My Beautiful Orchids

Orchid Growing

2010-03-23T09:43:00.000-07:00

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.

Orchid Delivery

2010-01-22T12:49:00.000-08:00

Tips and Guides for Orchid Delivery

by Chairil Amin Umar

What we call the the best flower delivery companies are certainly those that join prime importance to on time and safe delivery of the ordered flowers.

They usually provide extra services all through the way from picking to sending out. Freshness and offer floral arrangements are guaranteed by these companies, for any occasion including mother's day, anniversary, birthday, new baby, sympathy, thank you, get well, corporate gifts, and so on.

They also offer a wide variety of flower baskets, gourmet candies, unique gifts, spring bouquets for graduation ceremonies as well, besides floral arrangements.

Almost every best flower delivery companies offer same day delivery of flowers, if the orders are placed by 1 pm. Substitution services are also provided by these companies.

The customer is allowed to choose floral arrangements based on the color preference, flower type, and style by the best flower delivery companies. Usually available flower types consist of luxury roses, amaryllis, bonsai, campanula, iris, lily, orchid, and more. Quick and on time delivery at affordable rates are offered by the best flower delivery companies.

Most of the online flower shops provide their floral bouquet catalogues, showing the designs and the countries they cover with their services. They possess an extensive network of professional florist offices around the globe. The concept of virtual bouquets is also offered by some of the best flower delivery companies, that allow the people to send a graphic image of a flower arrangement.

After confirming an order, the preferred local florists of the company will hand deliver to their customers.

Delivery charges may vary widely from company to company. Free local delivery and a handling fee will be charged for international shipping are offered by some best flower delivery companies. Almost every company offers flower delivery in almost all the major cities and towns.

The online delivery of flowers helps people to escape visits to the florists to pick up floral arrangements personally. Searching online is one of the popular ways to get the service of the best flower delivery companies.

As there are a wide number of flower delivery companies, it is always advisable to make a comparison of different companies in order to get best results. Payments can be made via credit or debit card. Once the payment is made, a confirmation number or the receipt is generated, which the customer can keep. A confirmation e-mail is sent to the customer, with the receipt of the payment and the details of the florist.

Silk Orchid

2010-01-22T09:23:00.000-08:00

Selecting and Arranging Silk Orchid For Your Table

by Chairil Amin Umar

Silk Orchids can be created as a great accent piece for decorating. Orchids have graceful and colorful flowers that come in many diversities and colors. You can beautify your home with silk orchid arrangements. A relaxing atmosphere in your home can be added with a touch of nature that can help you relax after a stressful day.

The first most design projects is the color choices. They have lots of color options that can make the great thing about decorating with silk orchids. Orchid has a traditional color, which is a deep purple color. Orchids have a variety of colors such as : Burgundy, Cream, Gold, Sunset, Yellow, Rust and White.

And the next design option is to make the shape. Usually there are a tall skinny flower and a round full flower. Most of orchid flowers are tall. The following orchid flowers tend to be tall and skinny, for example The Cymbidium, Spider and Vanda Orchids and specially the Cybidium having the most vertical appearance. While other flowers like The Cattleya, Oncidium and Dendrobium tend to be fuller and rounder. Moon Orchids and Phalaneopsis have an arching appearance so they can adjust to strange spaces more easily, in case you need something to fit an uncommon space.

The last option is to make how powerful the color is in the Potted Silk Orchid. Especially Odontoglossum, Spider and Moon Orchids are relatively small flowers, while Dendrobium Orchids have very large flowers as do Cattleyas. There are orchids that have a nice elegant splash of color, such as Cymbidium and Phalaenopsis.

Among the flowers that are flexible enough to be arranged in countless fashions are commonly orchids. Orchids can be located alone in a container or combined with matching flowers. Luckily , you can purchase vases of all sizes and shapes easily from specialty shops. You just have to be careful of which option will match your home interior.

Because of having no time to drive to a store to purchase the real orchids, so a preference for silk arrangements over the real ones will do. Among the huge number of things you can buy online are home ornamentation, online stores generally show photos of pre-arranged flowers in vases. Usually better stores would have variation of silk orchids that imitate the species of real orchids.

