Orchid Care 101

Orchids (Orchidaceae spp.) grow naturally in tropical environments like a rain forest. They are a  large group of flowering plants with over 22,000 known species, and are perhaps the second largest group of flowering plants in the world. Some orchids even grow on rocks near rivers or streams where they receive constant moisture. Orchids also grow dangling from the branches of trees. Over time, these beautiful plants have adapted to warm, humid places. The easiest way to care for orchids is to try mimicking these conditions as closely as possible in your home. 

They have a reputation for being difficult to care for, but given the  right conditions, and assuming their needs are well met, they can live for years just like any other exotic houseplant. What most people don’t realize is that orchids love water and humidity. Because of this, orchids need a good draining mix and lots of air circulation – both down in the roots and around the entire plant. Orchids DO NOT grow in potting soil – this would most assuredly kill them! Instead, they are grown in a light, airy bark mix and clay, terracotta or glazed pots. Orchid pots have holes throughout the pot, in order to let the plant's roots breathe.

Light
Most orchids love bright, indirect light (but not full sun). A southern window is the ideal location for most orchids, except Lady’s slipper and Moth orchids, which prefer less light (East or West facing windows are best). Place your orchids back a bit from the window to avoid direct sun.

Northern light would not be good for any type of orchid – In order to grow well they must have lots of bright light. Consequently, a northern exposure does not offer this important requirement. In case northern light is all you have, you can successfully grow orchids using only fluorescent lighting.

Watering
Although many orchid tags state “just three ice cubes every week” is enough water for your orchid, this is not true! Don’t believe it! The fact is, orchids need more water than just three measly ice cubes can provide.

That said, overwatering is probably the number one reason orchids (and in fact all houseplants) die. The second reason (magnified if the plant is already being overwatered) is lack of proper light. While watering your orchid isn’t an exact science, learning the needs of you particular plant will help you to better meet its watering needs. All orchids have slightly different needs. Even so, your best bet is to drench the plant and let it dry out slightly before the next watering. In general, it’s good to water your orchid every 7 - 10 days.

There are two good ways to water your orchid. The first is to bring it to the kitchen sink. Run it under water until the bark (or whichever growing media you have for your orchid) is thoroughly saturated. Drench well. It should drain freely – the last thing anybody wants is a soggy, wet orchid mix! These beauties need a steady supply of moisture. However, be careful not to overwater. It’s better to forget a watering than it is to water too much.

The second way you can water your orchid is: submerge the plant pot into a stock pot or bucket of room temperature water. The water level should come up to just above the lip of the pot. Leave the plant there for about 10 minutes. Take the orchid out of the bucket and allow it to drain thoroughly.

One symptom of underwatering is wrinkled leaves. If you notice the foliage wrinkling, try watering your orchid a bit more next time.

Symptoms of overwatering include yellowing foliage. If you notice this symptom, it means the roots are slowly rotting; the plant can’t handle too much water! Let it dry out thoroughly before you water again. However, yellowing leaves can also indicate underwatering, so try and keep track of how often (and how much) you water. I’m not asking you to measure the water out, just keep it in mind!

Checking the Moisture Level
Use a pencil (point side down) in the media to check the moisture level of the orchid. Leave it buried for about 10 minutes. If the pencil is dry on the end when you check it, you need to water the plant. If the pencil is moist, wait before you water again.

Humidity
Orchids love humidity since it reminds them of their natural growing conditions. There are several ways you can boost humidity around your orchid:

1. Use a humidity tray. These can be purchased specifically for orchids, African Violets, and other humidity-loving plants. Or, to save a trip to the plant shop – create your own humidity trays using a plastic drip tray filled with glass gems, stones, bark, or even sea shells. Set the orchid onto the stones, and then fill the tray to just beneath the bottom of the plant pot. Change out the water every two weeks and keep an eye out for empty trays… The more often you fill the tray, the better your orchid will do!

2. Mist your orchid whenever you water, or more even frequently if you live in a hot, dry place. If your home has very dry air, try misting daily

3. Use a humidifier in the same room as your plant. This will boost the ambient humidity around your plants, and they will reap the rewards! Leave it running whenever you feel your plants need a humidity boost

Use something like this tray filled with gems and shells (above), which also works well for African Violets. Of course, for your orchid you will surely need something a lot larger than what's above!

