Plant Care: Orchid

Well, an orchid is a perennial plant which has two main methods of growing:

1. Monopodial growth. Usually one single stem from which leaves appear on either side at the top of which is the main flower.
2. Sympodial Growth. Usually a horizontal, underground stem that often sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. These are also known as rootstalk or rootstock. Sympodial orchids often have swollen stems called pseudobulbs which have a flowering spike rather than a single stem.

From these two broad groups, orchids fall into the following four types:

1. Terrestrial Orchids, having their roots in soil.
2. Climbing Epiphytes, being found in tree tops with roots appearing to parasitically cling to the tree bark to absorb nutrients and water.
3. Lithophytes, which grow in rocks or at least, very little soil.
4. Saprophytes, which get their nutrition from decaying or dead matter through a multitude of symbiotic relationships with fungi.

It should be clear from this brief introduction and description of the orchid family, that the variations in habitat alone can produce an almost unlimited number of varieties and colors and it should be no surprise that the estimates of 20 to 30 thousand could be a long way off the actual number of varieties in existence. Because of this, it is highly likely that there could be thousands of unrecorded varieties still to be discovered.

Knowing this is all well and good however, searching for species in the wild is a pursuit for only the most serious enthusiast, so for most of us, buying, growing and caring for orchids in our own home is the main goal.
Fortunately for us, orchid growing and care in a domestic environment is an achievable goal and providing you have the patience and the ability to adhere to some basics you too can enjoy owning a huge variety of these captivating and beautiful plants.

Click Here for the best practical guide to Orchid Care and the beginnings of an obsession!

1: Phalaenopsis (Moth Orchid)
2: Cymbidium
3: Odontoglossum

* An ideal houseplant for warm rooms.
* Long lasting flowers in a wide range of colors and patterns, large, rounded flowers giving it its common name "Moth Orchid".
* Year long blooming season and will re flower from the same stem several times.

PHALAENOPSIS CARE
This is one the most popular orchids grown as houseplants often referred to as Moth Orchids or Phalaenopsis.
They are well suited as indoor plants because of their ability to tolerate the dry heat created by central heating, in addition, they are almost continually flowering.
Unlike other orchid, they don't have bulbs, instead they grow with fleshy leaves, with new ones formed from the central crown. They produce aerial roots that drape over the sides of their pots as well as taking root directly in the bark compost.

Phalaenopsis will continue to bloom for many months at a time if kept in a warm room away from direct sunlight light.
They should be watered sparingly, allowing their pots to drain well. Water every 1-2 weeks depending on the heat of the room.
Care should be taken not to over water and specifically, avoid water pooling in the center.

The plant will continue to bud from the end of the stem and the flowers will gradually open in succession, producing a continuous and attractive display of growth.
The main stem will continue to produce eyes or nodes.
Before all the flowers die off and whilst the sap is still rising, carefully cut the stem clean off above the highest node or eye but before the lowest flowering bud.
If you delay this until all of the flowers have died off, the actual stem itself will begin to die off as well.
The remaining node on the cut stem will then soon start to produce a side branch with more flower buds.
When these have all flowered, repeat by cutting above the next node down the main stem and so on.
When the base of the stem is reached or if the orchid fails to re-bloom, then cut the main stem off at the base. Occasionally a new plant (keiki) may grow from the stem, allow this to grow to a strong size with a few leaves and roots and then gently remove and pot up in fine bark.

TEMPERATURE: Phalaenopsis or Moth Orchids thrive in the warmth of most modern homes, but try to keep a minimum temperature of 18°C (65°F) on winter nights and a daytime maximum of 30°C(85°F).

LIGHTING: Shelter from bright, direct summer sun which can result in scorched the leaves. Expose them to as much light as possible during the winter months.

WATERING: Never over water. Try to ensure that the bark compost remains moist all the year round.

When watering, remove it from it's pot or saucer, let the water drain through before placing it back in it's planter. Never let the pot stand in water.
Allow the bark compost to dry out slightly before watering again. Try to avoid water collecting in the crown of the plant as this may result in the plant rotting.
You should add a little orchid fertilizer to the water once every 2 or 3 waterings all year round.

Click Here for the best practical guide to Orchid Care and the beginnings of an obsession!

* Ideal in a cool, light situation.
* Can be placed outdoors in a shaded place for the summer but must be kept well watered.
* Flowers every winter and spring for between 6 and 8 weeks with tall sprays of blooms in a wide variety of colors.
* Very popular when used as corsage orchids.
* Can grow large over time.

CYMBIDIUM CARE
Cymbidium orchids are always popular with their beautiful flowers lasting many weeks.
They grow best in a cool conservatory and can be taken outdoors in the summer.
They are mostly winter and spring flowering although there are also summer and autumn varieties also.
Standard varieties can grow into large plants with large flowers and bulbs.
Miniature or compact varieties are more manageable. Cymbidium orchids should be re-potted in the spring after flowering when they have outgrown their pots about every 2 to 3 years.

This variety of orchid should be kept cool and given lots of light in winter and be kept outdoors in summer to aid re-flowering.
Keeping them too warm can prevent the orchid from flowering.
When the blooms die off, trim the stem right down to the base.
The next generation of flowers will grow from the next pseudobulb that the plant produces.

TEMPERATURE: Cymbidiums require a minimum temperature of 8°C (45°F) in winter to expose them to a sufficient change in conditions from the warm summer, when a maximum temperature of 30°C (85°F) is enough.

LIGHTING: Keep shaded form bright, direct summer sunlight as this can scorch the leaves. Expose them to as much light possible during the winter months.

