Orchid Care Blog

Don’t Throw Out Your Orchid! It’s Not Dead!

When Just Add Ice Orchids stop blooming and enter a dormant state, many new Phalaenopsis orchid owners make the mistake of thinking their orchid has died and throw the plant away. Don’t! Your orchid is not dead! With a little rest and some tender loving care, your Just Add Ice Orchid will bloom again and again, providing you with years of pleasure.

Unlike many common houseplants that remain green and healthy-looking year round, orchids are more like the perennial flowers and bulbs in your outdoor garden. Just like other flowering plants, orchids must rest and replenish their energy between bloom periods. Producing flowers consumes tremendous energy, depleting the resources the plant uses to produce healthy new growth. The large, showy flowers your Just Add Ice Orchid produces and maintains week after week when your orchid is in full bloom eventually drain the plant of energy. When this occurs, the flowers will fade and fall off the stem. (Do not confuse this natural blossom drop with traumatic bud blast or flower blast which causes orchids to lose their buds or flowers suddenly and prematurely.)

The stem of your Just Add Ice orchid will become dry and shriveled. The plant’s leaves will also lose their bright luster and deep-green color and, while remaining green, will take on a dull and faded appearance. The plant’s leaves will also lose their perkiness and become limp and flat. All of this is normal. Your Just Add Ice Orchid is not dead! The plant is simply going through a natural period in its life cycle called dormancy. This dormant stage allows your Just Add Ice Orchid to rest and renew its energy before blooming again into a profusion of gorgeous new blossoms.