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.