Making it Simple: How to Care for Orchids
Of all the flowering plants in the world, the orchid is definitely a fan favorite. The orchid is a flower of great magnificence and which brings about a universal message of love and beauty. Many people mistakenly assume that orchids must be grown outdoors or in a greenhouse to survive, but this is not true at all.
As long as you are aware of how to care for orchids, you can have great success and if you are new to the world of orchids it would be wise for you to start off with one that is easy to flower and less demanding, such as the Phalaenopsis or Cymbidium.
How to Care for Orchids
There are a few issues in particular which you must take seriously into consideration when it comes to learning how to care for orchids. Watering, as with any other type of plant, is one of the first and most important aspects. You should only water your orchid when the soil becomes dry, and although it can be hard to tell just by looking at the soil you can tell by the weight of the plant.
Lift the plant up and if it feels lighter then the soil is dry and if it is heavier then there is enough water remaining in the soil to hold off.
Light is also very important for the health of your orchid plant, and orchids require natural not direct light in order to strive. When learning how to care for orchids one of the best tips you can keep in mind is to keep the plant out during the early morning hours when the sunlight is not as harsh but then take it out of the sun during midday hours because the UV rays of the sun will be too strong and result in burning the plant.
You also need to understand about potting medium when learning how to care for orchids. Without the proper potting medium your plant will not receive the nutrition that it needs to strive. There are various premade orchid potting mixes which are available at most garden centers and nurseries, and which are specially designed to provide the components that will offer the most nutrition to your plant.
You also always have the option of making your own potting medium by simply mixing components such as osmunda fiber, ground tree fern stem and ground bark with peat and vermiculite.