Let silk orchid arrangements add color to your dwelling without having to worry about messy gardening.

Orchid Flowers

2009-12-18T06:39:00.000-08:00

Exotic Orchid Flowers

by Chairil Amin Umar

A very exotic and elaborate flower which studied widely throughout the world is the orchid. Orchid is the largest family in the angiospermae class, or, in other words, the class of flowering plants, its technical name in the the plant kingdom is orchidaceae.
The orchid family may have over 35,000 species of orchid flowers, but because of some disputes among those that study in this field there are officially only 25,000. As a comparison, number of orchid species are four times than number of mammals species of on the earth. As you can see, the orchid can be very complex and enormous, as the study of it can also be.

Orchids can be grown in almost any climate or environment, except in a place with extremely hot and dry like a dessert or the other extreme of frozen ice caps. Even though orchidaceae, as one family and can grow about anywhere, but each species has a particular environment that it will grow well in specifically, and it may not bloom, or even stay alive in its sister species' climate. This is one of the reasons that make the orchid so very complex.

One who knows the specifics will be able to label it just by viewing or studying certain features on the flower that is produced by the plant, but anyway the art of identifying the orchid can also be very thorough and detailed. According to the different species and climate it is grown in, make the leaves and root systems be different, but there are some uniqueness or similarity that may be present in most of orchids.

For a comparison, orchids grown in a shaded moist environment will probably have long thin leaves, meanwhile an orchid grown in a dry , sunny rich place may have thick waxy leaves. But from these two different species will likely have the parallel layers that are common to the leaves of the orchid. A few plants might have only one while the others have many, and until now those who study the flower have certain attributes which are tell story signs of its genus.

The orchid is not a simple flower. It is really inimitable in its appearance as well as its science. You have to take care seriously when handling , planting, and even studying this vast plant family. We would like to enjoy the beauty of this exotic plant and the natural beauty of the orchid flowers for years and years to come.

Purple Orchid

2009-12-16T04:10:00.000-08:00

Beautiful Purple Wedding Flowers

By Chairil Amin Umar
Mostly the favorite color wedding flowers is purple. It starts from the palest lavender to a bright purple to a royal eggplant shade, and a huge variety of flowers are available in purple. Some of the prettiest purple wedding flowers are made for centerpieces to bouquets to flower girls.

Wedding flowers would not be complete without mentioning of roses and orchids. Roses and orchids have various purple color from a cool and elegant lilac to a brighter passionate purple. The mixes of various shades colors are very nicely for bouquets and centerpieces with a nice depth of purple color.
Another very popular wedding flower is tulips which can be found in purple.

If you prefer the classic Dutch tulip or the baroque parrot tulip, purple tulips are fantastic for a wedding from the winter months into the summer. It’s very fantastic, choose tulips in a dark inky purple that borders on black. For an evening wedding, they would be a sophisticated accent and pair nicely with other striking accessories, such as wedding jewelry that is handmade from dark purple crystals.

One of the prettiest is the charming look of a big bouquet of ruffly sweetpeas. You would not ever find a more delightful bouquet for a spring wedding. There is another beautiful flower with a vintage flair is stocks, which comes in several shades of purple. With multiple blossoms grow along one tall stem, it makes stocks an excellent addition to centerpieces or ceremony arrangements, and in the same way that florists use gladioli for height.

Many brides love stylish and glamorous wedding details, from their handmade wedding jewelry to their letterpress wedding invitation-letters to their unique and stylish bouquets. Phalaenopsis orchids in a rich medium purple, and unique Vanda orchids are a dark purple with white accents. One of them looks fanciful in a dramatic flowering bouquet, and used in the centerpieces as well. And another choice is purple mini calla lilies. Mini calla lilies work attractively for bouquets with a single type of flower, and the small size of mini callas also makes them a natural addition to mixed flower wedding centerpieces and bouquets.

