Orchids – A Special Flower With Special Needs

Orchids are beautifully flowering plants that are famous for their beauty, difficulty to grow, and lack of forgiveness if ill-treated. Sadly, this reputation has served to only alienate a large number of would-be hobbyists. The truth of the matter is the fact that a bit of know-how, some finesse, and the right equipment will permit just about anyone to become an accomplished orchid gardeners. While they are a special flower with special needs, they are also a wonderful challenge to any hobbyist!

Here are some little known facts about orchids that will net you some amazing results and will make you the envy of your gardening neighbors:

Orchids need light and lots of it, yet this does not mean that they enjoy being kept in full sunshine location. If you want your plant to boom twice a year, you will need to give them just the right amount of light. While direct sunlight may actually burn the delicate plants, indirect natural light is a wonderful solution. If you wish to grow the plants away from a natural light source, then florescent lights are a good solution. Remember, you will need to keep florescent lights close to the plant, and not exceed 15 inches in distance between light and plant!

While most any plant aficionado will want to display flowers in the living area, this kind of plant will thrive better in a high humidity environment such as the – you guessed it – bathroom! While you may only keep a fern in the bathroom because you figured the humidity was too much for other plants, you will now be able to keep your orchids in there as well. If you just cannot fathom keeping your priced blooms in the bathroom, then you will need to create a room in your home that will have about 50% percent humidity. Considering that the average room only has about 25% in dry climates, an indoor greenhouse is the answer. There are several kinds on the market that will do nicely.

Do not over water your plants, and do not use ice cold water. It is usually a good idea to use bottled water that has been at room temperature, or water that has been poured and left to stand overnight at room temperature. Do not pour the water directly onto the plants but instead water the overflow trays and let the roots pull up the water. If the soil still feels moist to the touch, skip watering until it feels slightly drier. Root rot is an ever-present danger for indoor plants in general, but orchids in particular!

Do not over-clip. At times an overeager hobbyist will attempt to prune away leaves and flowers in order to provide some air circulation. This is especially typical of gardeners who just experienced a bout of powdery mildew in their plant population. Do not give in to the temptation to indiscriminately clip. If you have an affected plant, deal with it alone, but do not clip all of your plants in an effort at prevention. The odds are good that you will do more damage than good in your patch.

As you can see, while orchids do most certainly have their own special needs, they are a wonderful plant to grow, and it is not as hard at some would make this experience out to be. Incidentally, if you want to get serious about growing orchids, you will be able to find wonderful orchid growing kits in some specialty gardening stores. You may lose a plant here or there, but in general you will be able to pretty soon claim to be a true orchid hobbyist!