Orchid Care Tips
Here is a short list of orchid care tips to help you grow better orchids. There are only 10 listed here, to keep it simple and to give you an idea of what kinds of things are important in orchid care.
An Old Drawing of Orchids from An Old Botanical Book by Ernst Haeckel
10 Quick Orchid Care Tips
The First Five of These Have To Do With Watering.
Tip #1: If you have questions about how much to water, lean toward watering less rather than more. Or as a friend of mine (an orchid grower) says: "When in doubt, go drought."
Tip #2: How often to water orchids can be challenging. A good rule of thumb (green thumb) is to water once a week. Try marking it down on your "To Do" calendar. Water more in the summer when it is warmer and less in the winter when it is cooler. One way to evaluate a pot is to pick it up. If it is dry it will feel light, if it damp it will be heavier.
Tip #3: Another great tip with respect to watering orchids is to use temperate tap water. DO NOT USE SOFTENED WATER, it can kill your orchids. If there is a lot of chlorine in your water boil it first and WAIT until it is completely cooled to room temperature to water your orchids. Flush your orchids with water monthly.
Tip #4: Still on the subject of water: While it can be helpful to mist around your orchids to increase humidity, (and I do a lot) misting can result in more problems than benefits if you are not careful. Sometimes misting and the wet foliage can increase the chance of encouraging fungal or bacterial problems.
Tip #5: It is best to water (and mist if you do choose to mist) in the early part of the day. "Whatever you do, do it before noon."
A lovely little terrestrial orchid, a Chinese Ground Orchid, Bletilla striata
More Orchid Care Tips:
Tip #5: It is best to water (and mist if you do choose to mist) in the early part of the day. "Whatever you do, do it before noon."
Tip #6: Orchids like it where there is a slight breeze. Good air movement and (the correct) light are just as important as water and fertilizer for orchids.
Tip #7: Correct light can be critical in getting your orchid to bloom. Find out what your specific orchid needs in terms of light and provide it. Your orchid will reward you! Light and the sun changes seasonally, so arrange the position of your plants accordingly when using natural light for growing your orchids.
Tip #8: It is important to place your orchid in appropriate light for that kind of orchid. And different orchids have different light requirements. A simple tip is that if the leaf is warm to the touch, it is in too much light.
Tip #9: The adage for fertilizing is "Fertilize, weakly, weekly". This really means that you should fertilize orchids relatively frequently but that you should use a very dilute fertilizer solution. The rule of thumb is about one quarter to one half strength of the dilution recommended on the label.
Tip #10: Learn to think of yourself as an orchid inspector. Look at your orchids when you water them. Check them out! Inspecting them every two weeks is key to staying on top of problems before they become REAL problems.
Hopefully this concise list of orchid care tips will be helpful to you in your orchid growing journey.
