Get this out of your kitchen if you want your orchid to bloom

Over the past few days, I’ve been sharing a range of tips to help your orchid bloom.

Today, you’ll learn about something that can stop your plant from blooming.

Beyond the obvious mistakes, like getting watering or fertilizing wrong, or other well-known growing issues, there are a few other things you need to watch out for.

For example, did you know that keeping your orchid near fruit can interfere with blooming?

There’s a very specific reason for this, and I’ll explain it, along with much more, in this article. So keep reading.

Parts per billion

I recently read a story from a grower who summed up some of the reasons an orchid can lose its flower buds:

• A change of environment
• A pest or disease attack
• Sudden temperature swings
• Kitchen gases

Kitchen gases? What does that mean?

Meet ETHYLENE.

It’s a gas that fruit releases as it ripens.

Even in tiny amounts, measured in parts per billion, this gas lowers flower quality and can keep your orchid from blooming.

And orchids are among the most sensitive flowers, along with:

• Begonias
• Geraniums
• Carnations
• Fuchsias
• Hibiscus
• Impatiens
• Petunias

But it’s not just ethylene!

The American Orchid Society lists other gases that can harm your orchid. Besides ripening fruit, these include gas leaks, poorly burning stoves, and other everyday situations.

The result?

1. Buds that shrivel and drop off the spike before they ever open
2. Open flowers that age prematurely or come out deformed

Cigarette smoke and car exhaust have the same effect, which helps explain why orchids kept in a garage or near a grill rarely bloom well.

So move the fruit bowl away from your orchid.

Just don’t let the plant and the fruit share the same table, counter, or closed room without air circulation.

[IMAGE: Phalaenopsis orchid moved to a bright, well-ventilated room away from the kitchen]

Read also:

• Spots on Orchid Leaves – Meanings and Treatments
• Soil for Orchids – Which are the Best? How to use?
• Fertilizers For Orchids: Best Practices and Usage
• Cattleya Bicolor – How to Care for Them (Step by Step)
• Cooktown Orchid (Dendrobium bigibbum): Care & Curiosities

What else can make your orchid lose its flower buds?

Not every case of bud drop is caused by gases.

There are other, even more common factors that can keep your orchid from blooming:

• Cold
• Very dry air
• Overwatering
• Underwatering
• Sudden changes of location
• Lack of proper lighting

Keeping your orchid near fruit or gases is a simple mistake and an easy one to avoid.