Winter puts orchids to the test. While in their tropical home countries the sun shines for 7 to 9 hours even in winter, between Hamburg and Garmisch 2 hours of sunshine a day is the maximum. We'll tell you here how you can maneuver the queen of flowers safely through the dark season.
How do I properly overwinter my orchids?
To successfully overwinter orchids, they need grow lights to compensate for the lack of light, as well as reduced watering and fertilizing. Humidifiers and regular misting help increase humidity. A terrarium can serve as an ideal winter quarters.
Plant lamps bring light into the dark
The persistent darkness causes the biggest problems for light-hungry orchids in winter. While the low temperatures can be easily regulated using the heater, the lack of light requires additional measures. You can compensate for the reduced lighting conditions with special plant lamps (€79.00 at Amazon) in daylight quality. Conventional fluorescent tubes and light bulbs from the hardware store do not cover the lighting requirements.
Care program in winter
Winter time is also the flowering time for Phalaenopsis and many of its conspecifics. Once the problem of a lack of sunlight has been solved, you can meet the remaining requirements for a he althy winter with this care:
- Blooming orchids every 4 to 6 weeks, dormant orchids do not fertilize at all
- Watering more sparingly or diving less often
- Spray more often with soft water due to dry heating air
In order to raise the low humidity in winter to a level that is tolerable for orchids, bowls filled with water are only partially sufficient. Ideally, you should place a humidifier near the plants. Additionally, please fill the coasters with expanded clay beads and water to generate locally more humid air.
Tip
A terrarium serves as an ideal cozy winter quarters for orchids. Equipped with daylight lamps, a heater and an ultrasonic humidifier, the tropical floral beauties lack nothing during the delicate season. The orchids can either spend the whole year under these controlled conditions or move back to their original window position in the spring.
