How To Plant Orchid
Orchids can be finicky plants and are difficult to keep alive.
How to plant orchid. In nature most orchids are epiphytes meaning they grow on other objects clinging to rough bark or even stone. This article is designed to help you take those first steps to properly caring for your new orchid and transitioning it into your permanent indoor flower collection. Go to your favorite plant store and ask if they have the orchids that grow naturally in your area. Orchids are amongst the most beautiful flowers of the entire plant kingdom combining exotic looks with a diverse set of characteristics.
These plants prefer bright indirect light. Orchids are an ever popular indoor potted plantwhile the exotic flower is widely available many do not know how to care for an orchid to keep it blooming. But an orchids appearance can actually help you gauge what they need in terms of sunlight water and growing medium. Orchids do best in environments with 40 60 humidity.
Pick a cattleya moth orchid or venus slipper orchid if youre a beginner. Weve put together an easy guide to help you start growing orchids indoors. Insufficient light results in poor flowering. This permits a mind boggling number of hybrids and is the reason for the very complex names given to most.
For instance phalaenopsis orchids are usually grown in coarse bark cattleyas in medium bark and young orchid plants are best grown in fine bark. Orchids are exquisite plants comprising over 30000 different species and over 200000 hybrid varieties making orchids one of the two largest families of plants in the world. Place orchids in an east to south facing window or room. A beautiful orchid plant can brighten up any room and add a splash of color to any corner.
Pick up a hygrometer from a gardening center or superstore and use it to test the humidity in your home. Be sure to check out all the information now. Unlike other plants and animals orchids can produce hybrids between species and also between related genera. Orchids require shallow planting.
If the humidity is less than 40 use a spray bottle with a fine mist setting to lightly mist the orchids and their potting medium once per day. How to plant orchids. Also the larger the orchid plant the more flowers it will produce. Mist orchids daily if the humidity level in your home is below 40.
The cattleya moth orchid and venus slipper varieties are all relatively common and are great for learning how to grow these special plants. Plant stores and many grocery and general stores sell orchids year round. Buy an orchid from a plant store instead of planting orchid seeds. The golden rule for orchid success is to duplicate the plants natural conditions as closely as possible.
Buy orchid plants as opposed to buying orchid seeds as orchid seeds require sterile conditions and will. From selecting the perfect variety to helping your orchid rebloom youll find all you need to know below. Small divisions take many years to mature.