What Your Orchid Needs in November for Spectacular Winter Blooms – 6 Easy Tasks to Do Now

Sometime in early November, a moth orchid (Phalaenopsis) on the windowsill might push out new growth. It could be a root, but it could also be the start of a flower spike – and that's why orchids in November deserve a closer look than they got all summer.

All of this happens right as basic orchid care gets harder, too. The days are shorter, and less light gets through the glass. The furnace has kicked on by now, drying out the indoor air, and the bark in the pot stays wet much longer than it did in July. Roots left sitting wet can go soft. Buds sometimes yellow and drop off before they open.

Thankfully, you don't need to do anything dramatic. Most of it is moving a pot a little closer to the window, feeling the bark before you water, or shifting the plant out of a draft. Changes made now, while spikes are just getting started, give a moth orchid a better shot at a full display later in winter or into spring.

1. Watch for New Flower Spikes

Cooler fall temperatures are the main trigger for flower spikes in moth orchids, and shorter days may help a little, so this is the month when plenty of growers start spotting them. The trouble is, spikes and aerial orchid roots look a lot alike when they first poke out. Look closely at the tip, and you can usually tell. Roots come to a bit of a point. Back from the tip, they're wrapped in a spongy layer that goes silvery when it's dry and turns green after you water. Spikes don't have that coating at all. They're green the whole way up, and the end is rounded and closed off, kind of like a mitten.

Before attempting to train a new orchid flower spike, give it some time to grow on its own first. When it's several inches long, push a stake into the bark close to the base. Angle it a little so you don't spear a root. Then clip the spike to it loosely, adding another clip higher up every so often as it grows. Orchid flowers don't always grow completely straight, so you may have more success with bendable stakes, like these Sproot stakes with clips on Amazon.

Flowers might still be a couple of months off, or longer, so Christmas blooms on every plant aren't a sure thing. Once buds show, quit turning the pot around – they'll grow toward whatever light they're getting.

2. Give Orchids Plenty of Light

That shady spot that kept a moth orchid from scorching in July can be too dim by November. Low light can keep a mature plant from spiking at all, and it can also cause bud drop later on.

An east window is a good choice right now to meet your orchid's light requirements. South and west windows work too, as long as a sheer curtain softens the harshest afternoon sun – direct rays can still overheat buds and burn leaves.

Watch the glass, though. On a frosty night, a pane can get cold enough to damage a leaf resting against it, so leave some space between the plant and the window. Not every house has a sunny window open for one more pot, and a grow light can make up for that. This Sansi clip-on grow light clips right onto the pot.

3. Adjust Watering as Growth Slows

Bark that dried out in no time over the summer can hang onto water much longer in a cool, dim room. Often, orchids get into trouble on a fixed watering schedule this time of year.

So how do you know when it's time to water orchids? Look at the roots. Silvery, whitish roots are dry, and green ones still have water in them. Lift the pot to feel its weight, too, since a light one is another clue

Clear plastic orchid pots, like these from Walmart, make it easier to check. Moisture meters are less reliable with orchids, but some growers like to use a Sustee Aquameter stick for a second opinion. It turns white once the mix dries out.

When it is time to water, give it a real soak. Take the pot to the sink and run room-temperature water through it till it pours out the bottom. Let it drain all the way. If any water is sitting where the leaves meet, tip it out.

Bark tells you more, honestly, than the calendar will. But bone-dry all winter is the wrong move. Moth orchids don't go dormant, and roots that sit dry for weeks can shrivel.

4. Use Cooler Nights to Encourage Blooms – Without Chilling Your Orchid

Kept warm around the clock, a moth orchid can go on growing leaves for months without sending up a spike. That seems a little backward, if you think about it, for a tropical plant. Cooler temperatures encourage flower spikes, and nights around 60–65°F (16–18°C) for a few weeks in fall can help. Daytime heat matters too, and a spot by a heat vent that keeps the plant much above 80°F (27°C) for long stretches can hold spiking back.

Cooler doesn't mean cold. Try to keep moth orchids above about 55°F (13°C), and don't park them by an outside door or a leaky window.

After buds form, forget about the temperature drop. Steady conditions matter more at that point. A cold blast every time the door opens can make buds yellow and fall before they open, and so can hot air blowing off a register.

5. Reduce Fertilizer, but Don't Automatically Stop Feeding

Growth slows down this month, and slower growth uses less fertilizer. How much to cut back depends on the plant and where it's sitting. Under a grow light in a warm room, a moth orchid may still be making new leaves and roots. On a cool windowsill, it might barely grow at all.

Other types of orchids are a different story, and a few kinds need a drier, leaner rest through winter – check the type before you change anything.

Not feeding at all is its own kind of mistake, though, just a quieter one. Moth orchids cut off from fertilizer while spikes form or flowers open can end up with fewer blooms. A diluted dose of an all-purpose orchid fertilizer, mixed as directed on the label, keeps them going. One option is Better-Gro Orchid Plus, available at Walmart, a 20-14-13 formula sold in a 1-pound (454 g) bag.

Bloom boosters aren't the shortcut they sound like. Moth orchids fed a balanced formula will often produce more flowers than those given high-phosphorus fertilizer.

6. Protect Developing Buds from Dry Air, Drafts, and Pests

Bud blast is the term growers use when buds turn yellow and fall off before they open. Heating season brings plenty of the usual causes. Dry furnace air is one. So is a radiator sitting too close, or a cold draft every time the door opens. Bark that keeps swinging from soaked to bone dry doesn't help either.

Fruit on the counter is a sneaky one, oddly enough – as it ripens, it gives off ethylene gas that can make buds drop, so keep budded orchids away from the fruit bowl.

Damp pebbles in a tray under the pot raise the humidity a little, like this Brussel's humidity tray with decorative rocks. In a very dry room, a small humidifier, like this compact Pure Enrichment MistAire Studio humidifier, adds moisture without taking up much space.

While you're watering, look the plant over for orchid pests. Mealybugs usually turn up on the spike or where a leaf joins the stem. Something that looks like a bit of white cotton stuck in there is probably the long-tailed mealybug (Pseudococcus longispinus) or citrus mealybug (Planococcus citri). Boisduval scale (Diaspis boisduvalii) looks nothing like that. You'll find it as small, flat bumps on the leaves, almost like they're part of the plant. Both pests weaken an orchid and spread to others nearby.

Wipe off the ones you can see with a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol. If they keep coming back, switch to an insecticidal soap or horticultural oil labeled for orchids. Safer Brand Insect Killing Soap, available at Walmart, is one option that targets mealybugs and other common houseplant pests. Test a small area first, then repeat treatment as directed on the label to catch newly hatched pests.

What Not to Do with Orchids in November

Routine orchid repotting can wait. It's easier on the plant when fresh roots are actively growing, often after flowering finishes, and root disturbance while a spike develops can set it back. The exception is bark that's broken down into mush or roots that have gone brown and soft – that plant needs fresh mix now, spike or no spike.

Leave healthy green spikes alone, too. One without buds yet may still flower, and there's no sense tossing away blooms you might've had. Cold glass is another one to watch on the coldest nights, so pull the leaves back if they're touching the window. Then there's the crown, where the new leaves come out of the center. Water that sits in there can cause crown rot. If that rot reaches the growing point, the plant has no way of making new leaves from the top again.

November Orchid Essentials

Most of what an orchid needs in November is a little attention. Spot the new spike, lift the pot before you water, and notice the draft by the back door. Get those right, and there's a good chance of a long run of flowers sometime between midwinter and spring. That's not bad for moving a pot a few feet.