Where blue orchids appear on the windowsill, they captivate us. Since the color with this radiance is not of natural origin, resourceful breeders resort to their bag of tricks and drive the purchase price to dizzying heights. Read here how you can easily color an orchid yourself.
How can you dye orchids blue yourself?
To dye an orchid blue, you will need blue food coloring, infusion equipment with a container and a white Phalaenopsis orchid with closed buds. Simply fill the color into the infusion container, insert the syringe into the flower stem and refill regularly until the buds bloom blue.
Instructions for coloring – This is how it turns out (not) a blue miracle
The necessary materials are quickly obtained. You will need blue food coloring, such as Brilliant Blue FCF (E133), infusion set with container and a white Phalaenopsis orchid. The buds must not have opened yet when you start coloring. If the plant is already in full bloom, you will be bitterly disappointed with the result. How to do it right:
- Pour the blue color into the infusion container and hang it slightly elevated next to the orchid
- Prick the syringe slightly downwards into the flower stem, but do not puncture it
- Fix the syringe to the handle with scotch tape
So that the color is absorbed by the orchid, it should be diluted with lime-free water if necessary. When purchasing food coloring, please make sure that it is a water-soluble product. Refill the infusion container regularly. The addition of the color must not be interrupted so that the buds actually open in rich blue.
Blue color lasts a season
Orchids only boast blue flowers for one season. The next buds unfold again in innocent white. This applies regardless of whether the plant was colored by a breeder or by you yourself. An exception are the rare, blue-flowering Vanda orchids (Vanda coerulea). These floral rarities retain their blue color throughout the life of the plant, although not to the intensity of a colored phalaenopsis.
Coloring orchids in the vase blue - it's that easy
Unlike coloring potted orchids, ink can be used in the vase. The questionable ingredients are dissolved in the flower water to such an extent that they can be used as color for the cut flowers. Please use cartridges for school fountain pens as this ink is usually non-toxic. The individual dosage depends on the amount of water and the number of orchid panicles.
By the way, you can color numerous other cut flowers in this way, such as carnations, tulips, amaryllis or dahlias. The color is not limited to blue. Whatever ink colors are commercially available will transform the flowers into the desired tone.
Tip
Coloring an orchid does not require any modifications to care. Water, fertilize and mist your blue orchid as usual. The extent to which adding blue food coloring to irrigation water ensures that the radiance is retained for a long time is controversially discussed among experts.
