Orchids are popular as houseplants for their unique and beautiful flowers. Though most only bloom once or twice yearly, these plants can live for a surprisingly long time. How long, exactly, is up to the gardener, and there are several things you can do to increase the lifespan of your orchid.
In their natural environment, orchids live for several decades and longer. Some specimens of certain species are known to live as long as 100 years. With proper care, you can reasonably expect your plant to survive in the home for 15-20 years.
There is a secret to extending this lifespan beyond the 15-20 years we expect, and we will get to that momentarily. First, let’s look at some care practices that will keep your orchid in tip-top shape, thriving, and blooming for many years.
Know Your Species
The Orchidaceae family is a large and wide-ranging group of plants. More than 28,000 species are broken into 850 genera, each with at least one distinctive characteristic. The characteristic may be flower structure or color, growth habit, flowering habit, temperature tolerance, or any number of other factors.
To put it plainly, it’s a large group of plants, and there are many variables to consider in their care and keeping. If you want yours to live as long as possible, knowing what species you are dealing with is important. Then, you can identify its specific needs.
When you purchase one of these plants, you usually get an indication of the species or the genus. The genus is typically sufficient to determine the orchid’s needs. Species within the same genus usually require similar care.
Check that tag when you purchase your plant, and hold onto it. Some names are similar, and you don’t want to confuse one for the other.
Pot It Correctly
With some exceptions, most orchids are epiphytic. Epiphytes are a type of air plant that grows on trees. As you will see, this factor influences many of its care needs. The first thing to consider is how you pot yours and in what potting media.
Epiphytes need considerable air circulation around their roots. Regular potting soil and flower pots simply do not meet the needs of these kinds of plants. They hold too much moisture, which is a fast track to root rot and whole-plant death.
Best Containers
There are three basic types of containers made specifically for epiphytic orchids. They are all designed to maintain airflow around the roots and proper drainage.
1. Wood Baskets — I prefer wood baskets for the outdoor orchids. They best mimic their natural environment. These baskets are best for hanging, as they make a bit of a mess if you set them on a table. They are also messy to water, as the openings are fairly large, and some potting mix will unavoidably fall through when you water. This is why I don’t prefer them for indoor use.
2. Ceramic Pots — These are the most decorative option. They usually have decorative patterns cut into the body of the pot to allow air to pass through and ample drainage at the bottom. Many also come with a saucer attached, so it’s important to tip them and let the water flow out. That standing water in the bottom can be disastrous. They are also not absorbent and tend to hold more moisture in the potting mix.
3. Terracotta Pots — I prefer these for indoor orchids, though admittedly, the ceramic type is prettier. These also have additional drainage holes in the sides and bottom, but they’re not glazed. Terracotta naturally wicks moisture and holds it away from the plant’s roots.
Container-Free Species
Some species thrive without a pot at all. You can mount them to a piece of wood or a tree, and as long as you water regularly, they will attach and grow well this way. This is most effective with orchids in the genera Vanda, Oncidium, Dendrobium, Cattleya, and sometimes Phalaenopsis.
Some orchids are terrestrial, meaning that they grow in the ground. The genera Spathoglottis, Ludisia, and some Epidendrums are common regarding houseplants. These will thrive better in a more conventional container. They don’t need the same amount of air circulation around their roots.
Use the Right Potting Mix
This goes hand in hand with choosing the right type of container. For the same reason that you want a container with ample drainage, you want a potting mix with the same. Standard potting soil holds too much moisture. You need a potting medium that allows water to pass freely through.
Orchids need a bark-based potting mix. Pre-made mixes are readily available from most retailers that carry potting soil or sell orchids.
If you prefer to make your own mixture, start with two parts bark and mix in one part perlite or pumice and one part charcoal. Pumice comes in larger pieces, so this is optimal, as perlite can fall through drainage holes easily.
Give It The Right Light
Orchids grow in rainforest conditions for the most part. There are some exceptions, but we will focus more on the rule than the exceptions for now. This means the sunlight they naturally receive filters through a tree canopy.
Different species have different light preferences, but most thrive best in bright, indirect, or filtered light. Some genera, such as Cattleya, Vanda, Cymbidium, and Oncidium, are more tolerant and even prefer some direct sun exposure. These perform and flower best with some sun early in the day but filtered or indirect sun in the afternoon.
Medium indirect sun is best for orchids like Phalaenopsis, Miltoniopsis, Paphiopedilum, and Miltonia. They will quickly suffer sunburn in direct light. If you notice lighter, bleached spots on these plants’ leaves, they get too much sun. You can’t undo this damage; depending on the severity, you may have to remove the leaf. If it begins to soften and rot in the scorched area, it’s best to remove it altogether.
On the other hand, if your plant doesn’t get enough light, it is unlikely to flower. An orchid that isn’t getting enough light will have plenty of dark green growth but won’t bloom. If you notice over the course of a year that this is happening, move your orchid closer to a window.
Water Correctly
Orchids like moisture; they are most often tropical rainforest plants, so they get plenty of it in their native habitat. The thing that creates a dichotomy with potted plants is the potting mix. When potting soil stays wet, mold growth is possible.
Fleshy orchid roots are more susceptible to root rot than the average plant. When the potting mix begins to decay around the roots, they decay right along with it. This is why knowing how much and how often to water is important.
