Allow Your Orchids Rest this Winter

Orchids require "rest" time every year. The particular time for this depends on the species, but for most orchids it should start some time in the fall and continue well into winter. You should handle your plants differently at this time than you would during their energetic growth periods (spring and summer usually). This is an often-overlooked part of growing orchids successfully.

A good general practice is to give your orchids rest from November through the middle of February. You do this by restricting the water you give them, and by making the place where you keep them cooler.

For orchids from hot regions, keep the air temperature at about 60 or 65. For species originating in colder locales, you can lower the temperature to around 45 degrees.

At this time, give your orchids only enough water to keep them from shriveling. The bulk of the moisture should be supplied by misting or by taking measures to keep the air humid. From time to time, though, you should poke down into the soil and examine the stem, roots and rooting medium of your plants. If these are beginning to dry out you should water them directly.

A few species will continue to grow during the winter. These will demand somewhat more water than those that truly go dormant. If you see new shoots emerging, though, try to avoid wetting them or they else they could rot.

Some orchids are deciduous. This means they will drop their leaves after they have finished their growing for the year. You need to give these as much sun and light during their rest period as you can. This is to allow their pseudobulbs to ripen, letting them grow stronger and flower more freely.

Proper orchid care is not that hard or mysterious. Preventing problems, though, necessitates a good bit more information than can be covered here. The most up-to-date guide to modern orchid growing, many agree, is Orchid Care Expert by Nigel Howard, which may be downloaded from the Internet. Mr. Howard's ebook is a full course, useful for novices and more experienced cultivators alike. Also, visit the Orchid Secrets web site, which has a growing library of articles on all topics of orchid cultivation.