Muscari is one of the most darling purple wedding flowers, which is known as grape hyacinth, because of the fact which it resembles a small bunch of purple grapes. It can also be used to add texture and variety to wedding decorations that feature a range of purple flowers. It is also a beautiful option for creating flower girl wreaths and bouquets for a spring wedding.

We have still more elegant purple flowers! Bright anamones can create cheer and color to winter weddings, while foxgloves and pansies are beautiful for spring weddings. Purple flowers can create immense style and beauty for your wedding, whatever the style of your wedding, and whenever the season are.

Orchid Plant

2009-11-15T19:42:00.000-08:00

Orchids Care - How to Save Your Plant

By Chairil Amin Umar

Growing orchids is not as difficult as many people think, but you have to understand the basic knowledge of the plants. It is a good idea before buying first orchid, you purchase a book on orchid care. It will be more fun if you know more about how to care for your plant.

If you care for your orchids in a wrong way, it may or will, break. You could find yourself with a plant that does not grow the way it should be, or it may even die. What are you going to do if your orchid is almost dying, or at least not growing the way it should be?

I would like to introduce a simple way called "Sphag-n-Bag" that very well could save the plant. Let’s learn how you do it.

Cut off any broken or dead roots with a sharp knife. Slowly take away as much as you can of any organic media attached to the roots. Stir a teaspoon of rooting hormone compound in about a gallon of water. The water temperature should be in between 75-85 degrees F. Immerse the orchid plant in the water for a couple of hours and then wash it carefully in plain water. After that you clean up the rest of any media that could be attached to the roots. As a prevention from mold or fungus, may I advise you to dip the plant in an disinfectant.

Afterward you make your own greenhouse. Put small amounts of damp sphagnum in a clear plastic bag. Find the bag that big enough to fit to whole plant. Put the plant into the bag with the sphagnum but be sure to keep the plant and the sphagnum apart. Close and tighten the bag, place it in a warm and shady place. Avoid the bag from direct contact with sunlight at any time, keep it in the shade.

The root development will be stimulated by the humidity and the warmth, and the shade is important to keep the vegetative growth moderate. Usually the plant will have a new root system within a few weeks, and then you just repot the plant.

Orchid Flower

2009-11-10T23:27:00.000-08:00

A Study About the Lovely Orchid Flower

by Chairil Amin Umar

"Orchid flower" is possibly more popular than any other flower, if you ask any gardener which bloom is their favorite. The orchid is a favorite plant for many gardeners. For sure even the orchids are beautiful but they need a lot of attention, and very correct conditions if they are to flourish . There are many kinds of orchids, and one each other may need care just a bit different from the rest.

Around sixty percent of its humidity are needed by the orchids to flower. So the greenhouse is one of the more logical places to grow orchids. If there is no greenhouse available, you can plant them in pots, and put them in a tray filled with rocks and water, and let the plant take in as much as it needs.

You don't don’t have to worry as much about too much sunlight, If you grow your orchid plants inside, although you might want to supplement dark rooms with a grow light. You have to place your orchid plants in a well-ventilated area. if the weather isn't too cold, you can open the windows, or turn on an oscilating fan in low position. This will keep your orchids free from bacteria and pests.

Your orchids should be properly-watered, but don’t do overwater them. Keep water in the rocks of the tray underneath your orchids, so they can absorb what they need. The easiest way for your orchid flower to draw moisture from the rock is by using filtered water.

If your orchids look hungry you may feed your orchids with fertilizer, a weak solution is the best. The alternate dosage of usage is one application of fertilizer per four or five water applications. The water will wash away the nutrients that you want in the soil for your plants, if watering too soon after fertilization.

Orchids are very selective about the temperature they need to stay healthy, Most orchids prefer to warm temperatures, so be careful not to expose them to cooler temperatures. Lately, some orchid grower ( breeder ) have developed orchids that can be compatible with cool weather better, if this is a concern in your area.

Change the pot of your orchid flower once every two years. Typically they need to be transplanted when the roots are tight, not loose. After you think it needs repotted after a few months, and then repot it.

