by the changing soil.
If you absolutely have to change pots, keep the same substrate. Once yourOrchid all flowershas lost, you can repot it and change the orchid soil. New roots also grow during this time.
3. Temperature fluctuations cause orchid flowers to wilt
Buying an orchid in a greenhouse and transporting it in your car can cause thermal shock. On the way from the car to the house, the orchid suffers and the flowers may wilt.
The second scenario is when your orchid is blooming and you want to display it on the living room table or coffee table. This is a beautiful thing, but be careful of drafts, an orchid's nightmare. Even if you place your orchid on the windowsill and open the window, the cool air can harm the orchid.
If your orchid was doing well and the flowers wilted after moving, a change in temperature is the most likely cause. Every orchid has a temperature preference at which it thrives best.
4. The orchid flowers wither because of the change in humidity
In addition to the temperature, the humidity can also decrease if you move the orchid to another location. If you grow your orchid alongside various other houseplants, including other orchids, the humidity in that place will always be higher. If your orchid is now on its own, it will need to be sprayed more often.
Remember: humidity is not the same as watering. Humidity is the total concentration of water droplets in the air, while irrigation is the amount the roots absorb. Keep your orchid at a humidity level of at least 40%. Here arethree simple methodsto determine the humidity in the room.
Indoors, it is difficult to achieve more than 50% because otherwise the paint, wallpaper and drywall will peel or mold. You can place a small humidifier next to your orchid and turn it on a few times a day if you want to isolate it from the rest of your orchid collection.
If you don't have a humidifier, the kitchen is a good place for your orchid. The bathroom is not recommended for two reasons: (1) not enough light, and (2) the humidity fluctuates greatly and only for a short time.
5. Drying flowers are a signal of lack of water
If the humidity is right for your orchid species, your orchid may be thirsty. In this case, the leaves have also started to wilt a bit. They have deep veins that are crossed by stripes. They also lose their shine. The flowers require more water from the plant, especially during the budding phase. When orchid flowers wilt, this is the first sign that they need more water. If you want to know more about dried buds, seein this articlesome very interesting information.
If the orchid soil is too coarse in structure, it could mean that the water drains too quickly and the roots don't have enough time to absorb the water. If you find that this problem keeps recurring, consider adding more sphagnum moss to your potting mix.
6. Diseases and pests cause orchid flowers to wilt
Diseases and pests, which have affected your orchid, are the most difficult to control (compared to the other 5 reasons for orchid wilting). With the right information and access to fungicides, bactericides and other products, you can control these pests.
Research using pictures and identify exactly which pests have affected your plant. Look for white spots, black sticky spots, and anything abnormal on the underside of the leaves, crown, and potting soil. If necessary, you must remove the plantrepot despite the flowering phase.
