Orchid Growing
Tips and Guides for Beginners
Orchids have long been famous for being a beautiful and lovely plant for home gardeners. Luckily, development in both the vegetation and tools have made it simple to develop healthy, lovely plants at home, and the next growing tips would help :
1. Orchid Selecting : For the beginner, it is adviseable to choose one of the simple hybrids to grow. The orchid nursery is a suitable place to buy young orchids, because they are familiar with the requirements of every orchid. Selecting the right plant is the most difficult step in reaching success in growing orchids.
2. Proper Watering : Next, the correct watering sequence must be considered. Most of the novice gardeners have a tendency to overwater the plants. Almost every variety only need to be watered five up to seven days interval. The best time to water orchids is in the day, never at night.
3. Healthy Humidity : Orchids need a humid surrounding, Keep the humidity level of about 50% to keep your plants healthy and flexible. By misting your orchids early in the day using the water sprayer, or by removing your orchid-pots on a tray ( shallow container ) with wet pebbles.
4. Adequate Light : Adequate light is essential to flower, if your plant are getting enough light, the leaves have light green color, but if the leaves have dark green color meaning that your plant lacks adequate light. Replace your plants to a place where there is a stronger supply of proper light.
5. Proper Temperature : in order to flower properly, most orchids generally require to grow in an environment where there is at least a 10-15 degree F drop in temperature at night, so the orchids will properly flower on time. The variational temperature where nature provides orchids outdoors, so you have to remake at home. Cool nights, with temperatures below about 59 degrees, are critical for most strains. If the plant is kept too warm, the flowers may be stunted or not produce at all.
6. Proper Propagation : When your orchids seems started to bud, you have to postpone transplanting or dividing the plant until after flowering. The plant’s roots should be kept healthy, because they supply the much-needed water to the new buds.
7. Feeding Fertilizer With Care : Fertilize your orchids if your plants are actively growing. But during the winter time , you have to reduce or stop feeding fertilizer because the growth is very slow. An over-fertilized plant will cause a lot of foliage growth without flowers.
Make sure that your fertilizer's nitrogen number (the first number on the fertilizer bag) is not too strong or your plant's bloom will be affected. You have to consult with a good orchid expert for determining good nitrogen levels for your orchids.
8. Repotting : Re-potting should be done in the time frame after a plant flowers. Division, however, should be restricted to mature plants, and younger plants needing more space should simply be moved to a larger pot.
9. Protect From Predators : Examine your orchids carefully for insects before purchasing, meaning that you are doing an essential step to avoid bringing home pests. If you see insects on your flower buds, wash them off immediately with warm soap water instead of using pesticides, that might kill the fragile new buds.
There are many excellent potting soil mixtures and fertilizers available specifically for orchids. As these are formulated for the exact needs of the plant, they are important tools to utilize. Almost every variety of orchids requires precise, periodic fertilization to maintain a healthy root system and develop the showy flowers for which orchids are famous.
With more than twenty thousand species of orchids and as many as 100,000 hybrids available, the entire color spectrum is represented. The new, hardier varieties, coupled with the orchid growing tips offered here, make it easy to grow even the most spectacular varieties at home.