Most orchids kept their growing medium within two years, so that is why a good reason to repot at that time. Wash the root system of your orchid flower after removing the old mix from your pot, and then fill in again around it with new medium. It will make your orchid to grow happily for the next couple of years, until it's repotting time again.

Orchid Bloom

2009-11-06T00:04:00.000-08:00

How to Make Beautiful Orchid Blooms

Find 8 Great Tips

By Chairil Amin Umar

In order to maintain healthy, blooming plants we have to make the environmental conditions where they grow well in the wild is a good means. Surprisingly, it is not as difficult as you think. We have eight basic tips for blooming before you get started.

1. . Buy Orchid with Blooms : Purchase mature orchids which already have flowers, because young orchids will take a long time to years before they bloom, and you know what their flowers look like. Most orchids bloom once a year, and buying an orchid plant in bloom lets you know to expect more flowers in about one year’s time.

2. Control the Temperature : Excessive temperature may cause how your orchids' bloom. In the excessive warm temperature, your orchid may flower quickly but its bloom won't take long. If it is too cold the flowering buds may fall off.

Make sure if your orchid thrive well in high, medium or low temperatures, if you want ensure proper flowering, then follow the proper temperature guidelines. 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.

You have to place a minimum/maximum thermometer in some different parts of your house to find the area where there is a significant drop in night temperature. Generally on windowsills are significant temperature drop spots, which will receive natural light. You have to set your orchids to that spot so the temperature change will help generate your orchid's blooming process.

3. Proper Watering : Dry seasons provide the trigger to bloom for some types of orchids, when the weather gets cold and dry, water less frequently, make sure that that your orchid media dries well between watering, specially in winter time. Once if you find buds on your orchids, help the buds bloom better by watering them again properly. When your orchids gets too dry during budding, the buds might just dry up and fall off.

4. Adequate Light is Essential : 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 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.

6. 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. Regularly check your orchids, because mice and cockroaches are also the pests which are attracted to the young, sweet orchid buds.

7. Healthy Humidity Our Homes : When humidity level of about 10% or less , specially during winter time. If the humidity is extremely dry , it causes your flower buds may just dry up and fall off. 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 with wet pebbles.

8. 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.

By following a few basic rules, you will achieve beautiful blooms indoors easily. The advantage in beautiful blooms and fragrances makes it well value the effort.

Phalaneopsis Orchid Care

2009-10-29T02:36:00.000-07:00

Tips for Phalaenopsis Orchid Care

by Chairil Amin Umar

The phalaenopsis orchid is also known as the moth orchid is one of the most popular orchid varieties. This particular type of orchid it's easy to recognize because this particular type of orchid is well matched to growing indoors.

Phalaenopsis orchid care is not so difficult as one might think though. Just like any orchid, Phalaenopsis still needs a little tender love and care. The late winter is the main flowering season into spring , although commercial growers nowadays can make flowering phalaenopsis available year round. These are the following tips to make sure your phalaenopsis orchid continues to flower year around.

· Lighting

A sufficient amount of light is needed for healthy growth and to make sure your flowers bloom. Direct sunlight can severely harm your orchid, that is why you have to provide a good amount of light. By looking at its leaves, you can see if your phalaenopsis orchid is getting the proper light care. The color of the leaves should be a medium olive green, if the leaves are dark green or limp meaning the orchid is receiving too little light.

· Temperature

You need to ensure the right temperature for correct care of your phalaenopsis orchid. Usually the temperature difference between night and day should be around 10 to 15 F is needed for a mature plant. You can check the leaves for this, but the room temperature is sufficient as a rule of thumb. Avoid extreme hot or cold spots of the home.

· Watering

You will not need drying out between watering for a mature phalaneopsis, but it has no meaning that you can over watering. Water the flower a good soaking first but then leave it for a few days without watering. Because it simulates the plants natural environment and this is very important.

