First of all, I apologize if my English isn't very good. On another note, I hope you are all doing well.
As you see, I have an orchid that was recently given to me (it must have been with me for a week and a half now) and I have been "taking care" of it as instructed me. But what I've noticed is that her buds are dying and I don't know what I'm doing wrong.
Could you help me and give me some tops on how to care for this orchid? I'm very new to this and I really want to take good care of my orchid.
I'm sharing some photos! Thank you so much for your help and attention.
**Edit: As I read in a comment, I'll provide more information regarding the climate and location of the orchid.
I'm from Mexico, specifically the central region. It's currently winter, so the temperature ranges from 11°C to 23°C/25°C (and there isn't much humidity).
Therefore, the orchid isn't outdoors, but indoors, as you can see in the photos I shared. It doesn't get direct sunlight, but I think it's in an area with very good lighting!
Regarding watering, as I mentioned to one of you, I water the orchid daily and leave it in water for about 3 to 5 minutes. I then leave it outside for a while so its roots stop dripping, and then I put it back where it is, as shown in the photos. I don't move it at all until the next day.
Its roots are exposed and free.
I hope this helps you figure out why your buds are dying, and I'd also appreciate your feedback on what I might be doing wrong and what I can improve.
Thank you so much for your comments!
by Necessary_Effect824
5 Comments
Looks like a Vanda orchid? If the plant has been moved the bud drop could be because of the different environments old house to new house, and it’s stress the plant out. Unfortunately it does happen but the plant should bounce back. Are the roots in some form of soil / compost, or just in air? I grow my vanda’s as an air plant and let the roots hang freely. Vanda’s are very thirsty plants so need good watering. Once watered and the roots are green, allow them to dry to a silvery colour before watering again. They also like humidity and warmth, with good air circulation around the roots.
You’ve been given a Vanda, and they could be tricky for new growers.
There might be various causes to the buds dieoff, but I think the main reason could be the shock from transportation and rehousing.
You home conditions are different than the ones the plant had in the greenhouse, mainly a change of light, temperature and humidity.
The plant looks healthy, the leaves are plump and green, the roots around the pot are also in a good shape.
If you are lucky the stress will not impact the new buds, and you’ll have a partial blooming.
If you want to share the country or continent where you live, i’m sure someone could share more tips on how to grow the plant in the best way.
Wowsers the blooms are gorgeous 💖
No indoor lighting would be enough for a Vanda, you need to supplement a lot of artificial light to make it happy.
If you don’t mind the work, given your temperature is only 11C at night you can cover up at night or take it inside. It will do fine outside at 23C-25C. I use a pee pad for my dog and cover up my orchid like a teepee at night. It should be fine under direct sunlight during the day this time of the year. You need to provide a strong grow lights that could provide +300 PPFD for indoors. You’d want to water the roots when it starts to turn silver but there’s still some green underneath. Vandas loves water but not sitting in it at all times, so soaking for 10-20mins until the roots is green will buy you more times between watering. I feed at every watering at 160-170ppm including water ~25ppm.