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Orchids at the Singapore Botanic Gardens

Once you have chosen and purchased your new orchid, it has to be safely transported to your home. However, there are a few things that you should remember to make sure that your orchid’s trip home is safe and secure, otherwise, you might end up with a severely shocked plant with fallen buds and leaves. Orchids are quite prone to suffering shock symptoms if moved suddenly and exposed to drastically different environments.

First things first - avoid buying orchids that are already in full bloom, with all of the pseudo bulbs already open and blossoming. The problem with such orchids is that generally, orchids that are in their blooming state are especially prone to shock and do not like being transported at all. So there is a big chance that the orchid will experience instant shock when it is removed from the green house or shop. This shock can be severe enough to kill the plant so take care.

After bringing home your new orchid, you should it in the safety of your home without repotting for just one week. Repotting orchids is best done after about a week.Do not keep your new orchid in its original packaging, usually wet moss in a plastic pot, longer than about a week as this could cause problems for your orchid. Also, do not place your orchid in a very dark or a very bright part of your home for any length of time as this could weaken the plant considerably.

If you see some buds falling off during the trip home or a few days after you have brought home a new orchid, don’t worry. This is normal and all orchids experience some degree of transport shock during the trip home.

Common sense should be applied as usual. Be aware that orchids are that little bit special and often require some more attention to detail in caring for orchids compared with other plants.

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