· Fertilizing

Feed your phalaenopsis orchid with fertilizer on a regular basis because most potting media have very little nutrients. The exact fertilizer you use will depend on the mix in which your plant is growing. A good common rule is to use a balanced fertilizer "weakly, weekly."( 10-10-10, 12-12-12 or similar ratio). That means, feed fertilizer every week at one quarter to one half of the recommended dilution.

· Humidity

Phalaneopsis needs humidity 50 to 60 percent, at home, place plants on trays over moistened pebbles. In a greenhouse you have to use a humidifier if conditions are too dry, or by misting the plants with a small water sprayer. Or you can buy humidity trays from gardening stores but it’s much better and cheaper to just make your own.

Orchid Growers

2009-10-29T00:14:00.000-07:00

Useful Tips For Orchid Growers

By Chairil Amin Umar

Most interesting orchid growers are familiar with the exotic features of the orchid plants and also, how interesting it is to plant these orchids in the house. Many people are actually hesitant to take their aspiration further and grow these beautiful plants, since they imagine that great amount of care needs to be taken into action, that most likely a novice or an amateur won't be able to fulfill.

A frequent question that mostly asked to the orchid grower is connected with the kind of orchid that needs to be ideally grown as a novice. Purple bloomed Cattleyas are the most common nuance to the word orchid, because they are in the trade since several years. Anyhow, this species has only about 50 genus, out of the known 30,000 species. In fact plenty orchids thrive beautifully in the confines of home.

Factors:

The orchid growers have to consider four most essential factors when growing orchid plants :

1. Humidity :

Primarily tropical plants that need tons of humidity are orchids, and most of the orchid growers are concerned of this fact before growing a beautiful orchid plant. The orchids require for a minimum of 50 percent humidity and hence, the condition for growing needs to be settled to achieve that. There is an easy way to achieve this by filling a tray with pebbles inside and water outside. By means of a stand, put the orchid pot on the tray top but the base of pots is not submerged in water.

2. Water

Orchids also require water, like most growing plants. However most the orchid growers have an opinion that orchids need high level of humidity they may require water continuosly. This is absolutely wrong because excessive watering will cause in killing the orchid plant. The orchid plant need to be watered only once the medium at the top layer is dry. If the medium remains dry for more than 24 hrs in the pot, then you have to water your plant a bit more than usual one.

3. Growing Orchid Mix

Orchids need good growing orchid mix filled with nutrients to bloom. You can purchase this orchid mix in the orchid store available in your hometown. Mostly the orchid mix consist of Organic Choices : Coconut Husks - Ideal. Light in weight and holds water well. Good value but may decay faster. Osmunda Fern Fiber - Difficult to find but offers great drainage and decays slowly. Pine Bark - Inexpensive and popular. Rots slowly but may not hold water well at first. Redwood Bark - good at holding water and doesn't decay quickly. Sphagnum Moss - provides good air and water retention. Pot should be packed loosely.
Inorganic Choices : Alifor - these consist of tiny pieces of clay. Offer moderate drainage and don't decompose. Charcoal – An excellent choice, decomposes slowly and absorbs toxins. Lava Rock - heavy but has good drainage and doesn't decay. Pearlite - lightweight and doesn't decay easily, absorbs water well. Turface - used with Pearlite, this is heavy and might be expensive. Vermiculite - absorbs water well and aids air circulation around the root.

4. Light:

Most orchids need light very much, and it is very essential so that they can maintain healthy growth. They need bright light up to 50 percent sun, in the home, an east, west or lightly shaded south window especially in the winter.

Conclusion:

If you want to become a successful orchid grower, it is different from growing any kind of plant. The basic 4 factors that are mentioned above should be kept in mind, for the novice grower you can start your hobby by growing Paphiopedilum, Oncidium, Dendrobium and Vanda.

Dendrobium Orchid

2009-10-27T07:08:00.000-07:00

Tips for Dendrobium Orchid Care

By Chairil Amin Umar

Dendrobium orchid care is just the same than caring for any other species of orchid. They are normally used as cut flowers because they have a very beautiful and distinctive color and a very string stem. Dendrobium orchid can be made perfectly for occasions like weddings or a good romantic gift.

The following tips are the basic ways to learn how to take care of Dendrobium orchids :

· Lighting

These orchids love light very much, and it is very essential so that they can maintain healthy growth. They need bright light up to 50 percent sun, in the home, an east, west or lightly shaded south window. Dendrobium orchids in a greenhouse need about 30 to 50 percent of full sun, or you place them under lights, four 40 watt flourscent bulbs directly over plants. Orchid plants should be naturally upright without need of (much) stalking, and of a medium olive-green color.

· Temperature

The other important orchid care for Dendrobium is the temperature as well. The temperature and the light should be proportional, so both should be looked at carefully. As a guideline temperature below 50F and above 90F are not a good ones. The ideal difference of about 10 degrees between night and day should be ok.

Keep your orchids moist consistenly while in active growth. Let them dry between waterings after growth is mature (indicated by terminal leaf). This trick is to maintain them in wet, but not too wet.

· Humidity

Dendrobiums need humidity 50 to 60 percent, at home, place plants on trays over moistened pebbles. In a greenhouse you have to use a humidifier if conditions are too dry, or by misting the plants with a small water sprayer. Or you can buy humidity trays from gardening stores but it’s much better and cheaper to just make your own.

· Re-potting

Repottings hould be done every two to three years before mix medium loses consistency (decays). Pot plant firmly in medium, giving aeration and ample drainage, allowing enough room for two years' growth. Dendrobiums thrive in pots small for the size of the plant. The best Dendrobium orchid care, do not repot plant unnecessarily as it will cause more harm than good.

There is much more to learn about Dendrobium orchid care and this article is just the beginning. There are factors such as fertilizer, humidity and general orchid care to be considered..

Moth Orchid

2009-10-27T05:08:00.000-07:00

Tips for Moth Orchid Care

By Chairil Amin Umar

Moth Orchids

Phalaenopsis are also called moth orchids, because the flowers of some species look like flying moths. The most common orchids found in gardens and homes are moth orchids because their flower blooms can last from weeks to months. Moth orchids consist of a wide range of colors; yellows, pinks white, lavender and are arranged as arched sprays. What makes their popularity is because of their tolerance of temperature and light conditions in the average home.

The ideal temperature for moth orchids is between 55 degrees F to 85 degrees F. The temperature difference between the day and night is very essential for flowering and moth orchids flower best at daytime temperatures of about 75 degrees F and night time temperatures of about 60 degrees F. The best positioning for a moth orchid is near an east or west facing window where the plant will get the morning and evening sun, but it will be safe in direct midday sunlight.

You can also grow these moth orchids in a greenhouse, but you have to protect them with shade cloth. If your greenhouse is located in an area whose to little light, you can use fluorescent lights with the timer set to 10 hours lighting. Good air circulation is needed by orchids and a low-speed oscillating fan, or ceiling fan, will be adequate.

Heavy watering may cause moth orchids killed, receiving a good drench is the best and then only watered again when the potting mix is nearly dry. Do not get any water on the flowers. You can use a pencil or your finder, to determine whether the media at the bottom of the pot is nearly dry or not as you don't want this area to be over-watered and rot the roots. The ideal humidity levels for moth orchids are between 50% and 75%.

The best provision of humidity to your orchid plant, is by placing the pot on a shallow tray, containing pebbles, and filled with water. The ideal water level must not exceed the bottom of the pot or else capillary action will be sucked up into the potting mix, which will cause too damp for your plants. Feed your orchids with N:P:K fertilizer (liquid or slow-release), if your moth orchids are about to flower, use a fertilizer that has a higher phosphorus concentration. When the orchids bloom, stop feeding fertilizer to your orchid. Examine your plants regularly for pests and remove them with a soft cloth that has been dipped in soapy water. Common pests mostly consist of aphids , mites, mealybugs, and slugs.

Orchid Pots

2009-10-23T09:01:00.001-07:00

Choosing the Proper Orchid Pots and Orchid Mix

by Chairil Amin Umar

You don’t have to be disappointed if you see your orchid plants are not growing well as others you've seen in the garden center. You will find definitely what your flowers require in order for them to flourish, usually it will take time. Many of them rely on the potting medium chosen, the volume of your pots and even the material the pot is made from. With some basic know-how you'll soon be producing thriving orchids, bursting with color and fragrance, because It isn't as difficult as it looks like.

Choice of Pot

You will find a lot of choice of orchid pots to choose from in any gardening store. But for orchids there will only be a few specific types suitable for your hobby.

Plastic Pots :

The ideal pots for indoor use are plastic ones. The clear and transparent color of the pots won't hold too much heat from the sun either. The pot made from clear polythene is even better as light can penetrate right to the roots.

Terracotta Orchid Pot :

Terracotta pots are much heavier than their plastic pots, terracotta pots can resist the weather and are the ideal choice for growing orchids outdoors. If you take this one, there must be at least one drainage hole in the base as this prevents the roots from becoming waterlogged.

Ceramic Pots :

If you wish to use ceramic pot, that’s all right the ceramic pot is better for growing indoor. There are many shapes and colors if you are interested in using ceramic pots.

Baskets :

The baskets are the best choice for orchids that have hanging flowers or for sprawling varieties with heavy roots. Their design can make penetration of the compost and roots, besides they are great for air circulation. The choice is up to you.

Potting Your Plants

Starting to repot your orchids just as soon as you buy your new orchid pots but this isn't a good idea. Sometimes some varieties prefer pot-bound conditions, because it is the thick root system that feeds and nourishes the plant. They will bloom much better, as under potting will actually be more beneficial to your orchids. Once there is insufficient room for air circulation around the roots, you should prepare about moving to a larger pot. A few orchid plants may only need repotting once every few years and others will never require re-potting at all.

When you need to repot your orchid, fill up the container with two thirds of potting mix and place the plant on top with the roots widely spread. Place the growing tip in the center and pack additional growing medium tightly around. When the packing is enough firm, you will be able to turn the container upside down without the plant falling out.

Choosing Your Potting Mix

You will find many varieties of growing medium available in the orchid store. The first thing that you have to consider is to select one strong enough to provide sufficient structural support for the growing roots but it should also allow sufficient air to circulate through the mix and around the roots. Most orchid roots should not be permitted to remain wet for more than a few days, but they can survive to cruel weather.
The success you have in growing splendid flowers bursting with brilliant color and fragrance depends on the potting mix you choose. A combination of inorganic and organic materials are the best potting mix, and these are available in three grades - coarse, medium and fine.

Organic Choices :

Coconut Husks - Ideal. Light in weight and holds water well. Good value but may decay faster.
Osmunda Fern Fiber - Difficult to find but offers great drainage and decays slowly.
Pine Bark - Inexpensive and popular. Rots slowly but may not hold water well at first.
Redwood Bark - Good at holding water and doesn't decay quickly.
Sphagnum Moss - Provides good air and water retention. Pot should be packed loosely.

Inorganic Choices :

Alifor - These consist of tiny pieces of clay. Offer moderate drainage and don't decompose.
Charcoal – An excellent choice. Decomposes slowly and absorbs toxins.
Lava Rock - Heavy but has good drainage and doesn't decay.
Pearlite - Lightweight and doesn't decay easily. Absorbs water well.
Turface - Used with Pearlite. This is heavy and might be expensive.
Vermiculite - Absorbs water well and aids air circulation around the root.

If you had been more experienced in orchid planting, soon you will understand which materials are best for your particular needs. Once your confidence and ability grows, you might even want to try making up your own potting mixes by combining several of those mixes listed above!

Tropical Plants

2009-10-22T22:41:00.000-07:00

Assorted Tropical Plants

By Chairil Amin Umar

Most tropical plants grow in areas that have hot and humid climate. They are usually used for decoration and adornment of the garden, patios, and also indoor. Because of their large foliage and their outstanding presence, so tropical plants become very popular. By arranging with a few pots, you could possibly make a forest look, with the generous greenery of the tropical plants. Bananas, caladium, elephant ears, orchids and other foliage plants are all tropical plants which are very popular.

