Winter is the flowering season of crab claw orchid. Proper maintenance in winter can ensure that crab claw orchid blooms normally. Otherwise, it may wilt, bloom less, or even be unable to survive the winter. So, how to care for crab claw orchid in winter? Okay, how to water crab claw orchid in winter? The gardener uncle below will introduce you to the winter care and watering methods of crab claw orchid.
Picture: Crab claw orchid in full bloom
1. Lighting
Crab claw orchid is a short-day plant that likes a semi-shady environment, with 8 days of sunshine per day in winter. -10 hours can promote it to bloom. Pay attention to placing it in a sunny place, and rotate the flower pot frequently to allow the plant to receive more even light. Note that if there is enough light during the day, it cannot be exposed to light at night. Otherwise, too long sunlight will be detrimental to the formation of flower buds and affect its flowering.
2. Temperature
As the temperature drops, crab claw orchid should be moved indoors to a sunny place in time in winter to avoid frostbite. Before the crab orchid blooms, the night temperature should be kept at 10-13°C. After the flower buds are formed, the night temperature can rise to 16-2l°C, and the daytime temperature is 21°C - or slightly higher. A cool place with a temperature of 12-15℃ during flowering can extend the flowering period, and be careful not to move the potted plants frequently at this time. Avoid sudden drops in temperature or excessive temperature differences. When the temperature is lower than 5°C or higher than 20°C, it will affect the growth and flowering of the plants. If the temperature suddenly drops below 10°C, buds and flowers will fall.
Picture: Small potted crab claw orchid indoors
3. Watering
How to water the crab claw orchid in winter is also a very important issue, although Crab claw orchid likes to be moist, but the rootstock likes to be dry. In addition, the temperature is low in winter and water evaporates slowly, so it should not be watered too much. Therefore, when watering, you should generally adhere to the principle of "prefer to be dry rather than wet". It can last for four or five days. Water even once a week. You can check the pot soil for details. If it is dry or wet, do not allow water to accumulate in the pot. Spray water frequently during the flower bud stage to keep the flower stems moist.
4. Fertilization
In winter, the crab claw orchid is gestating flower buds, so sufficient fertilizer and water nutrients should be supplied, which is beneficial to the formation of flower buds and the bright colors of the flowers. In winter, fertilize mainly with phosphorus fertilizer, or topdress with thin liquid fertilizer that has been retted and rotted, once every 7 to 10 days to promote the formation of more flower buds. You can also spray both sides of the leaves and flower buds with 0.2% potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution, or mix potassium dihydrogen phosphate (the same concentration as before) with watering. This flower-stimulating fertilization should be continued until the flower buds bloom. When the crab claw orchid enters the flowering stage, in order to ensure continuous flowering, you can apply liquid fertilizer or phosphorus and potassium fertilizers every 10 to 15 days, or apply a small amount of compound fertilizer. If the required nutrients are insufficient, not only will it be difficult for all the flower buds to bloom, but it will also cause continuous bud and flower drop.
Picture: Crab claw bonsai
5. Pruning
The grafted crab claw orchid grows vigorously and is usually made into a round shape with thin bamboo slices or lead wire. The bracket supports the drooping stem nodes and spreads them into an umbrella shape. Cut off the uneven stem nodes and diseased branches, and appropriately thin out the too dense and weak flower buds on the stem nodes. Keep a strong flower bud on the leaves at each node end, and thin out other flower buds. This can save nutrients and concentrate on supplying the remaining flower buds, so that the flower buds will be strong, the flowers will be uniform in size and the flowers will be brightly colored. Since the crab claw orchid blooms continuously, the remaining flowers and top leaves should be cut off in time to save nutrients and maintain plant vigor.
Picture: White crab claw orchid
Tips: If the crab claw orchid does not bloom or blooms rarely in winter, you should pay attention to whether it is properly maintained. In addition to the five things introduced to you by the gardener uncle above, In addition to the maintenance points, you should also pay attention to the prevention and control of pests and diseases. Make sure that the crab claw plant is in ventilated conditions, otherwise it is easy to breed scale insects. This kind of pests is very harmful to the crab claw plant. It may affect the appearance of the crab claw plant, or cause death in severe cases. Attention should be paid.