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How To Care of Orchids
The care of orchids a complete guide with details on the care for these wonderful flowers
Have Questions?? or Prefer to Order by Phone
PHONE US TOLL FREE (our toll free line is valid 25 countries): 1-800-663-6810
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Amazing Amethyst
TF57-2-C
from Can$ 64.95
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Bear Hugs II
TF19-2-C
from Can$ 64.95
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Beauty of Eden
T134-2-C
from Can$ 109.95
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Blessed Heart Basket
TF209-3-C
from Can$ 179.95
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Care of Orchids
The most widely available orchids and the best for the home is the phalaenopsis or moth orchid. These plants will grow easily under the same conditions enjoyed by African violets
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Watering Schedule?
Allow the plants to approach dryness, gauged by pot weight or by the pencil trick (the point of a sharpened lead pencil will darken with moisture if the plant has enough water), and apply enough water that it runs freely through the pot. Never allow any potted plant to "sit in its own water." Flowering plants may require more frequent waterings to make up for the greater burden of the flowers. Plants will require less water when not in active growth (generally winter months), and more while growing (generally spring and summer months.) Increased frequency of watering will not make up for a poor root system. If roots are not plump and alive, repotting may be called for (see later), or the plant may have been recently repotted by the vendor, in which case it will require raised humidity to compensate for the lack of supporting root uptake. Last, plants with thinner, softer foliage will generally require more water than those with harder, more succulent leaves. Plants with pseudobulbs (as dendrobiums and cattleyas) generally like to dry out more between waterings than will those without (as phalaenopsis.)
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Fertilizing?
When Blooming all flowering plants need extra feed. Your plants will need to be fertilized with a product appropriate to the media in which they are grown. In general, plants in a bark-based mix will need a fertilizer high in nitrogen ( usually in a 3 - 1 - 1 ratio), while a balanced food will do for all others (usually a 1 - 1 - 1 ratio.) If in doubt, feed with the same balanced fertilizer you use for your other container plants. Orchids will do far better with too little fertilizer than with too much. The old adage, "feed weakly, weekly" is very appropriate. Feed every week with a dilute solution. It is far easier to remember than "Did I feed last week, or not?"
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Re-potting?
When fresh rooting activity is expected (generally in the spring) or is very evident, generally every one or two years. Fresh rooting activity is best shown by the nice green root tips on plump white roots. Often, the main "flush" of rooting will come from the base of the plant (in the case of phalaenopsis), or from the developing newest growth (in the case of dendrobiums and other orchids with pseudobulbs.) Orchid plants need repotting for one or a combination of two main factors: Potting mix breakdown, often evidenced by dead roots; or plant over-growing the pot, growing over the edge. In the first case, a larger pot may not be required, simply replacement of the growing media. In the second case, the plant may require dividing or may simply be shifted into a larger pot. Fresh media should always be used. A good general rule of thumb is to pot for the bottom of the plant, the root system, and not for the top, the foliage. Freshly repotted plants should be placed in a shady, humid area until continued new root growth is observed. In general, if in doubt, pot in the spring
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Potting material?
Orchids, in general, will grow satisfactorily in many different potting mixes if watering and fertilizing are adjusted appropriately. That is, if the basic requirements for moisture, root aeration and support are accommodated, the most readily available media in your particular area is probably the one that has proven to work the best. Orchids are grown today commercially in a variety of media, from straight fir bark, to sphagnum moss, to the increasingly popular peat-based mixes best exemplified by Pro-mix. Watering frequency is generally inversely proportional to the porosity of the media used; in other words, the faster the mix drains, the more often you’ll have to water. Complicating the answer is the knowledge that many, if not all, of the most often seen potted flowering orchid plants in garden centers and other sales venues have been potted into larger containers in fresh media almost immediately prior to shipping. This is for very practical reasons: the container and fresh mix look more attractive to consumers, and the plant can be grown in the smallest possible pot until the last minute, keeping bench space fully utilized. Such plants need to be carefully watered with the increased water needs of the flower spike balanced against the lower potential uptake of the disturbed root system.
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Where do I cut the flower spike when it is finished?
In most cases, cut at the base of the spike with a sharp, clean tool. Of all of the more commonly available orchids, only phalaenopsis -- the moth orchid -- will rebloom from its old spike. When most orchids have finished blooming, the spike should be cut off with a sharp and clean blade as close to the base of the spike as is practical. Phalaenopsis will generally rebloom given a little extra care. The spike should be cut between the scar where the first flower was and the last node on the stem. One of the lower nodes will then initiate and generally produce flowers within eight to 12 weeks. Younger or weaker plants may not rebloom. It is also a good idea to cut the spike off entirely by midsummer to allow the plant to grow for next year’s bloom
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Orchid’s leaves are wrinkled and leathery
Lack of water or dehydration. The next step is to determine why the plant is not getting sufficient water. First, look to the roots. If the roots appear healthy, white or green and plump, and medium is in good shape, suspect underwatering, especially if the roots are white and the pot is very light. If, on the other hand, the roots are in poor condition, suspect root loss. If the plant has no roots, it cannot take up any water, no matter how much you give it. In this case, the cause may be root loss owing to overwatering or medium deterioration, or a recently repotted and poorly established plant. The immediate solution is to raise humidity in the plants’ vicinity to reduce stress on whatever roots there may be, and then deal with whether to repot or to simply wait until the plant establishes in the fresh medium.
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Grow orchids out-of-doors?
In some areas, your can grow outdoos. Especially if you live in a frost-free or nearly frost-free area, there are a wide variety of orchids that will grow very happily with light shade out-of-doors year round. Where winters are cold, orchids can be grown on the patio or under trees in the warmer months when frost does not threaten. This if often a wonderful solution for orchid growers in colder climates, and enables the plants to grow so much better than they would if left indoors all year. Growers in frost-free areas and cooler summer nights (below 60 in August and after) can grow cymbidiums, one of the finest of all garden orchids. Where summer nights are warmer, many varieties of vandas and cattleya types are appropriate
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Have Questions?? or Prefer to Order by Phone
PHONE US TOLL FREE (our toll free line is valid 25 countries): 1-800-663-6810 |
