What to do if the orchid has fallen flowers - how can the plant be helped?
The orchid has long been known for its incredible variety of colors and amazing flowers. Their amazing beauty is able to win the hearts of those people who are indifferent to the beautiful flora.
Many gardeners such plants are popular. Thanks to modern methods of care, it became possible to keep flowers at home. Some orchid owners are faced with the problem of falling flowers. What to do when this happens - we will analyze in the article
Flowering features
Florists are ready for anything in order to get a beautiful orchid. Many doubt that the plant will bloom constantly, but it depends only on proper care. Everyone knows that orchids are capricious plants, so only if everything is done correctly, then the flowers will delight the owner for a long time.
You can achieve flowering if you know about those factors that can negatively affect this action. In this case, flowering can continue up to six months. It is necessary to monitor the age of the plant, the state of the roots, leaves and buds. Also take the time to properly water, transplant, temperature and light.
Risk factors
Orchids are real sissies, so an extraordinary neighborhood can harm them. They cannot stand close proximity with nuts, bananas, apples and tomatoes. The fact is that they contain a large amount of ethylene, which negatively affects the growth of orchids. It is worth noting that the withering flowers located nearby can also negatively affect the condition of the plant (you can find out why the orchid withers and how to save the flower here).
Neighborhood with a variety of fruits and flowers can provoke rapid aging of the plant, falling leaves and buds. Florists carefully monitor what is close to the orchid, so they avoid possible proximity to the destructive representatives of the flora.Of course, such plants can get rid of the buds on their own, but this will only happen if the flower has already faded. You should not worry, because this is a natural process. It happens all the time, so you need to monitor this and in no case do not remove the buds. You can simply damage the plant in this way and cause it to die. It is worth noting that if the flowers have not yet faded, but began to fall, this indicates the presence of pests or diseases.
Why is falling off and what to do?
Florists are afraid of the problems that may arise when caring for orchids. Only patience and overwork can solve everything and give the plant a beautiful flowering. In fact, there may be several reasons at once because of which the flowers fall. At the first sign of dropping flowers and buds, it is important to understand why this happened, and for this you should quickly examine the plant and decide what to do next.
- The age of the orchid. When buying a plant in a store, you must definitely ask how old the flower is. You also need to know if the orchid bloomed and when exactly it was. If the buds have already fallen, then this may indicate the end of the life span of the flowers. Many orchids can bloom for several weeks, but still do not forget that the plant is subject to natural aging.
- Lack of lighting. With proper care, you can achieve elegant flowering and plant growth. If the house has little natural light, this leads to the fall of not only flowers, but also leaves. When buying an orchid in a store, it is necessary to take into account the fact that the lighting there is correctly adjusted and it differs from home lighting.
Owners of orchids need to consider all the features of the plant and do everything possible so that its permanent place is lit. Thus, the flower will feel good and will not lose buds. Since orchids bloom most often in October, and then the weather is more cloudy, it is worth creating artificial lighting conditions. - Overheating of the plant. In summer, you need to protect the flower from sunlight, so you should put it in the shade or close the window with a curtain. If the plant has bloomed, then it must be removed from the window so that the bright rays do not directly hit the orchid. Due to such overheating, roots can suffer, which will receive less nutrients (about why the roots of the orchid became white and what to do, read here, and from this material you will learn about why the leaves and roots turn black and how to help the plant). Orchids can also suffer from too hot air, so the room should be ventilated. In this case, it is necessary to put the plant closer to the glass, and cover all heating devices with a damp cloth.
- Lack of moisture. If the plant is located in a room with dry air, this can provoke a rapid fall of flowers. It is not recommended to allow too low moisture levels in the room. You can place a tray with wet sand, peat or expanded clay near the potter. As soon as they are exposed to sunlight, moisture will begin to evaporate, which will positively affect the growth of orchids. It is worth noting that to increase air humidity you need to use exclusively filtered water.
- Plant hypothermia - Another reason why flowers and even unblown buds can die. If you do not take into account the temperature indicators in the room, then you can cause the plant to fall off flowers or complete death (about how to reanimate an orchid, read here). This can also happen if a flower is bought in winter and brought home in the cold. Improper plant maintenance in a cool room also results in loss of buds. Subcooling also causes a draft, so you need to choose the right place where the plant will stand.
- Stress. A sharp change in environment can cause stress in a plant. From this, falling flowers may occur. You just need to immediately choose a place where the orchid will stand and not rearrange it for some time.
- Wrong watering. The soil in the potter may dry out, which will lead to falling buds. It is necessary to water the plant and monitor the level of soil moisture. Also, the flower may suffer from an excess of moisture, so in this case, the plant should be transplanted into new soil.
- Mechanical damage. An injured plant can occur during its transportation, transplant. Because of this, the flowers and leaves begin to turn yellow and generally fall off (about why orchids turn yellow and what to do, read here). It is worth protecting the plant from such damage and carefully taking care of it.
- Fungal diseases and pests (Learn more about the features of orchid diseases, as well as see photos of the affected parts of the plant here). The plant may be susceptible to infection or to the presence of a mealybug (we explained here why white plaque appears on the orchid and how to deal with it with home remedies). It is necessary to check the orchid as often as possible, and if such a pest is found, get rid of it urgently.
Chemical and folk remedies can help in the problem of falling flowers. You should consult with specialists to find the right way out of this situation. It is necessary to wash the plant with warm water as often as possible and monitor all the nutrients received from the outside. Novice gardeners should not panic if the flowers begin to fall. You just need to carefully monitor the plant and take action if necessary. More specifically, the specialist will be able to answer the question what to do next, if all the flowers have fallen, after examining the plant.
Interesting video
Watch a video about why flowers and buds on an orchid dry out and fall off: