Orchids

How to Keep Your Orchid Safe After the Initial Purchase

There are some things that you should remember to make sure that your new orchid’s trip home is safe. Otherwise, you might end up with a severely shocked plant with fallen buds and leaves.

Avoid Buying Orchids in Full Bloom

First off, avoid buying orchids that are already in full bloom (with all the pseudo bulbs already open and blossoming). The problem with these orchids is that generally, orchids that are in their blooming state do not like being transported. So, there is a big chance that the orchid will experience instant shock when it is removed from the greenhouse.

Re-Pot Within a Week

After bringing home your new orchid, you can keep it in the safety of your home without re-potting for just one week. Do not keep your new orchid in its original packaging or wet moss + plastic pot. Doing so longer than this could spell problems for your orchid. The moss is used by orchid growers to keep the roots wet for delivery and your orchid should be taken out of that environment as soon as possible. Over watering an orchid plant will kill it.

Buy Insurance

While you are in the store you should get new re-potting wood bark and fertilizer for the type of orchid that you purchased. What you are really doing is buying insurance for your investment. The first season you re-pot, the orchid will not need fertilizer because the new wood bark comes with fertilizer already in them. The watering will eventually wash away the fertilizer from the wood bark and it will need to be replaced if you want them flower again in the next growing season.

Keep it Humid but Not Wet

Orchid plants love humidity but not living in wet moss or standing in water. The wet moss causes all kinds of problems for orchid plants, such as root rot and diseases that will kill your plant. Also do not place your orchid in a sunless part of your home for more than a week as this could weaken the plant considerably.

If you see some buds falling off during the trip home or a few days after you have brought home a new orchid, don’t worry. This is normal and all orchids experience some degree of transport shock during the trip home.

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