Three Essential Tips for Growing and Caring for Orchids Indoors
Growing orchids indoors is not difficult but it’s a little more involved than, say, growing a Philodendron indoors. There are numerous tips out there to help the newbie grower and I’m going to pass some on so that you will get a good start in your new hobby of growing indoor orchids.
The number one essential tip for orchids has to do with watering.
Tip # 1: Water orchids correctly:
• Some orchids need more water than others but a good rule of thumb is to water your indoor orchids profusely – really drench them – and then let the water go until they’re ALMOST dry and then drench them again. You can repeat this every 4-6 days on an average.
• To be sure that your orchids are getting enough water you can pick the orchid pot up. The orchid will be heavy right after it is watered and get lighter as potting medium dries.
• Stick a pencil or your finger an inch or two into the potting medium. The medium should feel damp but not wet or soggy. If it feels dry at a depth of ½ to 1 inch, water again.
• Use warm rainwater or purified water. Orchids don’t like cold and they don’t like chlorine, which is mixed in much of our tap water.
Tip # 2: Make sure your orchids get enough light (but not too much):
• Different orchids need different amounts of light. You can find out about your own orchid doing research. But there are certain rules of thumb to follow.
• Orchids like light that comes from the south, west or east. They don’t particularly like direct light so covering your window with a gauzy curtain can help diffuse the light.
• Orchids that are getting too much sun will sunburn, sometimes having yellow spots on their leaves. Move them slowly away from the sunlight.
• Orchids that are getting too little light will have dark green leaves. Move them closer to the sunlight.
• If you don’t have enough sunlight in your home, you can hang fluorescent bulbs above your orchids. Fluorescent bulbs are great sources of light for indoor orchids.
• Clues to light requirements: Orchids with long, narrow leaves often need stronger light than orchids with soft, wide leaves.
Tip # 3: Orchids have different potting requirements than other indoor plants:
• Orchids cannot grow in regular houseplant potting soil. Orchids have different requirements, depending on the type of orchid, but in general they need a mixture that has medium to large pieces of different materials so that air can circulate around the roots of orchids – the mix needs to retain some water, and allow air circulation.
• The potting medium should be a mixture of inorganic and organic materials. You can buy ready mix materials at garden stores. You can mix your own from a variety of materials available where you live.
• Potting mixes include some of the following organic materials: Sphagnum moss, fir bark, redwood bark, tree fern fiber and even sometimes packing peanuts made out of cornstarch!
• Potting mixes also include some of the following inorganic materials: charcoal, perlite, lava rock and vermiculite.
After awhile, you will become your own expert on growing indoor orchids. You will know the needs and wants of your own orchids and how to provide them. In the meantime, I hope that the tips above helped!
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