How and When to Stake Your Orchids?

Orchid growing can be a fulfilling experience when we are rewarded with beautiful flower blooms. When learning everything you need to know about how to grow orchids, staking your orchid is an important step to learn.

Because the spikes and blooms can be quite heavy, staking your flowers is beneficial in maintaining a vibrant orchid because it will help the flowers to grow into a beautiful presentation that you can be proud of.

You will want to be sure that you stake the spike while the orchid has not yet begun to bloom. This will ensure that the flowers will open up and be correctly oriented. Staking your orchid is very easy and is an important part of getting a picturesque orchid to grow.

Once the spike has begun to grow, at least a couple inches long, it is time to secure it to the stake. Simply insert a bamboo, galvanized metal stake, or BotaniStix into the potting medium as close to the spike as you can get without disturbing any roots that are growing nearby.

You will then need to secure the spike to the stake. This can be done with a number of things such as ties and clips that are specifically designed for this purpose, or if you would like to go the frugal route, you can even use twist-ties.

The first clip or tie should be placed below the first bud. Be very careful when you are securing the spike to the stake because it will be very fragile and may break easily.

Once your orchid spike grows, you may need to replace the stake with a larger or longer one, depending on the size you started out with.

Once the bulbs begin to show, you can then leave it alone and let the flowers fall naturally which will create the sought-after arch along the top.

It is important to note that once the flower buds have begun to appear that you keep the plant in the same general direction in terms of its light source.

The reasoning behind this is that the spike grows in the direction of its light source so if the plants direction is changed frequently it could cause the plant to grow in a very chaotic way.

Staking is an important part of priming your orchid. Having your orchid staked will allow your orchid to grow upward with beautiful flowers cascading down. This will ensure that your orchids display their stunning blooms to their best potential.