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Friday, August 6, 2010

Taking Care of Orchids With These Simple Strategies

Every orchid enthusiast loves to ask this same question “How do I take care of orchids”? It’s amazing how much false information is out there and it’s real easy to get confused because most information you receive usually will contradict each other and you don’t know what to do. This is where the problem lies because you need to have the correct knowledge in order to properly maintain your plants. Once you get the right information then you will understand how simple it is to care for these flowers.

Choosing The Right Flower for Your Home or Garden

Once you have decided that you want to grow these plants you should decide what type of flower you would like to grow. There are a couple of flowers that are the easiest to grow and are great for beginners. Try looking for moth or lady slipper orchids. If you are just starting out with this fun hobby then you may start with these because they will not need as much attention as other difficult plants may need.

Once you have picked your flower or flowers it’s now time to decide where to place them. Your plant requires a certain environment in which it will thrive. They are found in many rainforests therefore it will need lots of humidity water and filtered sunshine.

Giving Your Plants The Sunlight They Require

Sunshine is pretty simple to accomplish especially if you have a south facing window. If you have a bay window this would be an excellent spot to place your orchid. Although, they do not direct sunlight and when taking care of them you should always place a piece of cloth or even a curtain in front of these plants. During the summer months is when you need to be careful because too much hot sun could burn the plants leaves and it may not flower properly or at all. If you don’t have a bay window, then any window at all should do just fine. Just remember to filter that sunlight.

Humidity is Something Not To Take Lightly

Now let’s discuss the amount of humidity you need to keep your flowers happy and healthy. Humidity is essential for your plants and you mustn’t skip this step at all. You will need to provide your orchids with at least 60-80% humidity at all times otherwise bad things could happen to your plant. And you don’t want that right? Giving your plants humidity is pretty simple. If you have humidifier then this is self explanatory. But if you don’t have one there is also another simple and cheap way to supply your plants with humidity.

Get a tray of some sort and put gravel or rocks inside of it. Fill it with water making sure that the water does not go above the medium you placed inside. Put your plants on top also making sure the flowers are not touching the water. That’s it; you have supplied your plants with enough humidity for the season. Periodically add water into the tray if you happen to see the water level getting to low.

Make Certain Water Levels are Correct

Watering is very simple when it comes to growing these exotic plants, but many people are mistake of how to properly water their plants. First of all you want to avoid over-watering them because this leads to trouble. Your plant may end up becoming infected with disease, bacteria, fungus, and even viruses. Leaving them to dry for a long time is also a bad idea because this may kill your plants and dry out the roots of your orchid.

When you are watering them you will need to test the soil for moisture. Place your finger down about an inch into the medium and if it feels moist you can avoid watering your flowers for now. If it happens to be dry then water them immediately, but not too much. You just want to get the medium moist, but not damp or wet.

These are just some simple orchid care tips you can use to grow beautiful blossoms. As you can see making these flowers bloom in your home is a really simple task as long as you have the right information. Now that you have the proper knowledge to easily grow these flowers you can now keep them healthy for many years to come.

2 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing a great post about tips on caring orchids! It was very informative.

    I have been growing orchids for 7 years now…well killing them at first, but really becoming successful within these last 4 to 5 years. My success wasn’t a result of the months of researching their culture, high tech fertilizers, or the eventual investment in a greenhouse. The secret was in a little clay pellet.

    Caring for orchids is such a very nice hubby and it will keep you relax seeing them blooming, it can actually makes me smile.

    Anyway, thanks again.

    Love orchids
    Catherine

    http://www.orchidgrowingsolutions.com/caring-for-orchids/

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  2. Thanks for the comment! I agree that growing orchids is really relaxing and is a great hobby for anybody who loves growing beautiful flowers. Have fun growing orchids.

    Carl

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