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How To Care for Orchids With These Seven Easy To Implement Strategies

Jun6

Orchids rate amongst the most beautiful plants in the world, so knowing how to care for them is an important task. They are a very resilient plant and are found growing in many different areas of the world. They’ve been found thriving in jungles, the tundra, rain forests, grassy plains, deserts and swamps.

Learning the facts about caring for them is not that difficult and I am going to show you how easy it is to cultivate beautiful blossoms that will last for a long time.

Five Factors You Must Consider

Before you decide to grow them in your home there are a few things to consider first, such as lighting, temperature, the amount of moisture in the air along with air circulation, and finally, deciding where to plant them. To look after your plants correctly, you must have a system in place particularly for the different seasons. In order to understand what your flowers need you must know these 5 points:

  • Watering
  • Fertilizing
  • Sunlight exposure
  • Temperature Control
  • Correct growing material

How Watering Can be Accomplished Very Quickly and Easily

As the seasons change, so does the watering schedule. Plants will not need watering as much in Fall or Winter as they will in Spring and Summer. As a general rule of thumb, begin dampening orchids every 5 – 10 days, but in summer you will have to adjust your watering schedule. Remember that all they need is shade during the middle of the day. This is the cornerstone of precisely caring for them the right way.

Fertilizing is Not as Difficult as it Seems

Orchids, like most plants, need fertilizers, that primarily contain Nitrogen (N), Phosphorous (P) and Potassium (K) to produce vibrant, healthy flowers. There are two types available, organic and non-organic. They depend on the suns’ rays to convert minerals into sugars, which are absorbed through their roots.

The lack of mineral supplements will result in non-flowering plants. By following the directions on how to apply the plant food properly you will avoid the possibility of over–fertilizing and damaging your plant. Generally most of them need fertilizing once a month.

Sunlight Exposure

For those who want to know how to take care them you must understand the lighting requirements. Make sure they are not exposed to direct sunlight which can harm them, causing them to suffer sunburn and deplete their food reserves. The first indications of too much sun is yellow leaves or ones that are tinged with red.

One indication of not enough sunlight, is if the leaves are not a bright green. The leaves will be a moderate to light green color if they’re getting enough light.

Whether you are cultivating them outdoors or indoors, make sure you know the secrets of light by exposing them to only filtered sunlight. This will give you amazing results in the end which you will be glad you did.

Keeping Temperature Constant in Your Home

If you are going to care for an orchid indoors, make sure you take them outside on a regular basis so they can enjoy exposure to sunlight. Make sure you move them away from windows as the temperature near the window can drop between 15-20 degrees F cooler than the overall room temperature. People who don’t know how to care for orchids will usually leave them outside to long and they wonder why they end up dying overnight.

They are not as fussy as we are sometimes led to believe. They easily adapt to the temperature in a home or a greenhouse. The first signs of the temperature being too low is when the leaves turn a dark green color and become mushy. If it’s too high the leaves look as though they’ve been sunburned.

Humidity Exposure is Crucial in the Life of an Orchid

For the plant to produce long lasting beautiful blooms, the humidity has to be around 60-80%. If the humidity drops then the use of a humidifier can help maintain the levels.

Keeping The Air Circulating

Air circulation is another factor of in producing amazing blooms that should be discussed briefly. To control air movement, particularly if you’re planting them indoors, the easiest way is to open a door or use a small fan to circulate the air.

Growing Material

When growing any type you need to have the correct size pot especially if you are considering propagation. If you plant one of them in a pot which is too small, you are compromising the health of the flower. They need air circulation around the roots to thrive properly, so a pot made from wire, plastic, mesh or wood would be suitably adequate.

Orchids should only be repotted if it’s absolutely necessary. Some varieties don’t need repotting at all, as they don’t like being disturbed.
These plants need a different mix of materials for them to grow strong and healthy, which you can make yourself. They consist of two types, Organic Fibers and Inorganic Materials.

  • Organic Fibers choices are Fir Bark, Redwood Bark, Coconut Husks, Sphagnum Moss and Tree Fern Fiber
  • Inorganic Materials consist of Charcoal, Lava Rock, Alifor, Pearlite and Turface

Mix them all together and you have your own potting mix! You have now discovered the precise instructions for caring for orchids.

Easily Begin Gardening Orchids By Implementing These Simple Tips

Jun6

The beauty and colors of the exotic orchid flower are just so magnificent and everyone can benefit from having them thriving in their home or garden. Many people have a great fear about caring for them because a misnomer about these flowers is they need to be cared for 24/7.

Fortunately this is not the case and with this article you will understand how easy gardening them can be with some simple and correct information. All you need to do is create the right conditions for these flowers to start blooming and bring you lots of joy in your home or yard.

