As is known to us, one of the most commonly cultivated houseplants is the orchid. Actually it is easy to study
how to care for an orchid plant as long as it has a suitable environment. This article will give you some tips for cultivating orchids indoors.
How can I Care For An Orchid Plant? It is quite simple after you study how to cultivate them in a suitable way. According to variety of the orchids, their colors and sizes may vary from one another, which makes them have the function to form excellent accent plantings to nearly home decor. Once their elementary necessities such as light, temperature, and humidity are satisfied, they need little care.
Tips For Cultivating Orchids
For most orchids, a moist and well-draining environment is quite essential. Here some growing media for orchid are recommended, such as redwood or fir bark, sphagnum peat moss, rocks, cork, charcoal, sand, potting soil, etc. An elementary mix for cultivating orchids is made up of coarse perlite, fir bark, and sphagnum moss. Charcoal may also be added but this is not compulsory. Generally speaking, the level of bark chosen is in accordance with the type of orchid cultivated. For example, coarse bark is employed when cultivating phalaenopsis orchids, medium bark for cattleyas and fine bark for young orchid plants.
Shallow planting is another requirement for orchids. Orchid should be placed in an east to south-facing window or room. Remember: orchids have the preference to bright and indirect light. If the light is not ample, their blooms will be poor. Nevertheless, if the light is too much, their leaves may be scorched.
The third thing you should pay attention to is the temperature. Although throughout orchids' normal cultivating season, they can stand cooler or warmer temperatures, it is important to make the temperature of their place 15 degrees cooler at night than at day so as to make them bloom abundantly.
Care Tips For Indoor Orchids
Sufficient water is needed for orchids but they may be allowed to dry out between waterings. One method to know whether you need to water them is to insert your finger 1 inch into its growing media. If it is wet, you needn't water them; otherwise, you give them certain water.
Proper humidity is another factor for indoor orchid plants, which should be between 50 to 70%. If you want to enhance the humidity, you can set a water-filled saucer or tray of pebbles under orchids, spray them every day, or use a humidifier.
You should fertilize orchids weekly or bi-weekly when they are growing, and change the frequency to monthly or bi-monthly when they are mature. Once the orchid go dormant, you should stop fertilize them.
The last thing you should care is to prevent your orchids form being attacked by pests or disease. Once these problems appear, you should employ suitable measures, such as washing them or using insecticidal soap.
