Caring for Orchids

The best thing to do when trying to select your first Orchid is to take account of what conditions you can offer it. Most important to an Orchid are light and humidity so how does your environment rate in these 2 areas?

Now you can find descriptions and match Orchids that would do well in the environment you can provide. As with most things in life talking to people more experienced than yourself will help you to make a decision.

Choosing a plant that is easy to re-bloom is also worth taking into consideration, after all the flowers are the reason that you grow Orchids... most of the time anyway.

The hybrids Paphiopedilum (Paphs) and Phalaenopsis (Phals, Pictured Right courtesy of B&M Photography) are generally good for beginners. They will re-bloom in a windowsill environment and so makes them ideal for most novices who want to grow an Orchid in their kitchen or front room. These Orchids are adaptable and do not require vast amounts of light.

Be aware however with Paphiopedilum (Paphs) and Phalaenopsis (Phals) that if you get water in the crowns of these Orchids or overwater them it does not take much to kill them. Equally true is that a lack of water will also be fatal to these particular Orchids, so basically be carefully with watering paphs and phals in general.

The fragrant Oncidium (Onc, Pictured Right courtesy of highlimitstudio) Orchids are also worth considering as a starter Orchid. These Orchids can bloom two times a year when provided with enough sunlight. One of the easiest is Colmanara Wildcat which spikes can last for around three months. The chocolate scented Oncidium Sharry Baby 'Sweet Fragrance' is also extremely popular. Oncidium Sweet Sugar also known as the Dancing Lady is another of the easy to grow Orchids.

The Cattleya (C, Pictured Right courtesy of Enid Yu) genus contains some beautiful Orchids that are not too difficult to grow. Although nearly all Cattleyas require some form of supplementary lighting. The miniatures require less light and are easier to re-bloom. Cattleyas can get to a fair size so be sure to check this before purchasing, you should also be aware that these Orchids tend to bloom for shorter periods than other Orchids. However Cattleyas are some of the most gorgeous Orchids around.

If this all sounds a bit too easy going for you then you can always try Phragmipediums (Phrags). Phrags are a type of Lady Slipper Orchid and are considered by most to be fairly simple to grow. But you will need to provide them with a much stronger light and be careful with water quality as these Orchids do not like fertilizer build ups in the soil. They do however like a lot of water and can even be left standing in it.

If there is a build up of fertilizer it can be seen by browning leaf tips on your Orchid. This is an indication to lay off the fertilizer for a while.

Yet another popular group of Orchids are Dendrobiums (Pictured right courtesy of majonda2). They are one of the largest groups of Orchids so are readily available and are fairly easy to re-bloom. Dendrobiums like Phragmipediums also require more light than both Paphiopedilum and Phalaenopsis, so remember to tak this into consideration when selecting your Orchid.

One of the most important things to do when selecting and purchasing your Orchid is to ask the grower if it is easy to re-bloom. Purchasing Orchids that are of blooming size or are already bloomed will make your results that much easier and faster. Although cheaper it can take years for an Orchid seedling to bloom and is not recommended if you have never grown an Orchid before. Just remember that making the right decisions now will help you vastly in the future and don't worry it will all be worth it when you seem your beautiful Orchid in full bloom.

It may come as news to some that the well known flavouring of Vanilla is in fact an extract from the Vanilla Orchid. The Vanilla genus of 110 species of Orchid is most well known for the Flat-leaved Vanilla (V. planifolia), which is the most commercially used Orchid in existence.

Vanilla Orchids are found all over the world in the tropical and subtropical areas of the globe. The Vanilla genus came in to existence in 1754 but was also a favourite of the Aztecs thanks to its wonderful flavour when combined with food.

Madagascar was where the French royalty made use of to grow cocoa beans, the beans were then made into chocolate and Vanilla was added for extra flavour.

Able to grow to around 30 feet the Vanilla Orchid requires 7 - 8 years to reach maturity. The Vanilla Orchid is an air plant and as mentioned can be found growing throughout the world most notably in Mexico, South and Central America, Madagascar and Tahiti.

Dried out for 6 months it's the seeds or pods of the Vanilla Orchid that provide industry with flavouring for their produce. Not dissimilar to a Cattleya the bloom of a Vanilla Orchid is yellow/green in appearance. Forming a zigzag effect across tree trunks the fruit of the Vanilla Orchid is contained within pods of the plants leaves. The flavourful seed pods are not produced until the Vanilla Orchid is mature and in full bloom.

Advances in technology have lead to Vanilla Orchids that are used commercially have been modified to produce more seed pods and in less time.

If you can provide a humid environment, 25 - 30 °C (80 - 85 F) during the day falling to around 15 - 18 °C (60 - 65 F)when night falls, then there is no reason why you cannot grow the Vanilla Orchid yourself. Water your Vanilla Orchid between 2 and 3 times a week. However at the same time you must be careful not to overwater your Vanilla Orchid as you do not want to damage your Orchid by damaging its root system from root rot. Using a fertilizer which is balanced is also advisable.

The Vanilla Orchid is a wonderful addition to any Orchid grower's collection. Plus there's always the benefit of being able to add a little flavour boost to your home cooking.

Image at top courtesy of Victoria Porter