Choosing Between Two Separate Methods

There are two different methods you can use to to start this task. You can choose to plant them inside of pots and hang them around your home or in a large windowsill; or you can start growing them in your garden outside.

Both methods are relatively equal in difficulty, but most people prefer to grow them inside because they would like to keep them all year round. If you live in a climate that has a cold season you would only be able to grow them once per year outside. The choice is up to you how you want to garden your plants.

The Light Requirements That You Must Provide

Light happens to be a major part in the life of these exotic flowers. If you want to start gardening orchids you will need to rely on two forms of light that is needed to have these plants flourish. You can use the sunlight or artificial lights such as fluorescent lighting. Both are equally as good, but one thing you should know about sunlight is that too much can harm your plant. This sounds unusual but if you think of the plants natural climate which is in the tropics many trees protect them from too much sun and they have adapted to thrive like that.

Never use direct sunlight on these flowers and make sure that you have some piece of material that will filter most of the sunlight in order to prevent the leaves from burning. Fluorescent lights are another way of cultivating them and can be used during any time of the year.

Humidity is a Must for These Plants

Humidity is another important part of the health of these exotic flowers. If you are planting these flowers outside during the hot humid seasons of the year then there is really no need to supply them with any more humidity because the moisture content in the atmosphere should be enough to keep them blooming and flourishing. If you are cultivating them inside then you should know how to supply them with extra humidity especially during cold dry months of the year. One way to do this is have a humidifier right next to your plants.

Most humidifiers should be adequate for these types of plants and you shouldn’t need more than one. You can also place a tray of water with rocks underneath your plants as well which will supply them with proper moisture content. If you don’t know how to know if you have the proper amount of humidity then I would suggest purchasing a hydrometer from your local store. Most places should sell this type of equipment all year round.

These are just two tips that you can use when gardening orchids in your home or outside.

Appropriate Orchid Plant Care For Flourishing Flowers

Jun6

In order to perform proper orchid plant care, there are several considerations, and though there are some variations based on species or variety, the general concerns can be boiled down to those issues and these generalizations:

First consideration: Kind and Intensity of Light

Most like indirect morning sun as filtered through a curtain sheer. They will need to be moved when the temperature gets higher or the sun gets brighter. If this situation is not available to you, you can use an incandescent bulb, but these have other drawbacks because they generate a lot of heat.

Oftentimes a better choice is fluorescent lights because they deliver a broader spectrum of light and give off less heat as well. If you are willing to go that extra mile with the expense, high density discharge lights are probably the best because of their efficiency and quality of spectral light.

Second consideration: Temperature

They are not so temperamental when it comes to temperature, much less so than about light, but different species do have difference “preferences” in order to be the healthiest and bear the most blossoms. The temperature ranges typically fall into three groups–those that do very well in a typical American home; those that require cooler temperatures and more light; and those that require a warmer temperature—never below 45 degrees Fahrenheit.

Getting the right temperature for your particular flower is vital because if you get too much the plant might wither and die. If it receives too little, the leaves will become soggy and rot. Proper care is essential to the lifespan of the flower.

Third consideration: Humidity

Tropical orchids? Lots! They need both lots of humidity and warmth. They need extra water and, if you have them outside, you need to have some sort of water feature near them so they won’t become desiccated. Water them 2-3 times per day and be careful not to let them dry up in the summer when they are not supposed to be dormant.

Specifically speaking, orchids need 60% to 80% humidity in order for them to thrive and bloom. Most growers won’t have a problem with this unless days are very hot. If a problem exists with the humidity, try using a small humidifier in the room where you have placed them.

Fourth consideration: Air Movement

They like slight breezes. You can accomplish that with an open window or a small personal fan.

Fifth consideration: Watering

This is a tough one to judge completely because different species and varieties require different amounts. However, as a rule of thumb, most of them like to have their roots well-drained. Certain ones that are watered too often will develop rotted roots, and there’s not much you can do to rectify that. The amount of watering differs according to circumstances as well.

For example, you won’t have to water after 3 cloudy days; or if the temperature is below 60 degrees; or a plant in a plastic pot has received very little air movement; or finally, if the humidity has been 70% or higher. Orchids respond a lot to proper or improper watering. “Oh no!” you might think. “How will I ever remember all this”? Pretty soon it will become second nature.

Sixth consideration: Fertilization

Although the basic environment that these beautiful flowers reside in contributes most of their needs, there are some that they use up very frequently, and those are nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. These mixtures are readily available in gardening stores for all your plant care needs.

Seventh consideration: Nutrition

Orchids, like most plants, do need some nutritional supplements, and you can pursue and purchase these from your gardening shop along with the basic plant care that they need.