How to Care for Indoor Orchids

I am not shy about expressing my love for beautiful Orchids. Once you know the variety of plant and a few basic tips on how to care for indoor orchids, you will do very well maintaining the beauty of your orchid indoors.

living room, with white orchid on a glass coffee table

With a number of different species, Orchids have become a popular houseplant and with good reason. Did you know there are over 30,000 varieties of Orchids? If you can handle the plant when it’s not in bloom (most people can’t) and give it proper care the rest of the year, you will have a gorgeous rebloom every year.

close up of indoor orchid on a table in a white pot

Give it the proper light

Orchids will thrive in bright indirect light. Do not put you plant in direct sunlight. Too much sun will dry the plant out and burn the blooms. If this happens, you know your plant is getting too much light and should be moved to another bright spot with a little less light.

Water your indoor Orchid regularly

Orchids come from a dry, humid environment and don’t need much water. Water your plant once a week during the summer months but don’t over water. Over watering will cause root rot. In the winter and spring months cut back your watering scheduling back to two times a month.

Another way to tell if you are watering your orchid enough is to look at the roots. Gray roots indicate they need more water, green means they are getting the appropriate amount of water.

Make sure room temperature is just right

Orchids will do best in rooms with temperatures that are above 50 degrees but below 85 degrees. Good airflow and humidity in the room are also important to keep your plant thriving. I find my plants do best in the center of the room and away from windows where it can either be too cold or too hot.

Fertilize

As with other house plants, feed your Orchid during the growing season (not the winter) with a liquid fertilizer.

Stake your plant

When your Orchid reaches 4-6 inches in height, it’s time to stake it. Stake your plant by supporting it with small wood or plastic stakes and clips. Clip the plant to the stake so it maintains an upright position and to keep it from flopping over.

Prune when needed

The most important thing to keep in mind when pruning, is to make a clean cut on your plant. Make sure your pruning shears are sharp and clean. When pruning, remove faded blooms. Doing this will keep the plant from spending energy on old growth. Remove the spent blooms by cutting back to the main branch of the plant.

white potted indoor orchid on a glass coffee table in front of gray sofa

Repot your Orchid

If you intend to keep your Orchid for the long run then you will need get it out of the small plastic pot that it came in. Do this after it is done blooming. Gently take the plant out of the pot and place it in a new bigger pot. Fill in around the plant with a good potting soil or potting mix. Your plant will anchor itself by attaching to the new pot after new roots grow.

Your indoor Orchid will typically bloom once a year. The beautiful blooms can stick around for a couple of months. When the show is over, the flowers will sadly wilt and fall off. When this happens, it’s okay to move your Orchid, water a bit less and count down the days till the next blooms show up.

Shop all the essentials for caring for your indoor Orchids