It’s blooming again :-)

After about 1 year and 4 months, my orchid is blooming again. The soft purple light comes from our plant lamp, which we treat our flowers by the window to during the dark season.

Best regards, Inge

It’s beautiful, and your patience has paid off. I’m sure many more blooms are on the way.

For many months, it wasn’t a very pretty sight, and then they really take off and look gorgeous.

I also moved mine into the living room earlier so I could enjoy it. Now I just need to find a spot for it by the window. 

How do you guys do it? I also have an orchid that was a gift—it’s long since finished blooming—but it’s growing new leaves, so it’s clearly still alive. But how do I get it to bloom again?

I never water my orchid; instead, I submerge it in water for about an hour every 10 days or so—but not in ice-cold water, since orchids don’t like that. They don’t like wet or cold “feet.” Otherwise, it sits in partial shade on the windowsill in the living room. A friend once gave me that tip about *bathing* it. This is also the first time one of my orchids has bloomed again.

Best regards, Inge

I don’t water them very often. I don’t fertilize them much either. When they’re blooming, I keep them in the living room. Otherwise, I move them to the window on the first floor and water them once a week—better too little than too much. And Inge is right—they don’t like it when the water is too cold either.

But I’ve just been lucky with the white orchids. These bloom profusely every year in December/January.

Other orchids tend to have fewer blooms and sometimes skip a year. 

My orchid is also coming back to life now after a few weeks; the flowers will open soon, and I tell her every day that I’m looking forward to it. Yes, I talk to her regularly. She likes that. :-)

I care for it exactly the same way as Inge. About once every 1–2 weeks, I place it in room-temperature, soft (!) water for 1 hour… I affectionately call this “her bath.” It sits by my kitchen window, where it can enjoy the sunrise from the east in the mornings. I received it as a gift, and it blooms beautifully time and time again. Every now and then, she takes a break lasting several weeks, which I’m happy to let her have.

The aerial roots are also important for orchids. I spray them—along with the entire plant—with water almost every day. That way, she gets moisture from the outside, too. Orchids like that.

Yes, I also make sure not to let the water get too cold when I water it, and it’s in partial shade too—I haven’t fertilized it at all yet.

Orchids only produce flowers if you’re veeeery sparing with water.
Either do it like Inge, or mist them with a little water every few days.
Please, no “wet feet.” And leave the aerial roots intact.
They also don’t like bright, direct sunlight—they prefer partial shade.

None of my other orchids have taken as long as Inge’s to bloom again, but 3–4 months is actually pretty normal.

Best regards

Well, then it still has a little time. I’ll let myself be surprised.

Veronika, I got this orchid from my granddaughter for my 70th birthday in 2021. It bloomed until around mid- to late November, then it stopped blooming and just sat there for over a year. It even dropped two leaves, but it kept putting out new aerial roots, so I told myself, “It must need them, apparently; give it time.” Then sometime in early December, it started growing a new stem. I thought it was another aerial root at first, until I saw: no, this time it’s a flower stem. :-) Okay, now it needs some peace and quiet so it can bloom. So just the weekly bath and then back to its spot, and it thanked me for it, as you can see
Orchids need patience and care

Love, Inge

Patience? Care? I’ve got this!

Yes, that’s true… Mine is always happy when I talk to her. She’s been blooming several times a year—with little breaks in between—ever since I got her.

I’ve gotten all kinds of advice from orchid “experts.” I just go with my gut, and it works. I’ve never fertilized mine.

I did consider fertilizing it, but then decided against it, because I was told that as long as it looks healthy, it isn’t necessary.

Best regards, Inge