BEGINNER'S
GUIDE TO GROWING ORCHIDS
The following
are 3 of the most popular Beginner's Orchids that
we recommend:
PHALAENOPSIS,
CYMBIDIUMS AND ODONTOGLOSSUMS
For
culture on other orchids click
here
PHALAENOPSIS
- Compact habit of growth.
- Ideal houseplant for warm room.
- Very long-lasting flowers in a wide range of colours
and patterns, large, rounded flowers giving it its common
name "Moth Orchid".
- Blooming season lasts all the year and will reflower
from the same stem several times.
PHALAENOPSIS CARE
One of the most popular orchids grown as houseplants are
the Moth Orchids or Phalaenopsis. They make good indoor
plants because they can tolerate the drier heat of central
heating as well as being almost perpetually flowering.
They do not have bulbs like other orchids but instead grow
with fleshy leaves, new ones formed from the central crown.
They also produce a lot of aerial roots that come over the
side of the pot as well as into the bark compost.
RE-FLOWERING:
1. Phalaenopsis will
bloom for many months at a time if kept in a warm room
with diffused light.
Water sparingly from the top, letting the pot drain
well. This may be every 1-2 weeks depending on how warm
the room is and whether the plant is growing or not.
Take care not to overwater and avoid water collecting
in the centre.
Check on the roots through the clear pot.
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| 2. The plant will continue to make
more buds from the end of the stem, the flowers gradually
opening in succession, giving an impressive show. Along
the length of the main stem there are many eyes or nodes.
Before all the flowers have died and the sap is still
rising, cut the stem right off above the highest node.
If it is not cut until the flowers have dropped then
the stem may start to die back. |
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| 3. The node will then soon start
to produce a side branch with more flower buds. When
these have all flowered, repeat by cutting above the
next node down the main stem and so on. When the base
of the stem is reached or it fails to re-bloom for you,
then cut off at the base. Occasionally a new plant (keiki)
may grow from the stem, allow this to get to a strong
size with a few leaves and roots and then gently remove
and pot up in fine bark. |
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TEMPERATURE: Moth Orchids love the warmth of most
modern homes, keep a minimum on winter nights of 18°C
(65°F), with a daytime maximum of 30°C(85°F).
LIGHT: Keep shaded form bright, direct summer sun
as this can scorch the leaves. Give as much light as possible
during the dull winter months.
WATERING: Keep the free-draining
bark compost moist all the year round. When watering the
plant, remove it from any cover pot or saucer, pour water
through the pot and then let it drain before placing it
back in a decorative planter. Never let the pot stand in
water. Allow the compost to dry out slightly and the pot
to become lighter before watering again. Avoid watering
collecting in the crown of the plant as this can cause a
rot. Add a little orchid fertiliser to the water once every
2 or 3 waterings (approx. every 10-14 days) all year round.
REPOTTING
INFORMATION CLICK HERE
CYMBIDIUM
- Ideal for cool, light position.
- Place outdoors in a shaded place for the summer and
remember to keep well watered.
- Flowers every winter/spring for 6-8 weeks, with tall
sprays of blooms in a wide range of colours, well known
for use as corsage orchids.
- Can grow large in time.
CYMBIDIUM CARE
The Cymbidium orchids are ever popular, their showy flowers
lasting many weeks. They are best grown in a cool conservatory
and placed out of doors in the summer. They are mostly winter
and spring flowering although there are also summer and
autumn varieties too. Standard varieties grow into large
plants with large flowers and bulbs. Miniature or compact
types will stay more manageable. A plant should be re-potted
in the spring after flowering when it has outgrown its pot,
about every 2-3 years.
RE-FLOWERING:
Keep these orchids cool and light in winter and outdoors
in summer to help re-flowering. Keeping them too warm can
prevent blooming. When the blooms have dies, trim the stem
off right down to the base. The next set of flowers will
be produced from the next pseudobulb the plant makes.
TEMPERATURE: Cymbidiums need a minimum of 8°C
(45°F) in winter to give them a sufficient change in
conditions from the warmer summer, when a maximum of 30°C
(85°F) is adequate.
LIGHT: Keep shaded form bright, direct summer sun
as this can scorch the leaves. Give as much light as possible
during the dull winter months.
WATERING: Keep the free-draining bark compost moist
with more frequent watering in the spring and summer, the
main growing season. When watering the plant, remove it
from any cover pot or saucer, pour water through the pot
and then let it drain before placing it back in a decorative
planter. Never let the pot stand in water. Allow the compost
to dry out slightly and the pot to become lighter before
watering again. Add a little orchid fertiliser to the water
once every 2 or 3 waterings (approx. every 10-14 days) from
March to September.
REPOTTING
INFORMATION CLICK HERE
ODONTOGLOSSUM
- Good, compact houseplant in a cool area.
- Shade from summer sun, keep indoors all the year.
- Bloom every 9-10 months for 4-6 weeks.
- Wide range of colours and patterns from sprays of numerous
tiny flowers up to several large, showy blooms on a single
stem depending on the variety.
ODONTOGLOSSUM ALLIANCE CARE
This group of orchids is very popular as they have such
a wide range of colours, shapes and patterns. Ranging from
large showy flowers on compact stems to tall branching spikes
of many tiny bright blooms. The plants are compact in habit
so making them easy to cope with in the home grown as windowsill
orchids. Often the plants will flower twice a year or more
as they increase in size and have growths at different stages
around the plant. They should be repotted when it has outgrown
its pot, about every 2-3 years. Follow Cymbidium
repotting instructions for Odontoglossums.
RE-FLOWERING: Keep these orchids
cool and light all the year and they should reflower easily
on the season's completed bulb. Keeping them too warm can
prevent blooming. When the blooms have dies, trim the stem
off right down to the base. The next set of flowers will
be produced from the next pseudobulb the plant makes.
TEMPERATURE: Odontoglossum hybrids need a minimum
of 10°C (50°F) in winter to give them a sufficient
change in conditions from the warmer summer, when a maximum
of 30°C (85°F) is adequate.
LIGHT: Keep shaded form bright, direct summer sun
as this can scorch the leaves. Give as much light as possible
during the dull winter months.
WATERING: Keep the free-draining bark compost moist
with more frequent watering in the spring and summer, the
main growing season. When watering the plant, remove it
from any cover pot or saucer, pour water through the pot
and then let it drain before placing it back in a decorative
planter. Never let the pot stand in water. Allow the compost
to dry out slightly and the pot to become lighter before
watering again. Add a little orchid fertiliser to the water
once every 2 or 3 waterings (approx. every 10-14 days) from
March to September.
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