Research has proven that the tropical plants possess characteristics and genes that are unique. Unluckily this genetic bank has not been exploited sufficiently, in order to get the benefits of cultivation of tropical plant varieties which are available. It seems that the loss of plant variety caused by genetic erosion and reduction of the genetic basis of various species.

A lot of people grow elephant ears as a favorite tropical plant in many gardens. Most of them originally come from Genus Alocasia, and have large heart-shaped leaves, especially from the Asian tropics. The new varieties have been lately developed, that have black leaf surfaces with white veins. The span of the leaves are very broad, approximately 30 inches or more.

The great important fruit in the tropics are bananas. They can be used for various purposes as vegetables, fruits, and in the tropical region, their big leaves are used traditionally as plates. Many varieties have been grown today for their ornamental value. Most bananas grown outdoors, as they can reach a height of almost 9 feet in a season. They have also a kind of dwarf varieties that are specially cultivated. These plants need frequent watering, and also need to be protected from heavy winds as the stems are not strong enough to withstand it.

Orchids are primarily tropical plants that require tons of humidity, mostly they thrive in their habitat in the tropic jungles. Many people grow these beautiful plants for hobby and business, they can be cultivated through out the year.

Tropical plants consist of numerous types and possess varied qualities, and are known to grow best in tropical climate and in regions that has warm temperatures. Anyhow, these tropical plants are also grown in green houses in places with colder climates.

Orchid Plants

2009-10-22T07:45:00.000-07:00

Tips How to Plant an Orchid

by Chairil Amin Umar

One of the most beautiful and most loved flowers in the world is orchids. That is why they are becoming more and more popular every year. When you have just lately been given an orchid, I am sure that you not only have to learn how take a good care of it, but also how to grow an orchid. The same method which is used for planting an orchid will be used when repotting one. Because every orchid will need to be repotted every periodic of time, this information should be studied by the orchid owner.

Before planting ( or re-potting an orchid ), first of all you will need to have some potting medium. The medium does not come from the soil. A lot of people make the most common mistake by using ordinary soil for their orchid. Most orchids do not grow in soil, if you pot them in soil and certainly it will kill them.

Orchid plants grow well if planted in a fibrous and porous medium. Sometime orchid plants are planted in in coconut shell, cork, bark, or some other similar material. One problem with these materials that they can quickly decay. In case this thing happens you will need to repot the orchid. For that reason I would recommend that you visit a local gardening center and buy some pre-made orchid potting mix. They will most likely provide the best growing medium for your orchid and if you are a novice grower that's definitely the safest thing to do.

Choosing the pot is also the second thing that you have to remember.The color , style and material of the pots are of course up to you. There some kinds of material can be used for orchid pots such as terra cota, plastic and porcelain/ceramic. And the size of the pot depends on the size of the plant. The most common mistake is a lot of beginners just want to make sure that the pot isn't too small, so they end up using a big pot that is way too large. The roots of the new plant should reach more or less all the moisture in the pot, but if the pot too large, that will simply not be possible.

The way to get an idea of what the right size pot would be is by checking out other orchids in a store or the local gardening center. Compare some orchids that are approximately the same size as yours and you will see the correct size of the pot.

Let us go for work, take a pot and fill it with orchid potting mix and make a hole in the center. Just fill a pot to about a half full would be a good start, don’t use all of the material first.

Now get your orchid out of its original pot, it may be harder than it sounds. Some roots are holding on to the pot and you might have some troubles getting them to un-clung. Do it slowly and carefully. Finally you might have to use knife to cut those roots carefully that just won’t let go. It will not harm the plant but not to overdo it.

Once the orchid has been out of the pot , just place it into a new pot. Fill up the rest of the pot with the remainder of the potting material and press it a little bit. The bulbs that are too weak to stand on their own should be supported necessarily, by putting a stake into the potting material (be careful you don't hurt the roots), and tie the bulb with a piece of string. It’s done. If you followed these instructions, you have just planted or repotted an orchid.