Why Are My Orchid Flowers Dropping?

Growing Orchids

• Orchids, as tropical flowers, enjoy humidity, relative warmth and quick-draining soil. They don't tolerate direct sunlight or standing water, and can suffer from drafts and cold temperatures.

Orchid Structure

• Orchids present long, straight shoots that generally require some form of support. Each shoot grows several orchid blooms, and is surrounded by wide, firm leaves.

Orchid Care

• Orchids are most successful when they're grown under artificial lights, or in north and south-facing windows, with indirect sunlight. They should be watered only when their soil has become dry, and fertilized with 10-10-10 fertilizer once a month for optimum growth and blooming.

Orchid Lifespan

• Orchid shoots, and the flowers on the shoots, generally last for several months. Once the flowers have lived through their bloom, they fade, shrivel and drop off. This is usually followed by the death of that particular shoot.

Orchid Blooming

• After a shoot has born flowers, faded and died, orchid plants start again from the roots. Given the right nutrition and temperature, an orchid sprouts a new shoot, which will go through the whole process again.