Orchid Care: The Right and Necessary Givens To Grow Them

Orchid care is super important for every gardener to know about the different measures if they want their orchids to stay problem-free. Lucky for you, you don’t now have to watch dozens of videos or read a book to know about them.

Just continue reading this article as we explore all the care measures for orchids you should know right now. Keep reading this article to know all the details and ways to avoid them.

Giving The Right Orchid Care and Ways to Grow Them Well

To give the right orchid care and grow them well, make sure to place them in the right pots, and place durable potting mix. Prune when needed, adjust the surrounding humidity, and water it carefully. Ensure to fertilize appropriately, provide the right light, and keep insects away and repot it.

You should follow many orchid care points because all these add up and give it the right climate. The most important ones are choosing the right pot, strengthening the soil, providing optimal lighting conditions, cleaning the garden, and ensuring the orchids stay free of pests.

– Grow Them in The Right Pots

Choosing the right pot is one of the most significant things when growing an orchid. It is because choosing too small or too large containers can lead to lots of problems. Let’s discuss the small pot problems first.

When you grow an orchid in a small pot, its roots will not have space to extend. This will weaken the root structure, and the whole orchid will show stunted growth. These beautiful plants also produce small flowers with very little aesthetic value, and it would happen when the environment is one in which it would successfully establish, so smaller pots will not do, in this case.

Similarly, bigger pots are a problem too. The orchid roots find enough space to stretch properly in such containers. The complications arise when you add water to them. Since they are big, most gardeners pour more water than the orchids need, and this causes waterlogging, which is harmful.

When the water stays for hours, the roots cannot breathe properly as the oxygen supply gets limited. If the condition persists, the root tissues can even start to die. Bigger pots also cast shade on the base of the stem, which is a common issue that would take place. It means the light does not reach there, so the water floats there for a long time. This can invite fungal diseases like crown rot to attack the orchids, and if the fungal diseases get severe, plants can die as well.

– Durable Potting Mix

Want the orchids to stay colorful? If so, you must ensure the potting medium stays powerful throughout the growing season. Potting media is the main source of orchids to get water and minerals. You should not expect the orchids to show the best growth when weak.

We suggest you add the orchid mix to the soil to make it richer in nutrients. Furthermore, soil aeration could be better if you see big lumps or cracks. To deal with this, plow up the soil, remove the top layer, and add a layer of potting mix. To strengthen it, you can also add bark chips or sphagnum moss to the potting mix.

When it comes to the mixture where it will be living, a key factor is to keep checking the soil pH. Orchids like slightly acidic potting media with a pH of around 6. The roots must feel uncomfortable if it is less than 5.0 or more than 7.5. Suitable soil pH is also critical for nutrient uptake. To bring it back to 6.0, you should apply some treatments.

If the pH is lower than 5.0, add lime to raise it and make it stronger. If it is more than 7.5, add sulfur or wood ash to lower it. You can use pH stripes or a pH meter to know the pH status. pH stripes are cheaper, so they are an automatic choice for most gardeners.

– Prune When Needed

Pruning is an important part of plant care. It is done to improve the air movements and maintain the humidity. When both happen, the chances of a fungal attack drop significantly, and this is due to the way that pruning works, and how the diseased or infected parts would be removed.

To do pruning, you will need sharp scissors or knives, and ensure you sterilize them properly. Cut with any of them right above the node, as we suggest you cut off those stems that are casting shade on others and have no signs of spike formation.

On the other hand, a key feature that you should remember is that when you prune off a stem, remove its leaves and bury them in the soil. We are suggesting this because when these leaves decompose, the soil will become even more nutritious for orchids.

– Adjust the Humidity Around

When growing orchids, you should keep checking the humidity levels around them using a humidity gauge. Proper moisture level in the air is vital for them to stay healthy. Orchids grow best when the humidity level is between 55 and 70 percent, and this is because they are tropical plants, so they like moisture in their surroundings.

Water evaporation will increase if the humidity exceeds the desired range, leading to water stress. To deal with it, you mist the plant regularly to keep the moisture well, place a pebble tray around it, or use a humidifier, which is costly.

But what to do when the humidity level crosses 70 percent? In this situation, experts suggest holding on watering applications and placing orchids a few more inches away from the others. It is done to improve air circulation, which reduces humidity. Furthermore, cutting the closely grown stems and leaves is also a good option.

– Water Carefully

It’s no secret that this plant is one that needs water to grow like other living things. However, adding more or less of it can lead to their death. Therefore, you must follow the right watering method, so that they wouldn’t become infested in any manner.

There are lots of ways to water orchids. Most gardeners prefer to pour the water onto the soil simply. It is also the easiest method as it takes only a few seconds. The problem with simple pouring is that you may end up overwatering.

Therefore, we propose you follow either of these watering methods-water spray and ice cubes. You can get a spray bottle from anywhere and mist water on the orchid leaves, stems, and soil without fear of overwatering.

Place two to three cubes on the soil in the ice cube method and let them melt. This melting water will get absorbed by the roots with time, as they will melt at a slow pace. Note that you should water an orchid only when the soil becomes moisture-less.

– Fertilize Appropriately

You should fertilize orchids after every two weeks if you want them to continue growing. Since they have special nutrient needs, companies have also manufactured special orchid fertilizers. Adding their dose promotes more vegetative growth.

Note that orchids bloom when you stop fertilizer application before the spike formation stage, and this notion is one to remember well. As a result, you should keep applying nutrients after every two weeks until the orchids reach the bud development stage. Then, restart the fertilizer application when the blooming period ends.

