Everything You Need To Know About Orchid Gardening

The orchid plant grew in the wild for years, in the rainforests. Still, many aficionados of the orchid are leery about trying their hand at growing them. Actually, they can be grown by anyone who spends the time to learn about their needs, and the time to practice proper orchid care.

Orchids are lovely to grow in your home, but you may find that they are easier to care for if you plant them outdoors, or in a greenhouse. Much of this decision will depend on your area's climate, and on the amount of time you have to spend taking care of your orchids.

You might get the most enjoyment from your orchid gardening if you use pots and keep your orchids in the house. Most homes of today are too dry, since we either use a furnace or an air conditioner, depending on the season. You can humidify your orchid plant area with a humidifier or in other ways we'll describe below, to give your orchids the most healthy growing environment you can.

First off, you will want to find just the right place for your orchids. A window is an attractive place to practice orchid care, or you can dedicate an extra room to your plants. Most orchids need some sunlight but not direct sunlight. If you don't have a suitable place in your home now, you can add an orchid plant grow light to your desired area.

You need to make sure that the temperature in your orchid plant room stays constantly above 60 degrees F. The temperature can go higher on those warm summer days, but not lower. If you give your orchid plants some time outdoors on pleasant days, be sure they're back inside before nightfall, if the temperature will fall below 60 overnight.

Adding humidity will be a necessary part of indoor orchid gardening. An easy way to accomplish this is to use a tray with pebbles in it to set each potted orchid plant in. Keep the water level in the tray above the middle of the pebbles all the time. In this way, your orchids can use the water as they need it.

If you want to more closely replicate the weather experienced by wild orchids, you can use a fan to create artificial breezes, like those that blow through the rainforests where orchids thrive in the wild. If your location of choice is a windowsill garden, be sure that it doesn't get too much direct sunlight.

The second place you might look, for your orchid gardening, is a greenhouse. Most orchids can adapt to some rising and falling of temperatures as long as they are within the required range. For the health of each orchid, care must be taken to insure no more than a fifteen degree difference in the temperatures in the day and at night, for them to do their best.

Greenhouse orchids may need more water than those planted inside. During the warmer months of the year, you should water them twice a week. If they are maintaining their moisture level, you can cut down to once a week. If you have experience with other plants in your greenhouse, this may help make your orchid care easier.

Artificial lighting is necessary in some greenhouses. Check the needs of each orchid plant to make sure they get the right amount of light per day - not too much, not too little. Orchids prefer indirect lighting, but some of the individual plants may need partial shade or brighter light.

There is one more obvious place to enjoy orchid gardening - in your own outdoor garden. If the area where you live is damp and moderate in temperature, orchid care will probably be relatively easy for you. If your garden area has trees in it as well, this will give each orchid plant the chance to grow while attaching itself to trees, as they do in the rainforests. This helps them to mature in a way that is more natural for them.

The orchid plant can be grown even in colder areas, although they come originally from a warmer climate. As long as you take them inside on colder days, you can let them enjoy the great outdoors when the weather is milder.

Orchid gardening is not as difficult as you might have thought. Give them some TLC and watch them grow!

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