Growing Magnificent Orchids
Orchids have literally been growing and thriving all over the planet for millions of years.
These hardy plants first started flourishing around the time of the dinosaurs and have expanded to every continent with the exception of Antarctica.
Today, there are over 35,000 known species growing around the world in almost every climate type there is.
In most cultures, going back hundreds of not thousands of years, the orchid appears as a symbol of beauty, royalty or love.
As such, in ancient Europe, orchids were often used as a main ingredient in love potions.
Orchids have been collected, grown and harvested by humans for a very long time and there are some good techniques for orchid care that have been developed over the years.
Light: Pay attention to the shade and hue of the orchids leaves, as this is a good indication of how much light the plant is getting.
Ideally, the orchid's leaves will be a bright green color.
If the leaves are a dark green, then the plant is not getting enough sunlight.
On the other hand, if the leaves are a reddish, yellow or very light green color, the plant is not getting enough sunlight.
Another way to tell if the plant is getting too much light is to actually feel the leaves.
If the orchid's leaves are warmer than the surrounding air, the plant is getting too much direct sunlight.
Orchids need a happy medium of light and shade, as too much light will cause the plant to wither and too little light can prevent the plant from blooming.
Temperature: To produce the ideal blooms, orchids need a day to night temperature variation of at least 10 to 15 degrees.
The plant will still grow quite well without this temperature variation, but the growth will be all green stem and leaf growth without blooms.
Ideally, the nighttime temperature should get down to around 62F and the daytime temperature should be between 70 and 80F for optimal blooming.
On either end of the temperature scale, orchids can deal with low temperatures down to around 55F and high temperatures up to 95F as long as there is enough humidity.
Watering: To bloom well, orchids ideally require regular watering.
The best watering schedule is to water early enough in the day so the plant will be fairly dried out by nightfall.
While the amount of water the plant will need will vary somewhat depending the geographic location, conventional wisdom is to water the orchid once per day in the winter and twice per day during the summer.
Also, keep in mind that the orchid cannot tolerate large and sudden temperature variations, so the water should be as close to room temperature as possible.
Feeding: To have the orchid grow faster and bloom sooner and longer, the watering can be supplemented with doses of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium.
These elements fertilize and energize the plant.
The amounts or concentrations of these elements will differ depending on the type of orchid and the type of soil it is in.
These hardy plants first started flourishing around the time of the dinosaurs and have expanded to every continent with the exception of Antarctica.
Today, there are over 35,000 known species growing around the world in almost every climate type there is.
In most cultures, going back hundreds of not thousands of years, the orchid appears as a symbol of beauty, royalty or love.
As such, in ancient Europe, orchids were often used as a main ingredient in love potions.
Orchids have been collected, grown and harvested by humans for a very long time and there are some good techniques for orchid care that have been developed over the years.
Light: Pay attention to the shade and hue of the orchids leaves, as this is a good indication of how much light the plant is getting.
Ideally, the orchid's leaves will be a bright green color.
If the leaves are a dark green, then the plant is not getting enough sunlight.
On the other hand, if the leaves are a reddish, yellow or very light green color, the plant is not getting enough sunlight.
Another way to tell if the plant is getting too much light is to actually feel the leaves.
If the orchid's leaves are warmer than the surrounding air, the plant is getting too much direct sunlight.
Orchids need a happy medium of light and shade, as too much light will cause the plant to wither and too little light can prevent the plant from blooming.
Temperature: To produce the ideal blooms, orchids need a day to night temperature variation of at least 10 to 15 degrees.
The plant will still grow quite well without this temperature variation, but the growth will be all green stem and leaf growth without blooms.
Ideally, the nighttime temperature should get down to around 62F and the daytime temperature should be between 70 and 80F for optimal blooming.
On either end of the temperature scale, orchids can deal with low temperatures down to around 55F and high temperatures up to 95F as long as there is enough humidity.
Watering: To bloom well, orchids ideally require regular watering.
The best watering schedule is to water early enough in the day so the plant will be fairly dried out by nightfall.
While the amount of water the plant will need will vary somewhat depending the geographic location, conventional wisdom is to water the orchid once per day in the winter and twice per day during the summer.
Also, keep in mind that the orchid cannot tolerate large and sudden temperature variations, so the water should be as close to room temperature as possible.
Feeding: To have the orchid grow faster and bloom sooner and longer, the watering can be supplemented with doses of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium.
These elements fertilize and energize the plant.
The amounts or concentrations of these elements will differ depending on the type of orchid and the type of soil it is in.
