How to Take Care of an Orchid
Orchids succeed well in competitive tropical environments. This hardy nature translates well to domesticated life, making orchids an easy plant to care for. An orchid blooms about once a year. These air plants are not affected by living in heavy shade, and they grow toward any light source provided. Orchids require a few basic environmental conditions to bloom; once you understand how to regulate their living conditions you will be rewarded with a healthy, happy and delicately flowered orchid plant. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Place your orchid in an area of bright but not direct sunlight. Orchids are used to shady life, and direct sunlight burns them. Make sure the air temperature remains constant at around 65-to-75 degrees Fahrenheit with some humidity -- remember that orchids are rain-forest plants and do not like dry air.
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Water the plant twice a week until the soil is moist. Do not leave the plant sitting in water, since this causes the roots to decay.
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Add fertilizer to the soil during plant growth. If you are a forgetful gardener, a time-release fertilizer works well for orchids.
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Repot your orchid after it finishes blooming, particularly if using moss or bark that decomposes. Orchids grow with their roots exposed to air in the wild, and decomposing soil stifles the roots.
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Tips & Warnings
In the winter, or in other dry climates, put a humidifier close to your orchids in addition to misting.
Do not give up on an orchid that has lost it's flowers. Cut off the old stalk and care for it as described above.
Have patience. Orchids are slow growers, do not get discouraged.
Orchid roots will sometimes grow above the surface of the dirt. Do not trim or bury these. An orchid's roots will absorb needed nutrients and water from the air.
References
- Photo Credit Photos.com/Photos.com/Getty Images
