'You will get a beautiful cascade of flowers' - Gardener shares her method to look after orchids in winter

A content creator from the YouTube channel One Orchid a Day, shared her methods to take care of phalaenopsis orchids in winter.

To begin with, it is very important to make sure you have the right temperature for your orchids.

She said: "In winter, it is really important that we keep our home environment with an intermediate temperature, ideally above 16C because below this temperature, these plants can start to suffer and show some signs of stress.

"Also, it's really important that we have a stable temperature inside our homes because if you have drastic temperature fluctuations, our plants can also get stressed.

"Temperature is a critical factor for phalaenopsis orchid. If the temperature is constantly above 26 degrees Celsius, the plants are going to focus on vegetative growth, so we're going to see new leaves and new roots but they can delay flowering."

Fluctuating the temperature during nighttime is the best way to start your plants blooming but the expert said you need to make sure it stays in an environment above 10C.

She explained: "It's really important that you be aware that temperature below 10 degrees Celsius can cause chilly injuries. You should look out for some signs of water-soaked tissues, discolouration, and lower growth are all signs that your plants might be stressed."

Lighting is also very important for your orchids to make sure they get the sufficient amount they need to continue their growth.

The content creator said: "It's really important that we offer light to our plants. They will not grow if you keep them in a dark bathroom. They need to receive at least eight hours of natural light a day., that would be ideal to keep them growing.

"The flowers will start pushing out flower spikes. Ideally, we should keep our orchids facing the same direction of light and then all the buds will position themselves facing the light as well and they will open one after another and you will get a beautiful cascade of flowers."

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Making sure your orchids are well-hydrated is very important, too, but it is valuable to not over-water them as this could damage your plants.

The content creator added: "Check to see if the roots are drying out between watering during winter time. I notice that it will take longer to dry out and I check the bottom of my pot to see if they have dried.

"Avoid keeping the phalaenopsis soaked all the time because otherwise, it can have root rot.

"I would advise you to wait for your plant to approach dryness before offering it more water and adjust the watering routine according to the temperature."