Fast-Growing, Short-Cycle Orchids

Orchids' exotic blooms add color to your home or garden. As long as you provide the proper environment for them, with 40-to-60 percent humidity and bright, indirect sunlight, they can grow rapidly with frequent blooms. In addition to being interesting houseplants, orchids thrive outdoors in the warm climate of U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 10 and 11. Some orchids are particularly fast-growing, and short-cycle orchids have shorter periods between flowering times. You can also encourage some orchids to re-bloom, adding a second burst of color to your garden.

Fast Growers

While most orchids need repotting every two to three years, some orchids grow more rapidly than others. For instance, Dendrobium orchids need repotting once a year to contain their rapid growth. Oncidium orchids, sometimes called dancing lady orchids, are also known for their fast growth. You'll know it's time to repot orchids when their roots begin to outgrow their current pots or when the soil becomes soggy as it breaks down.

Re-Nlooming Orchids

Dendrobium orchids typically bloom twice a year -- in autumn and winter -- with flowers lasting up to a month each time, while Phalaenopsis orchids flower in winter and early spring. They bloom almost continuously during this time if you remove flowers as soon as they fade to make way for new blooms to take their places. You can also encourage Epidendrum orchids to re-bloom by cutting off their faded flowers; wait one or two months for a second round of flowering. And small Cattleya orchids, such as miniatures, can bloom more than twice a year with proper care, and each time the flowers last for one-to-two months.

Sequential Bloomers

For year-round flowering, sequential bloomers are the smartest choices. These types of orchids re-bloom over and over on the same stem, though you may have to wait a few weeks before you see another flower emerge. Chinese ground orchids (Spathoglottis plicata) produce small flowers year-round and grow in dirt as terrestrial orchids. Meanwhile, Oncidium orchids can bloom from the same flowering spike for years. This means you should avoid removing the stem until it turns brown; instead, snip faded flowers and wait for it to re-bloom.

How to Encourage Flowering

When you're ready for your orchids to bloom, give them light for just nine hours a day. This encourages spikes to elongate and produce buds, whereas stretching their days to 12 hours encourages green growth at the expense of flowering. Orchids also need temperatures to drop about 10 degrees each night, and daytime highs should remain below 80 degrees Fahrenheit to induce flowering. If you want your orchid to re-bloom, snip off flowers as soon as they die; not all orchids will re-bloom, but many replace lost blossoms after you remove them.