Hanging Orchids: How To Grow Them Well and in a Healthy Way

Hanging orchids is super fun plant care that you can give, as you will have to do exciting steps like laying the filler in a beautiful basket, mounting the plant with wire, spraying water, and applying nutrients.

However, any wrong step can help the orchid, and your efforts can be well-spent. You don’t have to worry, because when you keep reading, we discuss properly growing an orchid in a hanging pot or basket without hassle.

How To Grow Hanging Orchids With the Right Steps

To grow a hanging orchid with the right steps, choose the right variety first. Then, add filler to a planter or pot, put it in a basket, and hang it at the perfect spot where the orchid can get plenty of indirect light. After this, keep adding water and fertilizers regularly.

1. Choose the Right Orchid

The first step to growing a beautiful dangling orchid is deciding the right species you wish to select of the hung or mounted orchid. Many ignore this part, but selecting the right one can make a huge difference. Only some orchids can do well when you hang them, so your effort will be completely wasted if you do all the remaining steps on the wrong one.

It would be best to consider a few things before deciding on any orchid for “hanging” purposes. For instance, first, you can select the orchids that prefer to live in a dry environment over those that want overly moist potting soil. It is because it is hard to add lots of water to an orchid when hanging. Furthermore, you should give this factor extra importance if you live in a hot area.

Moreover, you must also consider how you need to pick the ones that have strong and healthy roots. It is because when you put the orchid in a hanging basket, it will initially face many problems, and all of them can be overcome easily if the roots function properly.

Those with shorter or more sensitive root structures cannot survive when you mount them high. When you put them in a basket, they face transplant shock, making the orchid fragile within a week.

Do you want to know the hanging orchid names? The ones we suggest are Phalaenopsis, Vanda, Dendrobiums, and Cattleya. You can pick these because they fulfill all the criteria or even the factors discussed above and are easy to grow. And even out of them, Phalaenopsis is the popular choice as they have the most beautiful flowers.

2. Place Them in the Right Location

After deciding which orchid species to grow, the next stop is finding the best spot. In this choice, you can also hang it outdoors or indoors, because where you want to grow depends on your preference. Just ensure the spot you choose gets plenty of indirect light because this is a key  requirement for orchids to thrive.

If you hang the orchids inside, temperature, humidity, and lightning can be controlled easily. Therefore, the chances of success are way high. Keeping your orchid inside is better, especially if you are a beginner and have yet to grow orchids in hanging baskets.

3. Gather All the Equipment

Before you gear up for mounting an orchid, you should gather all the tools and materials you will need first. The main one is gloves because you cannot risk an allergic reaction during the process. You should also have sharp scissors and a knife. Make sure they are sterilized before you see them, and for sterilization, we suggest you soak them in a 10 percent bleach solution, and that will be good enough.

Now, since this is a hanging orchid, it means that we need something to hang the pot or basket; in this case, it would be great if you do not go for anything fancy and use a simple wire instead. We know the wire won’t look very charming, but it will last longer and is cost-effective.

Some people make the mistake of using macrame twine or braided thread and here the issue is that they won’t last long and deteriorate with time. The orchid can fall after a few months if you use them; as a result, you can try to use simple wire saves a lot of room too.

It would be best to go for an affordable planter or some baskets. However, you should note that it is also not a good idea for beginners to invest in anything expensive. You can gain experience by growing an orchid first and then re-do the process with a costly planter, pot, or basket, and then the next ones would be continued off in different ways.

Some filler will also be necessary to conceal the presence of pots for a smooth appearance. Furthermore, you may also need a hook or attachment to keep the basket in place, and that is it. This is all you need to mount an orchid successfully, but if you have been gardening for some time, you may already have most of the above items. Gather the rest of them and buckle up for some amazing experience.

4. Start With the Base

Now, what you need to do is to lay the ground for the orchids to hang properly, and you should not add any material you like. The decision about it depends on the types of hanging orchids as well, to get the best out of them, and usually, most of these plants are acid-loving. That is why we suggest you try sphagnum or Spanish moss to be placed around it.

On another note, you should also mix some coconut fiber into the bottom of the basket. The reason is that this fiber has excellent water retention properties, so the orchids won’t feel water stressed. If you want to avoid mixing coconut fiber, add more water every time, and that would be good too.

Pack it down firmly and evenly if you use sphagnum or Spanish moss. The reason why it would be best to do this that the whole orchid will rest on top of it. Furthermore, ensure it is thick enough to support the orchid’s weight. If you keep it thin, it will break down easily with time.

5. Remove the Orchid From Its Pot

After readying the sphagnum moss, the next step is to remove the plants from the original pots. For this, add some water so that the soil becomes loose, and make sure that after doing so, you are able to pull the stem up or invert the pot and shake it.

Many experts recommend using the same pot your orchid is already in. Although using the same pot may be unattractive, we must change its pot before we risk the plant’s life. Also, a pot can make it simpler to water the plant and apply herbicides or insecticides when needed. As a result, you can always put stickers or color the pot to make it eye-appealing.

No matter what you choose, cleaning the orchid roots in this step is also important, and it would be best to soak them in water first to soften their tissues. Then, remove dirt from them using a paper towel or any soft material.

