How to Make an Orchid Bloom

Hi this is Yolanda Vanveen, and in this segment we're going to answer the question, how to make an orchid bloom. Now orchids bloom on their own life cycle. So like a lot of other plants you really can't make them bloom. But there is a few things that you can do to encourage them to bloom. And what I have found with growing plants is that they really follow the rules of nature. For example, orchids grow in the tropical forest, and they live on organic material like bark, broken down tree material. And they will grow out of trees, at bases of trees. And so when you are growing them you want to use bark, or moss or a mixture so that there is lots of organic material. And in nature what happens is that there is a rainy season, and then there is a dry season, and during that dry season the orchid becomes very, very dry. There is not water at all. So enable to live longer and to save themselves they send off blooms. And those blooms produce seed, and then that way they can grow new plants. When you are growing them in the house, the best way to make them bloom is ignore them. Let them go really dry, and then soak them again, let them dry out, and then soak them again. Because that's more like nature, and then they will trick to bloom. And make sure and put them in an east facing window or a window that's not really, really hot, because sometimes they can sunburn. So there is lots of people that tell you to use blooming fertilizers, and those are high in phosphates. It's the nitrogen that makes the greenery, the phosphates, the phosphorous that makes the bloom. So by giving them some of the blooming fertilizer a lot of times you can trick them to bloom. But in the end there is really no tricks to making your orchids bloom. Just water them well, let them dry out really well, put them in a window that is not too hot. And they will bloom in their own time, and make sure and dry them out, and then soak them again. Never let them sit in water, but never let them get too dry, and you will find that they will bloom on their own.