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.
Showing posts with label how to take care of orchids. Show all posts
Showing posts with label how to take care of orchids. Show all posts
Friday, August 6, 2010
Saturday, June 19, 2010
How To Take Care Of Orchids With These Three Techniques
What a beautiful and delicate flower orchids are. Can anyone grow their own flower or should that be left to professional gardeners? The short answer is YES anyone can learn how to take care of these beautiful plants just by learning a few tips and tricks about growing and caring for orchid plants. In this post I will show you just a few tips that will help in properly caring for these amazing flowers. Discover how to take care of them with these three easy and simple tasks.
Task #1 Humidity
As many enthusiasts know that they are very moisture hungry organisms that will need enough humidity to thrive properly. The humidity level in your greenhouse if you have one or on the windowsill should be at least 60%. They thrive in plenty of moisture and can actually have up to 80% humidity in their environment. You can purchase a device called a hygrometer to measure the humidity in your home, greenhouse, or wherever you happen to be growing these flowers.
Normally the summer months will supply them with the correct amount of humidity required for optimum growth. The winter months is when you need to worry about humidity levels. Place a tray underneath your plants that is filled with water and gravel. Place them on the tray making sure it doesn't touch the water. This will give your flowers adequate amount of moisture for proper growth. If you don't like this idea then you can always purchase yourself a humidifier to provide them a more accurate amount of humidity.
Tip #2 Temperature
They are very sensitive when it comes to the proper temperature you keep the room or greenhouse at. There are three classes of orchid temperatures: medium, cool, and warm classes. This seems pretty simple doesn't it? Cool temperature plants will tolerate temperatures from 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit, but not any lower than this. Keep the medium class types at around 60 to 70 degrees. The warm class ones should be at least 70 degrees but not any higher than 80 degrees. Once you find out what class your flower is then you can find out the proper temperature you should keep the room at.
Tip #3 Fertilizer
Not many orchid growers think twice about using fertilizer for their flowers. It is important to use fertilizers for proper growth. They are not very critical to these plants, but they might be need down the road when your flowers have used up all the nutrients from its pot. If you do need to use a fertilizer for your plants you should apply a combination of 10-10-10. This means you should use 10% of nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium.
Learning how to take care of orchids is really quite simple when you are given precise instructions. By discovering tips here and there you will be able to grow awesome looking flowers that everybody will look at. Now that you know the secrets to producing blossoms it's time for you to start your new hobby today.
Task #1 Humidity
As many enthusiasts know that they are very moisture hungry organisms that will need enough humidity to thrive properly. The humidity level in your greenhouse if you have one or on the windowsill should be at least 60%. They thrive in plenty of moisture and can actually have up to 80% humidity in their environment. You can purchase a device called a hygrometer to measure the humidity in your home, greenhouse, or wherever you happen to be growing these flowers.
Normally the summer months will supply them with the correct amount of humidity required for optimum growth. The winter months is when you need to worry about humidity levels. Place a tray underneath your plants that is filled with water and gravel. Place them on the tray making sure it doesn't touch the water. This will give your flowers adequate amount of moisture for proper growth. If you don't like this idea then you can always purchase yourself a humidifier to provide them a more accurate amount of humidity.
Tip #2 Temperature
They are very sensitive when it comes to the proper temperature you keep the room or greenhouse at. There are three classes of orchid temperatures: medium, cool, and warm classes. This seems pretty simple doesn't it? Cool temperature plants will tolerate temperatures from 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit, but not any lower than this. Keep the medium class types at around 60 to 70 degrees. The warm class ones should be at least 70 degrees but not any higher than 80 degrees. Once you find out what class your flower is then you can find out the proper temperature you should keep the room at.
Tip #3 Fertilizer
Not many orchid growers think twice about using fertilizer for their flowers. It is important to use fertilizers for proper growth. They are not very critical to these plants, but they might be need down the road when your flowers have used up all the nutrients from its pot. If you do need to use a fertilizer for your plants you should apply a combination of 10-10-10. This means you should use 10% of nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium.
Learning how to take care of orchids is really quite simple when you are given precise instructions. By discovering tips here and there you will be able to grow awesome looking flowers that everybody will look at. Now that you know the secrets to producing blossoms it's time for you to start your new hobby today.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)