Easy Orchid Growing Tips For Beginners

Orchids belong to the family orchidaceae and they are one of the largest species in the plant kingdom. There are nearly 30000 orchid species of orchids discovered so far. Orchids are found in all the places around the world except Antarctica.

Learning how to grow orchids is tricky as well as rewarding. You can get a rainforest appearance to your orchid garden if adequate light, temperature, water and nutrients are given.

Things that you need to grow orchid plants:

Medium to grow:

Terrestrial orchids grow in normal soil where as epithytes hang in the air and absorb nutrients from the atmosphere. The fleshy roots of epiphytes are covered with white spongy cells called velamen. Velamen helps to absorb moisture from around and protects the root from high temperature and prevents from moisture loss. An orchid growing medium must provide adequate air circulation and water drainage. Epiphytic orchids can be grown in peat moss, coconut fiber, brick pieces, cork nuggets or on a combination of any of these materials.

Water: Orchids does not need to be watered daily. The fleshy roots have a high water retention capacity. Orchids can well tolerate a drought condition than a high moisture climate. Watering once in a week would be adequate for proper growth of orchids. And the growing medium must be allowed to dry completely between watering periods. Orchids take more time to get adjusted to new conditions. Repotting of orchid plants need to be done carefully as orchid plants take time to adjust to any new condition. Misting can be done on a daily basis if the climate is extremely dry. Early morning hours are best for listing orchids. Orchids need a high level of humidity up to 80%. A humidifier needs to be used if the orchids are gown in the house.

Light: These light hungry plants need 13-14 hours of light every day. Artificial lights need to be placed in an orchid garden during the winter season. Orchids need to be placed 7 inches away from a set of artificial lights. If the orchids are grown within a room, east and south facing windows are the best. From the west, high intensity light enters, and north could be too dark.

Fertilizer: Orchids absorb the nutrients through their exposed roots. A balanced fertilization, twice a month is necessary to supply all the essential nutrients to the orchid plants. Fertilizers need to be dissolved in water for optimum absorption. Misting orchid plants with sea weed extracts give adequate macro nutrients to the plants.

Propagation of orchids can be from seeds and by division. Growing orchids from seeds at a normal condition is extremely difficult. Propagation by division is the easiest method and both the separated and mother plants may not bloom for the next one year after division. Now you have an idea on how to grow orchids. Start with a few plants and increase the number of plants every month.

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