‘Number one reason’ your orchid isn’t blooming – how to ‘stimulate’ new flowers

Orchids are popular plants that can be bought from most gardening centres and local supermarkets.

The plants are known for their colourful ornamental flowers which are symmetrical.

Most people buy their orchids already in bloom which means it’s hard to know what to do with the plant once it’s finished flowering.

Frankie Flowers, also known as Frankie Ferragine, has shared a short on how to make orchids re-flower.

Frankie is a popular and trusted gardening expert in Canada with more than 5,000 subscribers on YouTube.

The gardening expert said to make an orchid re-bloom, gardeners need to decide whether to remove the spike completely by cutting it right down to the base or cutting to a node.

To do this, go along the plant’s stem and look for a node. The nodes are the “bumps” in the stem that stick out.

Simply prune just above the node to “stimulate some additional growth and stimulate flowers”.

It will take a few months before it sends up a new flower spike.

Frankie said the “key” is allowing the plant to dry out a little bit further. He said the plant needs to be stressed out a little bit and put in a room where the temperature is cooler at night.

Most orchids will re-bloom with ease, however, Frankie said there is one rule gardeners need to remember.

He said: “The number one reason why people can never get an orchid to bloom is they’re just giving it too much water, too much fertiliser and too much care.

“Cut back on the water, cut back on the fertiliser, cooler nights and it will stimulate that new flower spike.”