Tips On Planting Orchids

Orchids are one of the most exquisite plants on this planet. They have a different kind of beauty and the flowers that bloom from them are equally stunning. That is why is you want to grow your orchids well, you need to understand every aspect of planting orchids.

She was very crazy about orchids but really didn’t have the adequate knowledge needed to successfully care and grow one. She was knowledgeable with most plants but not orchids. What she did was plant her orchid in rich potting soil, only to watch it die. She had to learn thru this that soil requirement for orchid is different form other plants. Orchids aren’t really that different from houseplants. Well, there is the difference with their growing needs, of course.

Wild Orchids
Epiphytes are popular when people choose to grow orchids. Tree trunks and tree branches are the common places where epiphytes grow. A lot of rainwater is stored in the epiphytes absorbent roots. While water is store inside, outside, the roots are dry. This protects the roots form fungi and bacteria and thwart rotting. The problem with regular potting soil is that it holds water for a long time and dos not give time for roots to grow.

Medium
The purpose of the medium is to provide upright support to the orchid plant and to provide a bit of moisture in between watering/s. There are many potting materials for you to choose from when it comes to planting orchids. Some of the materials that you can utilize to hold your orchid are tree barks, charcoal, coconut husks and moss. Cork slabs are mainly helpful in mounting orchids. However, for orchids that need to be moist most of the time, like Pleurothallids, moss is suggested. Always check with an expert for the best materials to use with your kind of orchid.

Orchid Repotting
When an orchid is newly acquired, give I time to adjust to the factors in its new environment-light, humidity, temperature. Give it 5 to 7 days. If the pot that it came along with has good drainage it should be ok for a year or two. Repotting is important because organic materials rot and this will rot your orchid roots as well. After a considerable time period (a year or two given that your orchid’s pot has good drainage) the old medium will start to break down and become somewhat like soil, suffocating the roots and not letting them dry out which will cause the start of rotting. Planting orchids should be an easy task as long as you are armed with knowledge. Just remember patience and perseverance will take to a deeper understanding of the orchid species.

Kate Lewis is an expert in orchid growing and loves to share her love and passion for nature’s most diverse plants with others. Benefit from her professional advice about planting orchidsand know exactly what to do to have the orchids you have always dreamed of with her popular free eCourse, available at http://www.orchidinformation.com