– Provide the Right Light

Orchid plants love indirect light for at least six hours, making sure that the light is not directly on it. It is easier for indoor orchids to get this much light, which is why you should place them near a window or any opening, and they will receive the optimal light they need to grow.

The problems are for outdoor orchids, and if there is direct light everywhere, we suggest using a shade cloth to protect the orchids from sunburn, and prolonged damage. Still, growing them indoors is the most recommended by experts.

– Eradicate Weeds Regularly

Weeds are one of the biggest enemies of orchids. They compete with them for resources like nutrients, water, etc., and win most of the time. Furthermore, these weeds can also be the home of harmful insects and diseases. Therefore, you must uproot them whenever you see them.

To eradicate weeds, you can use a shovel and hit their roots. If the weeds are small, uprooting them with your hands will also work. If they keep on growing, then go for weedicide application.

– Keep Looking for Insects

Throughout the year, you will face the problems of insects in your garden. It is a lot more when the season is spring. These insects usually feed on the leaves and roots of the orchids, making them weak. Some of them can even attack orchid flowers too.

The common insects that love to feast on orchids are the mealybugs, aphids, thrips, and scale insects. To deal with them, you should stay prepared because these are the ones that would harm your plant, and of course, you wouldn’t want this.

Always keep neem oil in your gardening cabinet, and whenever you sense the insect infestation is increasing, apply this oil spray on the orchids. You can also use wood ash, sulfur, and baking soda to prevent pests. When the insect population goes out of control, apply chemical insecticides as a last resort.

– Choose the Perfect Specie

If you want to face minimum problems, choose the right orchid varieties or species for growing. The ones that are famous in the USA are the Phalaenopsis orchids/common orchids/Moth orchids or the ludisia, phaius, or the Dendrobium.

Decide which specie or variety to grow according to the climate/area you live in. If you live in cold areas, then go for dendrobiums and cymbidiums. Moth or phalaenopsis is a good choice if the climate stays warm most of the year.

– Repot When Needed

Orchids usually need to be repotted once a year. All the tools in your gardening cabinet should be neat. They should not have any dirt or debris on them, as dirty tools are the home of pathogens. Therefore, whenever you have to use them, sterilize them first.

To know if the time has come for transplanting, look for signs. Orchids need repotting when the roots are way beyond the pothole or have come up from the soil. In addition, the potting medium is breaking, or new growth is slow or happening on one side of the plant.

First, you should get a medium-sized pot and fill it with rich potting soil; then, make sure to invert the pot and massage it slowly and you will see the orchid will come out immediately. Soak the roots in the water and clean any dirt you see. After which, it is important to put the orchid in the new pot and fill the remaining gaps with bark chips or perlite.

Things You Shouldn’t Do When Caring for Orchids

The things that you shouldn’t do when caring for orchids are placing excessive bark chips, and adding fertilizers before bud formation. You shouldn’t use the wrong pesticide application, and select the wrong pots when repotting. Also, don’t spray on the undersides of the leaves and prune the newly growing stems.

– Placing Excessive Bark Chip

Some inexperienced gardeners make the mistake of adding more organic matter, which is mainly bark chips. This makes the soil acidic for orchids, directly impacting their root performance, and the roots will not be able to grow very well. As a result, you must try to avoid getting too excited while adding anything to the soil.

– Adding Fertilizer Dose Before Bud Formation

For smooth orchid blooming, stopping fertilization before the flowering stage is important. Some add nutrients, thinking that it will lead to more flowers. In reality, adding fertilizers boosts vegetative growth and slows down budding. In the end, you will have an orchid with very few flowers, which you would not want after aiming to give it the best care.

– Incorrect Pesticide Application

Correct pesticide or insecticide application is important to eliminate all the annoying insects in the garden. Gardeners usually spray at mid-day, and this is not the correct approach. It would be best to do this early morning, as most insects are in the open now.

Furthermore, it would be best if you sprayed the underside of the leaves too. The reason is that most insects like this spot as they can hide from the light there. To avoid complications, you should also seriously follow all the instructions and precautions printed on the insecticide box or bottle.

– Wrong Pot Selection When Repotting

Orchid pots should be a manageable size. We suggest you go for medium-sized ones as this size suits orchids best. Also, make sure the drainage hole is open when buying one, as water should not stay prolonged in the roots.

Moreover, choose those pots that are made up of the right material. It is actually better if you go for plastic or terracotta pots because the chances of roots getting sticky are much less. Sticky roots usually cause problems when you are repotting the orchid.

– Water Spraying On the Underside of Leaves

You should never spray water on the underside of the leaves. It is because the water droplets are most likely to stay there for a long time, as air passage is low there. This can lead to fungus attacks if you habitually spray the leaves underside every week.

– Pruning Those Stems That Have New growth

Those who know little about pruning often cut those stems with new growths. These growths are important as they make orchids look bright and shiny. Cutting those stems with only a few leaves would be best. That’s all about the wrong things people do while growing an orchid!

Conclusion

All in all, it is significant to follow orchid care tips if you want to see colorful flowers in your garden. Here, we discussed all the essential plant care measures that every orchid gardener should take, let’s have a look at the key points:

• Grow orchids in medium-sized pots to avoid problems.
• Keep the soil healthy by adding organic substances and fertilizers specifically designed for orchids.
• Grow the orchids in those spots where they can get plenty of indirect light.
• Keep checking for pests, weeds, and any undesirable things to protect the plants’ health.

Stick to these suggestions carefully, and your orchids will never face problems. You will experience the fun side of orchid growing– a beautiful plant with stunning flowers!