subject: 3 Vital Instructions in Caring For Your Orchids [print this page] If I ask you whether you enjoy looking at an orchid flower, what would you say? The chance is you would say that you love it. I have not come across too many people who say no to orchids. In fact, I can't remember any. With their vibrant and amazing colors; not to mention the variety, who would not love this plant? By the way, do you know that Vanilla comes from an orchid family? Yes the source of one of the nicest source of taste and smell is an orchid. Wow!
Now, if I ask you to tell me how difficult you might think it is to grow these delicate orchid plants? What would your answer be? I bet most of you think that growing orchids would be really difficult and complicated. What if I say that thousands if not millions of people in the world grow orchids in their households successfully. Well, I don't really know what the statistics are but you would not see so many orchid flower arrangements in shops if they were too difficult to grow.
Here I am trying to help you dispel the myths that most people have in growing orchids. Orchids are one of the easiest plants to grow because the conditions to grow are very predictable. As long as you know what they are, your chance of success is very high. I love growing orchids, and it's the most rewarding plant to grow not only because they are easy to grow but also they reward you with beautiful, vibrant and amazing flowers when they bloom year after year.
The secrets are of course in proper balance, and there is not just "the one" aspect that you need to focus on. In this article, I will tell you the top 4 most important items. These alone will set up your orchid's growing journey the correct way so that you can reap your amazing rewards sooner. Your orchid plants love to reward you with the most amazing flowers if you give them the right growing environment.
So, what are the right factors? What are the 4 most important instructions in caring for orchids? Let me tell you in a second, but before that I'll let you out on a secret. Find out how they grow in the wild and figure out those essential elements and imitate their natural habits in the wild as close as possible. This will get you closer to the secret for healthy and thriving orchids.
But here are my top orchid care instructions that I have given to all my friends and clients with good results.
1. PICK THE RIGHT LOCATION
Before you jump into conclusion, I didn't mean picking a position where it can best viewed by you. Picking the location is important only from one point of view, and that is LIGHTING.
Light is important for plants to produce carbohydrate from substances they absorb. This process is called photosynthesis. Whilst Orchids need quality light, it needs to be in the right amount too. With so many varieties of orchids, they have differing requirements. Having said that, orchids generally live better in indirect sun, particularly in the summer months. If you notice that the leaves are reddening around the edges or have yellow spots, the orchid may be getting too much light. This may be a sign for you to move it to a shadier area.
You know that good level of lighting if the leave stay green and glossy. Natural sunlight is the best, but if they are indoors then you can use fluorescent lights to assist. Make sure you check the species of orchid and measure the right amount of light; then pick the right location that would give the ideal amount of light.
2. GIVE IT GOOD SOIL
Not all types of potting mixture are the same. Orchids require specific type of potting mixture. In the natural habitat in rainforests in Southeast Asia, orchid plants extract their food from decomposing leaves and barks, droppings from animals such as birds, and minerals from rainwater runoffs. Orchids love ingredients such as Potassium, Nitrogen, and Phosphorus.
The easiest way to obtain the right balance is to buy ready prepared potting mix that is purposely mixed for orchids with the right acidity level. However, you can make your own mix if you wish. Coconut fibres are a good base to use, mix it with tree barks, fern leaves, and sphagnum moss. Or my favorite is to mix the commercially available and my own potting mixes.
3. WHAT DO MOISTURE, HUMIDITY, AND WATER HAVE IN COMMON?
I think you almost got my drift. H2O is the common element in all of these. Why is this so important? It is the lifeblood of any plants, but particularly the orchids. In the wild, most orchids live in tropics where the atmosphere is very humid. The higher the humidity, at least 50%, is the better it is for the orchids.
In dryer months, it pays to keep it moist. One trick is to use hand sprayer and mist your orchid plants. This will help to put the extra droplets of water on the plant in dryer weather.
What about watering? Most people think that because orchids need high humidity atmosphere, then they must need a lot of watering. WRONG! This will actually drown the root system. What they need is watering twice a week, provided that you make sure that the environment is humid. Also, rainwater is the best for them.
Caring for orchids successfully is not hugely different to any plants. The truth is that the orchids are not difficult. It is just different. Some species of orchids are more difficult or easier to care than others. Hence, it pays to find out which one is suitable for your home environment. Good luck with your orchidilic endeavor!
