Taking Care of Orchids During the Summer
Yes! It is summer! And yes! You do need to treat those gorgeous orchids of yours just a bit differently.
You may have decided to treat the orchids you usually keep inside to some special outdoor air. And that's great! But, don't forget to check their pots every day. With time, you'll learn just with feel what a pot feels like when it's been watered and when it hasn't.
There's a catch here though (and doesn't it also seem that way with orchids?). If you're growing Cattleyas - or other "tough" orchids - wait an extra day before you water them. That's right. Check them. If you think they need watered, wait a day - and then water them.
If you have any oncidiums and phalaenopsis you can mist these plants every day. You can then water them twice a week. You should also keep your eye out for any type of wrinkling on the pseudobulbs. That's a sure sign that they aren't getting enough water!
Summer, mid-day shade.
It's essential!
During mid-day, your orchids - no matter the species - will need some shade. Your orchids, in fact, grow best in the summer with the early morning - or eastern - light. Then dappled shade throughout the rest of the day. Of course, there are some varieties of orchids, like the Cymbidiums, that can actually take the full afternoon sun. But most will burn if they're exposed to such strong light.
The Phalaenopsis is one such plant that easily burns. You can recognize this if it acquires large yellow and black areas. Similarly Cattleyas will display a definite reddish cast on its leaves when exposed to too much sun. Eventually, with continued too much sun, the leaves will turn yellow.
During the summer months, you may find that your phalaenopsis has finished blooming. If you want to try to have it re-bloom, then cut the flower stem approximately one-half inch or so from the bottom. If the stem of the flower itself shows any signs of side branches, don't do anything else with it. Just leave it alone. It'll continue to bloom.
Once the phalaenopsis has bloomed, you need to re-pot the plant in a bark or a bark-and-charcoal orchid mix. Once the flower is repotted, let the plant recover in a shaded spot. You'll need to keep it there for about a month. After this, you can move it to its normal spot.
The summer months are the typical times for your paphiopedilum or slipper orchids to reach their peak growing periods. Be sure to provide them with an abundance of light and the ideal water conditions.
If you have any phragmipediums that you're keeping out of doors in the summer, you'll also want to keep these moist - especially during the hottest parts of the days and the summer season itself. But, don't be shy about giving them lots of light for this growth period. They need this sunlight in order for the flowers to grow healthy.
When summer hits, any spring-blooming cattleyas you have should be just about done blooming. You'll want to re-pot them now. You may also want to repot your fall-blooming Cattleyas now too! For the fall Cattleyas, their roots should be an inch or so long.
Be careful though. You need to watch for shriveling pseudo bulbs. This means that you aren't watering these orchids enough. You also need to be vigilant about rot. One way to steer clear of this is to increase your air circulation. If you do notice this, you'll want to treat it immediately with a fungicide. And, by the way, you'll want to do this quickly. The fungicide will kill your plant in a week or so.
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