Main Aspects to Know When Caring for Orchids
Many have held to the stereotype that caring for orchids was only for wealthy people and that orchids are too temperamental to be easy to care for. However, anyone can find an orchid that they can care for easily without it costing a fortune or requiring hours of training and skill, as there are over 25,000 unique species and over 100,000 hybrids available to choose from.
If you can grow regular plants, then you can handle orchid care without a problem. But, some orchids do have special requirements. Of course caring for orchids properly means that you need to do some research on their needs.
Orchids are some of the most attractive and fragile plants on Earth. It is one of the things that make them such a popular house plant. If you give good care to your orchid, you can keep them blooming just as nicely as they were in the store.
Phaleanopsis orchid is the species that is most commonly seen. This is the well-liked white or purple orchid; they are preferred due to the fact that they are easier to care for than some of the less common varieties of orchid plants.
With the proper care, orchids can bloom for a minimum of 3 months. Orchids require daily sunlight, so you will want to set your orchid near a window that gets a lot of daylight. But you should avoid the midday sun which can be too harsh for these plants and aim to give your orchid morning and evening sunlight only. Placing your orchid in the part of your home that faces the east is best.
It is reasonable to substitute sunlight with fluorescent lighting. You should still be sure to limit the plant’s exposure to normal daylight hours and place your fluorescent bulbs at least 12 inches above your flower.
Your orchid should be maintained in temperatures below 80 degrees, but not lower than 55 degrees. If your orchid is kept in weather that is over 90 degrees, it will either stop blooming or lose its buds. When caring for orchids temperature must be watched carefully.
When caring for orchids you must be cautious when it comes to watering your plant; the soil must be damp, but too much water is not a good thing when caring for orchids. The proper frequency of watering will depend on the climatic conditions where you live. Most climates will require once a week watering in the winter months and twice a week watering in the warm or dry summer months.
A great tip to keeping the orchid in bloom for the most amount of time as possible is to fertilize the plant before it blooms. Once it has bloomed, you don’t need to fertilize it any more. Another tip for keeping your orchid in bloom for the greatest amount of time is to carefully prune the orchid while it is blooming. You will then be able to see a second set of flowers develop.
Caring for orchids doesn’t have to be a difficult task; rather, by taking a few careful steps, you can have great looking blooms for a long time all on your own.
Find more articles from Nancy Molins: Caring for Orchids on Squidoo and Caring for Orchids on Go Articles
