Orchid leaves flowers hanging: what to do?

The orchid, also known by its lovers as the “queen of flowers”, casts a spell over people with its beautiful flowers. However, the graceful beauty is also considered to be quite sensitive and reacts sensitively to unfavorable site conditions and incorrect maintenance. As the first symptom, the orchid quickly lets the flowers droop. There are various - and sometimes contradicting - reasons for this phenomenon, which is why thorough research into the causes is necessary for the correct help.

Hanging orchid flowers

If your orchid has its beautiful petals drooping after it has bloomed for a while, it does not necessarily have to be a problem. Most species show their splendor for around two months, although there are major differences between the various species in terms of timing and duration. At the end of this phase, the flowers begin to close

slackento eventually dry up and fall off. Finally, the shoot tips wither. This is a completely natural process, because the orchid now goes into a resting phase. Typically, the plant will no longer develop any new shoots.

tip: Many hybrid varieties especially the popular ones Phalaenopsis- and Vanda orchids no longer adhere to the natural flowering phases of their wild ancestors. Instead, these cultivated forms often develop or grow new flowers all year round. take very short breaks.

Countermeasures

Help the orchid to rest so that it draws strength for a renewed flow of flowers. These measures provide optimal help:

• Cut off dried up flower stems
• Move the flower to a cooler place
• Depending on the species, no cooler than 15 ° C to 18 ° C
• pour less
• no longer fertilize

As soon as new shoots form, the orchid ends its resting phase and can be cultivated again in its usual location. After a while, it forms new flower buds again.

Different Orchidaceae flowering times

A clue as to whether this is actually a normal withering process or a An indication of a problem requiring treatment is provided by the flowering period typical for the species and Flowering time. Note, however, that plants are also individuals - and neither do humans care about what to do when. The following information is therefore only a guideline.

• Cattleya: bloom between early January and early March
• Cymbidium: very long flowering period between October and March
• Dendrobium Phalaenopsis: very long flowering phase between October and March
• Miltonia: flowers twice a year, in spring and in autumn
• Phalaenopsis: hybrid varieties bloom all year round
• Vanda: Hybrid varieties bloom all year round, the species in spring and autumn

Note: If the flowers wilt one after the other, there is often a natural wilting process behind them. However, if all of the petals suddenly sag, the plant usually has a problem. But be careful: some orchid species go into the dormant phase very suddenly, so that the owner mistakenly suspects an illness. This applies to the Miltonia orchids, for example.

causes

If a natural withering of the petals can be ruled out, various causes may instead come into question. It is important to carefully investigate the real reason for the phenomenon in order to avoid a possibly wrong one Avoid treating the affected orchid - this can potentially lead to permanent death of the plant to lead.

1. Changed environmental conditions

In particular, a few days after purchase, orchids like to let the flowers hang and appear limp. This behavior is quite normal and not a cause for concern, after all the plant only reacts to the transport and its circumstances (resp. Movement, temperature fluctuations etc.) as well as their new, unfamiliar location. A natural wilting of the flowers can also occur shortly after purchase. After all, the flower in question may have been in bloom for a few weeks or months, so that it is now entering its dormant phase.

Countermeasures

It is best to leave the already stressed plant alone and wait until it has got used to its new location and settled in. With good care, it will soon form new flower buds, which, however, requires a few months of patience. Orchids are considered to be true to their location and should not be moved if possible.

2. Lack of sunlight

With the exception of the terrestrial orchids, most of the Orchidaceae grow as epiphytes in the protection of the tall jungle trees. Here, however, the plants sit as high up as possible, where they receive a lot of light - but not necessarily direct sunlight. When there is a lack of light, orchids quickly let the flowers hang or even throw them off. The reason for this behavior is weakness, because a lack of sunlight also means a lack of photosynthesis. The plants are particularly at risk during the dark winter months, when the sun shines less often anyway due to the shorter duration of the day.

Countermeasures

• optimal location in spring and summer: bright west or east window with evening or morning sun
• in autumn and winter: south-facing windows with protection from direct sunlight (if required)
• otherwise installation of daylight lamps or fluorescent tubes (light color 865)
• Lighting time at least eight hours a day

3. Direct sunlight

But it is not just a lack of light, an excess of sunlight also lets the flowers hang limply and wither prematurely. This applies in particular to orchids that are in the blazing sun at midday, for example on a south-facing window. Morning or evening sun, on the other hand, is usually well tolerated.

Countermeasures

Move the affected plant to a less exposed place and watch out for any signs of a lack of water.

4. Lack of water

A common cause of wilting flowers is lack of water. This allows not only the flower pile, but also the leaves to hang limply at first and then dry out later. Pay attention to the condition of the aerial roots: Usually plump and green, they turn silvery and shiny when dry.

Countermeasures

In dry conditions, the most effective first aid is to dip the orchid in question so that it can soak up water. Thats how it works:

• Take the plant out of the pot
• Fill the bucket with well-stale tap water or rainwater
• Hold the plant with the pot and substrate in it
• Hold in the water for 10 to 15 minutes
• dive as long as air bubbles appear
• remove and drain well
• Only put back in the planter when the substrate no longer drips

Allow the plant substrate to dry off between the individual dives, and there must not be any water in the pots. Excess moisture also leads to premature withering of the flowers - and in the worst case to waterlogging. As a guideline: During the warm summer months dive Take the orchid weekly, much less frequently in autumn and winter.

5. Too much water / incorrect watering

If there is an excess of water, it is necessary to act quickly in order to save the plant at all. Incorrect or excessive watering quickly leads to waterlogging in the moisture-sensitive orchids. You can recognize this by the brownish to black discolored roots, which often become soft and / or are covered with a greenish film. These are algae that also feel very comfortable in the humid environment. Incidentally, the same symptoms appear if excess irrigation water is not poured off and the orchid stands in the water.

Countermeasures

• Repot the plant
• Remove the moist substrate completely
• Let the plant dry off for a day
• Cut off darkly discolored and rotten roots
• Also remove dead flower shoots
• put in fresh substrate and a new pot
• for about. do not water for ten days
• just spray

tip: Also avoid watering with hard and / or cold water. Both of these damage orchids and cause these flowers to droop and buds to shed.

6. Wrong location / fruit

Do you like to eat apples? If so, a fruit basket in the same room as an orchid in bloom is one of the most common causes of wilting flowers. The reason for this lies in the ripening gas ethylene, which not only ripens the apples (and other fruits) - but also accelerates the aging process of the orchid flowers. Characteristic of the gas is its sweetish smell that permeates the room.

Countermeasures

Place either the fruit basket or the orchid - the latter only if there is no other way, after all, a change of location for the plant is associated with stress - in as many separate areas as possible Clearing.

7. Cold temperatures / drafts

Orchids come from regions where it is consistently warm all year round. As a result, the exotic beauties do not tolerate temperature fluctuations and respond to changes of just five degrees Celsius with a flower shedding. This is particularly problematic during the winter months, when the daily ventilation suddenly lets icy air into the room. But even in summer, an unfavorable, draughty location can cause the flowers to droop. Here the plant suffers from the draft.

Countermeasures

Save the flower pile by placing the orchid in a protected and evenly tempered location right from the start. The ideal place should be

• Stay consistently warm all year round
• are not located over a radiator
• are not near a window that is opened frequently

tip: Orchids bought in winter often suffer from a cold shock during transport, as a result of which they shed their pile. Avoid this by wrapping the plant thickly with newspaper or some other insulating material.