Ensure you don’t apply pressure, or the roots can get damaged; just as you clean the roots, you will see a few permanent spots on them. Also, some roots will feel dead and look tan in appearance; you can cut them off.

Simply, go ahead and prune the discolored and dead roots immediately using sterilized scissors or a sharp knife. Next, mist the roots in a three percent hydrogen peroxide solution in a spray bottle. Doing this will get rid of harmful fungi and bacteria residing on them.

6. Put the Orchid in a Frame or Planter

In the next step, set the orchid pot in the metal frame. If you have purchased a big planter, you can place more than one orchid there, of course, if they are small, in this case.

However, if you want both to look beautiful, place only those orchids at the same height. When these orchids become big, get another planter, so they don’t feel stressed. Also, make sure the orchids are stable inside the metal frame because you don’t want them to be weak and trip by a simple gust of wind.

7. Fill In Orchid Bark

When you put an orchid in a planter and see some gaps left, we suggest you fill them with orchid bark. It is because it improves drainage and makes the potting medium aerated. Note that when this matter is taken care of, it will help the orchid deal with the early stress it will face when you mount it on a basket.

If you have some sphagnum moss left, add it too, to trap in the moisture for the roots. Also, it would be best if you filled these gaps because water can stay in them, which can encourage fungus to attack, and remember that this fungus can be deadly for orchids if you let it grow.

8. Mount the Orchid With Care

You have to tie the wire with a nail or anything firm from one end and use the other to hang the basket or planter. Make sure the basket is stable and not tilted to any side, and simply, this is due to the fact that it would slightly become imbalanced and this can cause lots of complications for the orchid.

As a result, adding water can move to one side, making it overly moist, while the other will stay dry. This can cause both overwatering and underwatering situations at the same time. Similarly, you will face problems with fertilization too, as root burn is common in orchids that are hung unevenly in the basket. Plus, the air circulation will get affected too, which can impact the humidity levels around the plant.

People are now also more into hanging an orchid upside down, which is quite a hassle. If you have seen them, you must have considered doing this too, but we don’t recommend hanging orchids upside down because this can hurt them.

9. Add Sufficient Water

After mounting an orchid, the next step is to water it carefully. When people grow orchids, they don’t usually know how much water to add. They end up with either overwatering or underwatering, which can cause irreversible damage to orchids, as they would begin to weaken. Furthermore, you will have to take extra care of mounted orchids because they are hung high, which is against their natural state.

In general, to avoid watering problems, we recommend letting the potting medium dry first and then spraying the water and misting all the parts. Typically, you will have to do this twice a week.

You can also pour water if you don’t mount orchids high, but think about it once more because the chances of overwatering are more. If you don’t want to mist orchids, put two to three ice cubes in the pot/basket and let them melt. The water will be available for them slowly, which your orchids will love.

10. Fertilize Every Month

No orchid can stay healthy without a dose of fertilizer; as a result, we recommend that you would try commercially made “orchid fertilizers” as they are the most suited. The dosage instructions are printed on the bottle or box; follow them properly to avoid problems.

If you don’t want to buy orchid’s special fertilizer, you can add any other. Even though a number of enthusiasts would recommend fertilizing the orchids once a month at least, you may also try to divide the fertilization doses. Instead of applying one big dose after every month, you should divide it by four and add one every week, but this will keep the roots busy, making nutrient uptake more optimal.

11. Keep Checking the Basket and Potting Medium Condition

It is super important you keep checking both the basket and the potting medium in it. These two things can break down with time, which can damage orchids. As a result, when you observe both of them regularly, you can find the cracks early and avoid the problem by repotting the orchid.

There are some hanging orchids care measures that you should be aware of. They are so significant that they are part of the growing journey. The health of the orchids depends on them, so you should give them their due importance and follow each of them keenly.

Ensure orchids receive indirect light for more than five hours to stay healthy, because they like humidity to be between 55 and 70 percent. You can mist them or keep a water-filled tray near them if it is low. It would be best to use a humidifier to deal with the low humidity.

If the humidity exceeds their need, prune off extra leaves and add water in controlled quantities. Insects also love to eat orchids; if you see them roaming, spray neem oil solution. Try cayenne pepper spray, as insects hate the spicy scent. Applying commercially made chemical insecticides is best if you see many insects in your garden, this is a great way that you would keep your plant strong and away from any harm.

If you see any part discoloring, then cut it off with scissors, and make sure that the rest of the plant is healthy. That’s the whole orchid care, and if you stick to these points, you will never face problems with the basket orchid.

Conclusion

Growing orchids on baskets are easy if you know the steps. In this article, we explained these steps and how a beginner can do them without facing any complications. Look at the key takeaways of the whole article before you set on the journey to grow hanging or mounting orchids.

• Choose orchid species that can tolerate harshness, like Phalaenopsis, Vanda, or Cattleya.
• The orchid root system should have access to sphagnum or Spanish moss and bark chips as they help them manage transplant shock.
• Use a top-quality basket and make sure the orchid sits balanced in it.
• Hang the basket with care. Make sure it doesn’t tilt.
• Focus on timely water application, nutrient doses, and different care measures for a healthier orchid.

Now, you know how to grow an orchid in a hanging basket. It feels exciting. So, stop looking for hanging orchids for sale ads and start growing your own.