Bringing your moth orchids back to life

By Sharon Chang
Translated by Angela Cheng

Taiwan is globally known as the "Kingdom of Moth Orchids" for these much-beloved flowers. With the lunar new year on the way, it can be expected that many people will be brightening their homes with fresh orchids. Moth orchids flower for quite a long time, up to a few months, if well taken care of. However, many people then discard the orchid with its pot immediately afterwards. This is unfortunate because with only three simple steps you can make your orchid bloom again next year.

First, cut off the pedicel, transplant the single orchid to an appropriately-sized pot or plant container and place it in the shade. Do not put it out in sunlight during the day or allow it to be cold at night. Both of these seemingly good actions can harm the plant.

Orchids shouldn't be watered too often. Just once every 10-15 days is fine, spraying the roots about five times with no more than 100 c.c. of water, as too much humidity could rot the aerial roots. Also do not spray the petals, which can easily cause damage. When you have time, you can also use a damp cloth to wipe the leaves, removing dirt to help the orchid "breath" better.

　
Left: When spring comes, a new orchid stem will emerge, pointing upwards.
Right:After an orchid loses its flowers, don't throw it away. Trim the pedicel to give it the chance to bloom again next year.

Orchids need timely fertilization as they grow, about four times a year. Each time, use a 1:1,000 dilution and spray the plant about 3-5 times. Higher fertilizer concentrations will burden the orchids, so just use about three grains of fertilizer and dissolve these into a liter of water.

　
Left: The 360-degree hydrangea-like orchid bonsai is difficult to grow and rare on the market.
Right: It is recommended that you select an orchid that has bloomed about 80%. Taking good care of it means that its flowers can last over a month.

Cultivating orchids requires some specialized knowledge. If you'd like to learn more, contact the Tanzih Tourist Orchid Garden at (04) 2532-8116.

Tanzih Tourist Orchid Garden
(04) 2532-8116
8, Lane 89, DaFeng 1st Rd, Tanzi Dist.
Hours: 9 am-6 pm