Orchids that live outdoors and those that prefer more light need water more often. If your cattleya’s pseudobulbs begin to wrinkle, it needs a drink. I water my outdoor plants every two to three days from spring to fall. If it rains, I consider that and typically skip watering.
Irrigation Methods
Less frequent irrigation is best for indoor plants, especially those in lower-light situations. If you have the right container and the right potting mix, most indoor orchids need water once per week to ensure they are long-lived. There are different methods to choose from:
1. Ice Cubes—While this is not my preference or recommendation, watering orchids with ice cubes is effective. The ice melts, slowly delivering moisture to the roots, and the roots absorb most of it. The caveat is that not all ice cubes are equal.
The larger the plant, the more water it needs, and the size of the ice cube matters. Three ice cubes are the rule for average-sized orchids in a 6″-8″ container. However, three small ice cubes won’t cut it. You need about 1/4 cup of water, so be sure to consider the size of the ice.
2. Overhead Watering—This is my second least favorite method. Although I’m guilty of doing this when I’m in a hurry, watering from overhead doesn’t really allow the plant to absorb much moisture.
Water can also pool in the leaves. This often leads to crown rot, which is death for an orchid. That leaves one solution that most experienced growers agree on.
3. Immersion Watering—This is the ideal way to water. This is my preferred method when I have the time, but I understand it can be time-consuming. It involves filling a sink or bucket with water and immersing the pot in it for a few minutes.
The benefits are that you don’t get water in the crown and that the plant absorbs everything it needs. When you remove the pot from the water, allow the water to drain completely. As long as you potted it correctly, you shouldn’t have issues with soggy roots.
Fertilize Often
Along with watering, fertilizing is an important factor in extending the life of your orchid. These plants are heavy feeders. They appreciate a lot of nutrients. The problem you may encounter here is that the potting medium doesn’t hold or provide many nutrients. For this reason, they need fertilizer often.
How often is flexible, but twice a month is a good frequency if you want to maximize the plant’s potential. This is another reason I prefer to water mine by immersion. For every other watering, I simply toss some fertilizer into the water.
It’s not great to fertilize every single time you water because salts will build up on the roots and burn them. Flush the roots with clean water every other week to help prevent this buildup.
As for the type of fertilizer you should use, water-soluble is a must. Granular fertilizers will wash right through the potting mix and don’t do anything for the plant. I prefer to use a formula made specifically for orchids, but if you only have one or two, this might not be an economical choice. Alternatively, a balanced formula of 10-10-10 diluted to half strength is perfectly acceptable.
Keep the Humidity Up
Touching back one more time on the native environment of epiphytic orchids, we find that tropical rainforests are humid. We’re talking about 70-90% humidity, to be clear. That is far more moisture than you want to circulate around your home.
High humidity in the home can cause all sorts of issues. It can damage furniture, encourage mold growth, and even make your paint bubble and peel. Balancing humidity and air circulation is one of the most difficult parts of growing tropicals.
In most homes, the humidity level stays between 30% and 50%, depending on the time of year, the humidity outside, and the use of heating and cooling systems. This is significantly lower than in a rainforest.
I find that my primary bathroom window is the ideal spot for orchids. Bathrooms, especially those where daily showers happen, tend to maintain a slightly higher humidity level. Now, I live in a very humid climate to begin with, so you may still struggle with this factor in less humid environments.
You have some options if you need to increase the humidity around your orchid but don’t want your wallpaper to bubble. The first is to use a humidifier. This is a bit more work to maintain because you must remember to refill it daily, but it works.
The other option is to use a pebble tray. This is a tray of stones and water that you set the pot on top of. The water evaporates from the tray and raises the level around your plant. Interestingly, a significant amount of the moisture in the air in rainforests is also the product of evaporation!
Keep The Air Moving
With all that humidity, things can get moldy fast. Remember how we talked about those roots needing good air circulation? Well, this is why. When you raise the humidity but let the air be stagnant, your potting mix gets moist and stays moist, leading to root rot.
The solution is to move the air around in the room. If you keep your orchids in the bathroom, make sure to run the exhaust fan on a regular basis. A ceiling fan, a small portable fan, and even an air purifier will achieve your purpose in other rooms.
Divide Your Plant
There is one more important factor in extending the lifespan of your orchid. This is perhaps the most effective way of going past that 15-20-year mark. Orchids can live on for many more years in the form of their offspring. You do this by division propagation.
Orchids have two different growth habits: monopodial and sympodial. Monopodial orchids, like Phalaenopsis, grow continuously upward on a central rhizome. Sympodial species, like Cattleyas, grow horizontally; their rhizome produces pseudobulbs side by side.
You divide these plants based on their growth habit. For example, a monopodial orchid can be cut crossways through the rhizome. You re-plant both parts. The old portion will continue to grow from the top, and the newer portion will do the same. This gives you two plants, and the younger one now has an increased lifespan.
Sympodial orchids produce these pseudobulbs, which constantly move in one direction. Each blooms once, and then the plant uses it as a nutrient storage space.
When the plant has eight or more of these pseudobulbs, you can divide it between them. In this way, you have two plants, and the younger one will have a longer life than the older one. You can continue to do this over time, usually every two years, and keep that plant going indefinitely.
Key Takeaways
Properly caring for your orchid consistently is the best way to extend its life. There is no one special solution, but rather a combination of habits that will keep the plant thriving. If you have a plant that is already thriving, consider dividing it to extend its life even longer.
