How to Care For Orchids

Series Summary

Orchids have some of the most exotic and beautiful flowers in the plant world. They boast of at least 25,000 officially recognized individual species, and some botanists count the number even higher. With such a natural diversity and beauty, orchids have garnered much attention from the world horticultural community. Amateur gardeners and flower enthusiasts are constantly cross pollinating species, and have to date created over 100,000 hybrid orchids. Orchid cultivation happens on a global scale, with favorable climate conditions regulating regions of high or low growth.

Aside from the aesthetic qualities that orchids are famous for, they provide at least one well known nutritional benefit. The vanilla bean is the fruit of an orchid plant, and is considered to be an important, valuable crop in many areas.

This free video series gives you expert knowledge on growing orchids indoors. William Hutchinson teaches you all about many varieties of orchids and how to grow them successfully in your home. In this series he shares his experience growing orchids on bark, osmundine, sphagnum, and sponge rock. William also introduces orchids of various regions so you know just how to recreate their natural environments!

Video Transcript

"What we are going to do is we are going to try and look at how we might adapt to what nature has in store. And we are going to adapt by trying to use a method of growing the plants which allow us to control moisture level, which allow us to control the way roots get their oxygen because it is always an issue with roots when they grow. We are going to look at the special containers that we might have to use and we are also to use and look at some things like where would you grow orchids if you were growing them at home. What special characteristics would you need. What special equipment do you need? Do you need a green house? Can you use other methods rather than a green house and as it is, if you go to an orchid society you will find out that 98 percent of the growers in the orchid society don't use a green house. They use their window sill. "