I don’t know what my good friend was thinking when she gave me an orchid as a gift over 20 years ago. I had little experience with growing anything at the time, so I didn’t know it then, but my friend gave me a white Phalaenopsis. It was the fragile, beautiful flowers that most intrigued me. Unfortunately the plant did not last long, but being the curious sort of person that I am, I was interested to learn what makes them ’special’. What makes them a plant apart from the normal houseplants grown at home and why do they appear to be a challenge to so many?
Without a doubt, when I got my first orchid, I knew next to nothing about caring for any plants. But the orchid put its spell on me, and I got ‘hooked’ on how to look after them. Since the demise of that first orchid I have bought more, had mostly successes, and have finally realized that I was making it more difficult than I needed to make it. It all comes down to 6 basic factors. If you give these 6 factors your consideration, you will likely find that you have happy orchids, and you may even come under their spell like I did.
1. Consider Your Orchid’s Natural Conditions
It should be obvious, but your goal is to make an environment that mimics your orchid’s natural growing conditions.. Start by reading the label that came with your orchid. Also, some places will give you a basic growing and care guide.
2. How Much Light Does Your Orchid Need?
Most orchids need at least 6 hours of bright light, but not direct sunlight. Direct sunlight will burn the leaves. Think about your orchids natural environment, where the light it receives is filtered by surrounding trees and plants. If your orchid is getting the right amount of light, its leaves will be medium to light green. Dark green leaves means not enough light and pale green leaves means too much. See that wasn’t difficult was it?
3. Don’t Kill Them With Love
This is how I managed to kill my first orchid. I basically overwatered it. While the leaves turned yellow, I figured it needed even more water! Watering them about every 4 – 7 days seems to be enough, but it does depend on the season. One way to check is to insert a wooden stick into the orchid’s growing medium. When you remove it, if it is darker, that means you don’t need to water. Just remember, orchids can require different amounts of water at different times of the year, so keep checking!
4. Feed Me, But Not Too Much!
You don’t give cat food to your dog, so don’t give regular plant food to your orchid. Get real orchid fertilizer for best results. Then apply it as a weak solution about once per week during its growing season. I found that mixing it at half strength works best.
5. Repotting Your Orchid
Repotting was always my least favorite thing to do, but it does make a big difference in your orchid’s health.. Remove the old mix from the pot, being careful not to damage the roots. Wash off the dirt from the roots so you can inspect them to see if any are hollow or mushy. These you can cut off. Place the plant into a new pot, orchids apparently like being root-bound, so there should only be about 1″ between the roots and the edge of the pot. Put some drainage material in the bottom of the new pot and then growing medium so that where the orchid comes out of the growing medium is just below the top of the new pot. Press gently to settle the plant but don’t use too much force or the roots may break. Use a stick to support the plant in the pot so it is secure. If your plant is growing in sphagnum moss, make sure it is damp before wrapping it round the roots and repotting, that way you don’t have to worry about pockets of air. After repotting move your orchid out of bright light and cut back on the water and feeding for a few days.
6. What to Do After Your Orchid Flowers.
Check whether your orchid flowers one time from the flower spike or will flower repeatedly from the same spike. Once the plant has finished flowering the spike needs to be removed at the base with a sharp instrument to lessen damage to the plant itself. If you aren’t certain, don’t cut it off!
7. Orchid Diseases and Pests
OK, there is a seventh issue to think about. Unfortunately, your orchid could get a disease or be attacked by a pest. An important part of orchid care is looking out for various fungi or parasites. Isolate any plant that has a problem, check it out, find the remedy and start treating as soon as possible.
I am here to tell you, if you focus on these conditions and provide the amounts your orchid prefers, your orchid will thrive. Caring for orchids will become easy for you, and your satisfaction and pride will grow along with your healthy orchid.
What you just learned about caring for orchids is just the beginning. To get a FREE Orchid Care minicourse, check us out at Growing Orchids .
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