Growing Conditions of Orchids

Orchids are without doubt very beautiful plants, but they can be challenging to grow. Orchids are found naturally in the wild, normally anchored to trees, so providing the right conditions for your Orchid will help you to produce both Healthy and Beautiful plants.

There are many different species of Orchids and there growing conditions will vary from species to species but here is some useful information to help you care for you Orchid correctly.

Providing the Correct amount of light:

Providing the correct amount of light for your Orchid is vital, they need the suns light to carry out Photosynthesis, (which is the process in which plants turn sunlight/energy into sugars for food).

You can determine to correct level of light by monitoring the colour of the leaves. Orchid leaves should be light green in colour. If the Orchid is exposed to too much light the leaves will turn yellow or reddish in colour and you should move your Orchid to a shadier spot. On the contrast to your Orchid is positioned in a place with too little light the leaves will turn dark green in colour.

Watering & Humidity:

These two factors are perhaps the most important when caring for your Orchid. There are, of course, many factors to consider when watering yourOrchids , such as pot size, the smaller the pot the more likely it is to dry out quicker. The climate, if growing inside or out, is also a factor to be considered. In the summer months someOrchids may need to be watered everyday but during the winter watering will be less frequent. Watering should be frequent enough to avoid drying out the compost but not to the extent so as to make the compost soggy. Once or twice a week is usually sufficient for most of the year.

Rain water is recommended but drinkable tape water is quite safe. Your plants should be watered in the morning and water on the foliage should not remain there too long or leaf scorch may be the result if the plant is exposed to strong sunlight.

During the growing season Orchids require high humidity levels. This can be achieved by damping down the surroundings; this is done by fine spraying water on and around your Orchid. Do this early in the morning and again avoid water scorching of the leaves.

Ventilation:

Most Orchids require free air moving conditions, but they do not like cold drafts. There roots are specially adapted to be exposed to air circulation so providing the right compost and containers for yourOrchids is vital if you want to produce both Healthy and Beautiful plants.




by.Alexander Vincent

Orchid Care: Fertilization and Pest Control.

Caring for orchids requires a bit of knowledge about the pests that tend to attack them, as well as proper fertilization techniques to help them grow. The stronger your plants, the better they will be able to resist common diseases and insects, and the best way to keeporchids healthy and strong is to fertilize them.

Orchid plant care is an area that has been heavily studied, particularly as many of the tropical species grow on tree branches, anchoring themselves to a host and appearing to thrive on thin air. While the more terrestrial orchid species tend to be easier to grow, they still require special care.

Pests That Attack Orchids:

Orchids have many natural enemies and anyone attempting orchid care at home will need to be aware of these. Some of the most common pests include slugs and snails, which are usually not difficult to get rid of. Others, however, are. Mealybugs, whitefly, and mites are also enemies oforchids.

There is also an aphid called the orchid aphid which attacks these plants. Aphids exist everywhere that orchids do, and because of this, they are a great threat to the flowering plants. Orchid care includes watching for these tiny pests, which are often not much bigger than a speck. These multiply rapidly, but like most pests, can be banished if caught early on when there are only a few. For this reason, it`s just good sense to check your plants for insects on a regular basis.
For many interested in orchid care, biocontrol is the preferred method of keeping nasty insects at bay. Using friendly insects that eat the pests and don`t hurt the orchid can be a good way to go if you don`t want to risk chemical sprays. However, orchid plant care also requires proper feeding and fertilization to ensure the hardiness of the plant.

Orchid Care: Fertilization:

Most orchid care guides will tell you that the fertilization depends on the species of orchid, and this is true to an extent. While various species have their preferences, the majority do well with soluble fertilizers or plant food.

There are actually fertilizers specially formulated for growing orchids and these provide just the right balance of nutrients for the plants. If you choose to go with a more generic type of fertilizer with a 20-20-20 balance.

Orchids tend to grow in the wild where little nutrition is found. Understanding this, it is best to keep your orchid plant care efforts to a minimum. Manyorchids are killed by giving them too much fertilizer or by over watering them. So, when feeding orchids, it is best to use about half the recommended dosage on the package and to use the fertilizer in place of water. Orchids only need to be fed once a month or so.

While orchids are not quite as delicate as many people assume, they do still require some special care. Making sure that you don`t over-fertilize theorchids and immediately dealing with any pests, before they get out of hand, is the best way to ensure top notch orchid plant care.

My website Orchid-Care-Expert.com helps people learn about orchid care

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