How to Take Care of a Orchid Plant

Orchids are lovely exotic flowering plants that grow on the trunk or branches of trees in their natural environment. They can be grown indoors by providing the correct conditions and paying close attention to the plant's foliage for clues to watering and sunlight requirements. Adhere to careful procedures to ensure your orchid thrives and produces stunning blooms, which can bring enjoyment for more than a century when properly cared for.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Sunlight
• Water
• Potting medium
• Tray
• Spray bottle
• Gravel
• Sterilized scissors
• Water soluble fertilizer

Light

1. Provide adequate light for your orchid plant. In general, orchid plants leaves will be light green if it has sufficient lighting.

2. Move the plant to less light if the leaves have a deep purple tint, either throughout the foliage or in spots. This indicates that they have reached their extreme for sunlight and are ready to bloom. If you do not reduce the amount of light at this point, you risk burning the plant.

3. Increase the sunlight to your orchid if the leaves have become deep green. This suggests that the plant isn't receiving enough light to grow and product nutrient stores. Orchids can withstand long periods without sufficient light, but they may not bloom.

Watering

1. Remove the drainage dish from the bottom of your orchid plant before watering, so the water will flow through the soil and out the bottom. This will prevent salt buildup, which is harmful to orchids.

2. Avoid over-watering your plant. Orchids will survive with too little water longer than they will with too much water. The amount of water you provide depends on how dry the air is and how much the plant is growing.

3. Inspect the roots of your plant. If they are firm and white with green tips, they are healthy and receiving enough water. If they are receiving too much water they will be brown, sparse, and soggy.

Temperature

1. Keep the daytime air temperature between 65 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Inside of homes are usually ideal environments for growing orchids.

2. Lower the temperature to between 55 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit at night to encourage your orchid to bloom.

3. Move the plant outside if the natural climate is within the sufficient temperature range for orchids. If the temperature is slightly lower or higher than the recommended degrees, reduce watering slightly, which allows the plant to withstand variances heat.

Air Circulation

1. Provide constant air movement to your plant, which prevents disease and reduces concentration of hot or cold areas on the orchid.

2. Place a small fan in close proximity to your orchid. This will provide sufficient air flow which your plant requires.

3. Set the orchid in an unobstructed area, if your plant is outdoors, so it receives adequate breeze from the wind.

Humidity

1. Fill a tray, large enough to set your plant on, with gravel.

2. Pour water into the tray, but do not let the water level reach the top of the gravel.

3. Place your potted orchid onto the tray. This will provide sufficient humidity for your plant. Most orchids need a humidity level of at least 60 percent.

4. Fill a spray bottle with water and mist the foliage of your orchid a couple times per day. This will imitate the humidity conditions of its natural environment.

Soil Conditions

1. Fill the orchid pot with a potting medium that will provide moisture retention and support the roots, while still allowing adequate air flow. The following mediums can be used to pot an orchid: fir bark chips, peat moss, sifted pearlite, coconut chips, tree fern fiber. Alternatively, a combination of bark, gravel and charcoal is a suitable medium for orchids. Don't not use potting soil.

2. Use smaller pieces of potting medium for a higher degree of moisture retention. This will allow you to reduce your amount of watering.

3. Select larger pieces of potting medium if you tend to over water your plants. These will dry out quickly and require more frequent watering.

Fertilizing

1. Give your orchid a water soluble fertilizer with a nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium ratio of 18-18-18.

2. Feed the plant with fertilizer every two weeks with the amount suggested on the packaging. Orchids in lower light levels will require less fertilizing, like every three to four weeks.

3. Flush the roots with water once per month to reduce salt build up.

Repotting

1. Remove the orchid carefully from the old pot. Be sure to keep the roots intact and remove any dangling medium.

2. Clip away any damaged or decaying roots with sterilized scissors.

3. Place 1 inch of gravel or other drainage material in the bottom of the pot.

4. Pour a few inches of new potting medium into the new pot.

5. Position the orchid gently into the pot so that the crown is just below the edge and cover the roots with new potting medium. Carefully press the potting medium in between the roots, but do not cover the crown with medium.

Tips & Warnings

• Check your potting medium every few months for decay.

• Avoid direct sunlight, which will scorch your orchid.

References

• Orchid culture
• Caring for your orchids