4. Group your orchids close together, even on the same humidity tray. The plants will benefit from the moisture expelled and take it in through their leaves

A Specialized Plant Part
Some orchids have a feature on the base of the plant called a psuedobulb, which stores water (exactly like cacti and succulents store water in their leaves). These orchid types love water. When you water, just drench the plant. Before you water again, allow the orchid to approach some level of dryness. This is very important, since psudobulb orchids will utilize the water they already have stored. A psudobulb is exactly like the hump on a camel’s back. Remember this fact the next time you water! (Keep in mind: some orchids don’t have a psudobulb, so it’s a good idea to look at the base of your orchid to see which type you have)

Media and Fertilizer
Orchid growing media is usually composed of some combination of: Fir bark, perlite, and charcoal. Occasionally you’ll see coconut husk fibers included in the mixture. Orchid planting mix/media will drain very generously. Fir bark is very low in nutrients, so your orchid will need to be fertilized with a balanced fertilizer (such as 20-20-20 or 10-10-10) from time to time to maintain its beautiful blooms and foliage. When fertilizing an orchid, please remember: a little goes a long way! Use a water soluble fertilizer every other time you water – even in the winter! Shock! You won’t hear me say that very often! Be sure to fertilize monthly in the wintertime.

Types of Orchids
There are many kinds of orchids available for you to choose from. If you have eastern or western facing windows where you already keep plants, your best choices are the Moth or Slipper Orchid variety (since these prefer less light). If you have a southern or western window, look for any of the other plants listed below. Florescent lights are also available if you don’t have a South, East or western exposure to take advantage of.

Buttonhole Orchid
(Epidendrum spp.)
Blooms: Clusters of small flowers
Light: Bright light is best
Water: Allow media to go slightly dry between waterings

Cactus Orchid
(Epiphyllum spp.)
Blooms: Large, bright flowers
Light: Medium to bright light is best
Water: Keep this plant barely moist at all times (slightly wet); water less than other orchids

Corsage Orchid
(Cattleya spp.)
Blooms: Big, frilled blooms used to make corsages, hence the name.
Light: Bright light is best. Direct sun in the morning is okay, with just a bit in the afternoon
Water: Allow media to go slightly dry between waterings

Clamshell Orchid
(Encyclia spp.)

Blooms: Clusters of numerous small flowers

Light: Bright light is best

Water: Allow media to go slightly dry between waterings

Cymbidium Orchid
(Cymbidium spp.)

Blooms: Long lasting flowers, grass-like foliage

Light: Bright light is best

Water: Allow media to go slightly dry between waterings



Dancing Lady Orchid
(Oncidium spp.)

Blooms: This orchid’s flower actually looks like a little dancing lady in a dress, hence its name. The plant can produce up to 100 small blooms at once! Colors include red, white and yellow. The flowers have the scent of chocolate!
Light: Bright to intense light is best. Protect from direct sun if placed outdoors in the summertime
Water: Allow media to go slightly dry between waterings. Can have pseudobulbs.

Dens, Spray Orchids
(Dendrobium hybrids)
Blooms: Attractive flowers last for weeks at a time. Yellow, red, pink, or violet colors.
Light: Bright to intense light is best.
Water: Allow media to go slightly dry between waterings. Keep in mind their cane-like stems store water! Some varieties also have pseudobulbs.

Jewel Orchid
(Ludisia discolor)
Blooms: Maroon colored leaves with silver veins
Light: Medium light is best
Water: Keep plant evenly moist (drench, then water again just before the media dries out on top)

Moth Orchid
(Phalaenopsis spp.)
Blooms: Flowers last 6 weeks or longer and come in colors of white, pink or yellow, with a network of colorful veins throughout the petals. The flowers are moth shaped, hence the name
Light: Medium to bright; less light than most other orchids. Place the plant in an eastern or western exposure
Water: Allow media to go dry (about 1 inch below the surface) between waterings

Odontoglossum Orchid
(Odontoglossum spp.)
Blooms: Dramatic arching flower spray
Light: Bright light is best
Water: Allow media to go slightly dry between waterings

Lady’s Slipper Orchid
(Paphiopedilun spp.)
Blooms: The blooms include a pouch which looks like a slipper, giving this orchid its name. Blooms can last for 8 weeks, sometimes more. Strap-like leaves with large, waxy flowers. Comes in pink, brown, or white colors.
Light: Needs less light than most other orchids, on the moderate side. An eastern or western exposure will do nicely. Protect from direct sun if placed outdoors in the summertime
Water: Allow media to go slightly dry between waterings

Spider Orchid
(Brassia spp.)
Blooms: Spider-like flowers with graceful stems
Light: Bright to intense light is best
Water: Allow media to go slightly dry between waterings

Tailed Orchid
(Masdevallia spp.)
Blooms: Showy tailed flowers
Light: Medium to bright light is best
Water: Keep plant barely moist at all times

Vanda Orchid
(Vanda hybrids)
Blooms: Large long lasting flowers
Light: Bright to intense light is best
Water: Allow media to go dry between waterings

This post was made especially for one of my readers, Joe's Blog, who asked me a question about her orchid. Thanks for reading! And to all of you, good luck caring for and selecting your orchids! Have an awesome day =)

5 Ways Plants Show The Love

Remember a couple blogs ago I mentioned the 5 ways plants show you love? All five mean you are doing a good job with your plant(s), and shows the plant enjoys its current location, etc. Here are they are!

