One of the long standing myths that I still hear is that orchid house plants are difficult and finicky to grow. Well, plain and simple, the answer is No. In fact, orchids as house plants are easy to grow and will continue to bloom for years. Some orchid plants have been around for centuries. Watering Orchid house plants and orchid plants in general will need watering periodically, usually you can water once a week. Remember, most orchids are air plants and this means you will see their roots. Their root system is very efficient in storing water. Here is a watering guide you can use: Cattleya, oncidium and dendrobium orchids like to dry out between watering. An easy way to water is to put the plant in the sink and let water flow through the plant for about 1 minute. Remember, let the water drain from the plant before putting it back into the decorative pot. Plhalaenopsis orchids like to almost dry out between watering. To decide on the next watering is to stick your finger about an inch into the moss which should feel spongy and not bone dry. Paphiopedilum and epidendrum should be slightly moist so that watering can be twice a week. Humidity If the humidity in your home is low (below 40%) you may need to either mist the plant occasionally or use a humidity tray. The tray is simply a metal or plastic tray that is filled with pebbles and 1/2 of water. The plant would sit would sit on the pebbles. Be sure not to let the plant or roots sit in the water while on the tray. The Right Lighting Light is the next most important element to growing orchid plants. As a general statement most orchid house plants do well in medium light. This would in a window or an area that could get about 4 hours a day. Cattleya orchids do well in this light but can also do well in a sunlit area for up to six hours. Phals do well in indirect but bright light. More in depth information is included in theOrchid Growing Course, free with the purchase of an orchid plant. What about temperature? Most orchids do well in normal house temperature. The low temperature at night do not impede the growth. Here is a little guide you can use. Orchid Genre Minimum temp Degrees F Maximum temp Degrees F Phalaenopsis 60 90 Vanda Paphiopedilum (mottle leaf) 55 85 Dendrobium Cattleya, Epidendum Paphiopedilum (green leaf) 50 80 Oncidium Miltonia So, you too can join the millions and a grow orchids just as successful as your neighbor. Visit our Orchid Store: http://www.orchid-store.orchids-plus-more.com This article may be reproduced without permission as long as the author and Web site are noted in the article. |
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