WATERING: Keep the free draining bark compost moist with more frequent watering during the spring and summer, their main growing season.
When watering let the water drain right through before placing it back in it's planter.
Never let the pot stand in water.
Allow the bark compost to dry out slightly before watering again. Try to avoid water
collecting in the crown of the plant as this may result in the plant rotting.
You should add a little orchid fertilizer to the water once every 2 or 3 (approx. every 10-14 days) from March to September.

Click Here for the best practical guide to Orchid Care and the beginnings of an obsession!

* A good, compact houseplant for a environment.
* Keep shaded from the summer sun, keep indoors all the year.
* Flowers every 9 to 10 months for between 4 to 6 weeks.
* A wide range of colours and patterns from sprays of numerous tiny flowers up to several large extravagant blooms on a single stem depending on the variety.

ODONTOGLOSSUM CARE
This group of orchids is very popular as they have such a wide range of colors, shapes and patterns. Ranging from large extravagant flowers on compact stems to tall branching spikes with many tiny but bright blooms.
The plants are quite compact, therefore they are a perfect houseplant in that they are an ideal window sill orchid.
Often Odontoglossum orchids flower twice a year or more as they increase in size and because they have growths at different stages around the plant.
This group of orchids should be re potted when they outgrow their pots, approximately every 2-3 years.
For re potting, Follow Cymbidium instructions for Odontoglossums.

These orchids need to be kept cool and light all year round and they should re flower easily on the season's completed bulb.
Keeping them too warm can hinder their flowering.
Again as with Cymbidium orchids, When the blooms die off, trim the stem right down to the base.
The next generation of flowers will grow from the next pseudobulb that the plant produces.

TEMPERATURE: Odontoglossum hybrids require a minimum of 10°C (50°F) through the winter to give them a sufficient change in their conditions from the warm summer, when a maximum of 30°C (85°F) is enough.

LIGHTING: Again as with Cymbidium orchids, keep shaded form bright, direct summer sunlight as this can scorch the leaves. Expose them to as much light possible during the winter months.

WATERING: Keep the free draining bark compost moist with more frequent watering during the spring and summer, their main growing season.
When watering let the water drain right through before placing it back in it's planter. Never let the pot stand in water.
Allow the bark compost to dry out slightly before watering again. Try to avoid water collecting in the crown of the plant as this may result in the plant rotting.
You should add a little orchid fertiliser to the water once every 2 or 3 (approx. every 10-14 days) from March to September.

Click Here for the best practical guide to Orchid Care and the beginnings of an obsession!

I guess I'm not alone when I say that I got into orchids pretty late in life. I always had a basic awareness of them in that they were always presented in attractive protected packages and they always carry a hefty price tag, even at the local supermarket.
It wasn't until somebody bought an orchid for my wife (not me I'm embarrassed to admit) that I took more than a passing interest in orchids, but when I did take notice, it was no time at all before I was hooked. Again, I'm gonna guess that I'm not alone here.

Click Here The best practical guide to Orchid Care.

The orchid that was bought for my wife was a Phalaenopsis or Moth Orchid. As orchids go, it's an attractive plant and in terms of plant care, orchid habitats and environments can vary greatly.
The Phalaenopsis orchid is particularly well suited to modern houses with central heating it turns out, so it's no surprise that we were able to keep my wife's orchid for the last year and a half (it's still going strong).

So having been given an orchid as a present, it seemed only fair that we made an effort to look after it properly. It's fair to say that we had little or no idea about plant care, not being a gardener, let alone orchid care.
So a quick check on the net - 'Plant Care Orchid' quickly turned into a steep but short learning curve and has turned into a daily routine that revolves around our conservatory full of orchids.
I don't want to give the impression that orchids have taken over our life for the worse, far from it. My wife and I now share a hobby that has opened up a whole new area of interest for us that we can actually share.

Our innocent 'Plant Care Orchid' search revealed some very impressive facts and figures along with orchid care instructions, such as:
There are over 25,000 different species of orchid.
Over 100,000 hybrids have been created.
Orchids are a protected species. (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora - CITES).
Vanilla is actually an orchid variety.
Orchids grow in almost any climate except deserts.

Despite their delicate appearance, orchids are pretty darn hardy and can grow in the most unlikely environments. Despite this, in the wild they thrive in tropical and subtropical climates with central and South America providing many ideal growing conditions.
Unbelievably, orchids don't always require soil to grow. Many varieties will happily cling on to trees as their habitat of choice whilst other varieties thrive and survive in regular or rocky soil.
Orchid size and colour are determined by environment and the limitations that these bring, but that doesn't stop orchids developing into a huge range of sizes and colours.

Our search 'Plant Care Orchid' also revealed just how easy orchid ownership can be. It's true that wild varieties will struggle indoors, but because the number of orchid hybrids is over four times as great as wild varieties, there are literally thousands of orchid varieties that are perfectly suited to our cosseted indoor climate (thankfully!)
This has brought a huge audience of appreciation to a fascinating and beautiful subject that was once the preserve a few intrepid explorers, again, lucky for us.
Whilst I have no plans to set off for the tropics in search of an elusive new variety of orchid, I am happy to continue to appreciate and even try to cultivate my own beautiful orchids.
Did I have any idea that I would be so captivated by a plant - absolutely not.

My wife and I continue to appreciate our growing collection of orchids and if you're interested, our search 'Plant Care Orchid' led us here:
Click Here The best practical guide to Orchid Care.

Happy growing

1. Orchids have been around for more than a hundred million years.

2. There are between 20 and 30 thousand species of orchid and as many as 70,000 variations of these or hybrids with some experts suggesting over 100,000.

3. The common flavoring of vanilla is actually from an orchid seed pod.

4. They are found on almost every continent on earth and as far north the Arctic Circle and as far south as Macquarie Island close to Antarctica. Orchids don't like deserts or glaciers.

Click Here for the best practical guide to Orchid Care and the beginnings of an obsession!