1. A thirsty plant will perk up.
Plants 'droop' if they are thirsty. In some plants, like Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum, commonly called a 'Spath' for short), this effect is very noticeable. Other plants, like African Violet (Saintpaulia species) or the Spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum), will look....thinner, sort of duller in color, or even display transparent leaves when they need water. Snake plant (Sansevieria) and other succulent varieties will wrinkle their leaves when dry. Give them a good drink and they should bounce back.

2. A well fertilized plant will stay greener longer (and look more beautiful)
Sometimes your plant just needs an extra boost to stimulate new growth. Are you looking for a surefire way to keep older plants looking like they did five years ago? The answer is here: fertilizer. Fertilizers that are water soluble come in the form of little granules you simply add to your watering container. But what do those little numbers mean, you ask? They show how much nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) are present in the fertilizer. So the label 6-12-4 means: 6% nitrogen, 12% phosphorus and 4% potassium. An ideal leaf-developing fertilizer (great for foliage houseplants) would be labeled 30-20-20, whereas a flowering plant like African Violet might go for something like 15-30-15, which is high in phosphorus.

The deal with fertilizer - it really depends on who you ask, and what type of fertilizer you're using. Experts will tell you to fertilize the plant only during its period of growth - typically spring to summertime - and to cease fertilizing during its period of plant rest - fall to wintertime. This is really a matter of personal preference. The key is to use just enough fertilizer to the amount of water - about 1/4 a teaspoon fertilizer to 1 gallon of water. Since most watering cans for indoor use aren't that large, I recommend using just a pinch of fertilizer between your thumb and index finger; or, just a few granules. Add this to your everyday watering container before you water (mine is in the shape of an elephant!) Make sure you always dilute the fertilizer heavily – highly concentrated amounts aren’t good for your plants!

3. Flowering plants will bloom
One of the best examples of this in my opinion is with African Violets (AVs). If the conditions for your plant are being well met, AVs will bloom throughout the year, again and again and again! This fact only helps add to their appeal as a cheery, happy looking houseplant. How do you make them bloom? Light is undoubtedly a key factor, and a source of great debate over the years. Some people claim an east window is the one and ONLY window near which AVs can bloom. For other enthusiasts, a west window is the answer. North windows often have too little light, so the plant will survive okay, but fail to really thrive, therefore yeilding no blooms. My Northeast window seems to be the spot the AVs enjoy most! A dry plant can't bloom, so be sure not to overlook watering on a regular basis. Fertilizing the plant helps blooms develop, also. My advice: be patient, and your plants will bloom! Before you realize it, the plant will be blooming like crazy and look even better than when you bought it! Spaths will also bloom if kept moist (they like a LOT of water) and given good light. They tend to bloom during spring or summer.

4. 'Parental' plants produce 'babies'
Ah, the Spider plant....all those little plantlets give you waves of joy when you see them (if you're like me, that is). I tend to think of this plant the most when I think of baby plants. They create exact mini copies of themselves that look just like the mother plant. The best way to ease the new plant into its own pot is to pin the baby to the fresh soil with a paper clip or some other fastening device. Make sure the pot isn't too large in relation to the plantelet size. Leave the plantlet attached to the mother plant until the new plant roots - anywhere from 2 weeks to one month - and keep the soil in the pot *lightly moist* but not soggy. Misting the plantlet would be a wonderful idea! Once the new roots are developed, sever the plantlet from its mother. If you don’t wish to propagate your spider plant now, you can leave the babies attached to the mother with no ill effects. Older plantlets may not root as well as new ones. They also make excellent gifts for friends, family, or whoever!

5. New leaf growth is a good sign!
Leaf development means the plant loves its conditions just as much as it loves you! New leaves also lead the way to a fuller plant in the future, giving it a more mature look. Whatever watering plan you’ve chosen, stick to it! If the plant likes lots of light, be sure you can provide it before you buy it! Variegated varieties need lots of light to maintain their coloring, so choose wisely.