beginners guide for Orchid Care

Where to begin is the key question asked by new orchid enthusiasts. This beginners guide will attempt to solve this dilemma. It is important you feel comfortable about growing orchids after reading this brief article.
Three of the most popular beginners orchids are: PHALAENOPSIS, CYMBIDIUMS, and ODONTOGLOSSUMS.
PHALAENOPSIS
These plants have a small area of growth.
PHALAENOPSIS are ideal houseplants for warm rooms.
These orchid plants have long-lasting flowers in a wide range of colors and patterns. PHALAENOPSIS orchids are characterized by large, rounded flowers giving it its common name, "Moth Orchids".
Blooming season takes place year round. The plant will reflower from the same stem several times.
PHALAENOPSIS CARE
Moth Orchids or Phalaenopsis are very popular as houseplants. They make excellent indoor plants because they can tolerate the drier heat of central heating as well as being close to perpetually flowering.
They do not have bulbs like other orchids but instead grow with fleshy leaves. New leaves form from the central crown. They also produce a lot of aerial roots that come over the side of the pot as well as into the bark compost.
RE-FLOWERING:
Phalaenopsis will bloom for several months at a time if kept in a warm room with moderate light.
Water the plant sparingly from the top, letting the pot drain well. This may be done every one or two weeks depending on how warm the room is and whether the plant is growing or not. Take care not to overwater and avoid water collecting in the centre.
Check on the roots through a clear pot.
The plant will continue to make new buds from the end of the stem with the flowers gradually opening in succession, providing an impressive show. Along the length of the main stem there are many eyes or nodes. Before all the flowers have died and the sap is still rising, cut the stem right off above the highest node. If it is not cut until the flowers have dropped, then the stem may start to die back.
The node will then soon start to produce a side branch with more flower buds. When these have all flowered, repeat by cutting above the next node down the main stem and so on. When the base of the stem is reached or it fails to re-bloom, cut it off at the base. Occasionally a new plant may grow from the stem, allow the new plant to grow to a strong size with a few leaves and roots, and then gently remove and pot it up in fine bark.
TEMPERATURE: Moth Orchids thrive in the warmth of most modern homes, keep a minimum temperature on winter nights of 65 degrees F, with a daytime maximum of 85 degrees F.
LIGHT: Keep the plants shaded, direct summer sun can scorch the leaves. Give your orchids as much light as possible during the dark winter months.
WATERING: Keep the free-draining bark compost moist year round. When watering the plant, remove it from any cover pot or saucer, pour water through the pot and then let it drain before placing it back in a decorative planter. Never let the pot stand in water. Allow the compost to dry out slightly and the pot to become lighter before watering again. Avoid water collecting in the crown of the plant as this can cause the plant to rot. Add a little orchid fertilizer to the water once every 2 or 3 waterings, (approximately every 10-14 days) year round.
CYMBIDIUM
These orchids are ideal for a cool light location.
Place them outdoors in a shaded spot for the summer, and remember to keep them well watered.
Cymbidiums flower every winter and spring for 6 to 8 weeks, with tall sprays of blooms in a wide range of colors. Cymbidium orchids are well known for use as corsage orchids.
These orchid plants can grow large in time.
CYMBIDIUM CARE
The Cymbidium orchids are very popular, their showy flowers lasting many weeks. They are best grown in a cool location and placed out of doors in the summer. They are mostly winter and spring flowers although there are summer and autumn varieties. Standard varieties grow into large plants with huge flowers and bulbs. Miniature or compact types will remain manageable. A cymbidium should be re-potted in the spring after flowering when it has outgrown its pot, about every two or three years.
RE-FLOWERING: Keep these orchids cool and light in winter and outdoors in summer to help them re-flower. Keeping them too warm can prevent blooming. When the blooms have dies, trim the stem off right down to the base. The next set of flowers will be produced from the next pseudobulb the plant creates.
TEMPERATURE: Cymbidiums need a minimum temperature of 45 degrees F in winter. You will need to give them a sufficient change in climate from the warmer summer, which should not exceed a maximum of 85 degrees F. Keeping your cymbidiums in shade will satisfy this condition.
LIGHT: Keep your plants shaded from bright, direct summer sun as this will scorch the leaves. Give your plant as much light as possible during the cold winter months.
WATERING: Keep the free-draining bark compost moist with frequent watering in the spring and summer, which is the main growing season. When watering the plant, remove it from covered pots or saucers, pour water through the pot and then let it drain before placing it back in a decorative planter. Never let the pot stand in water. Allow the compost to dry out slightly and the pot to become lighter before watering again. Add a small amount of orchid fertilizer to the water once every two or three waterings, approximately every 10-14 days from March through September.
ODONTOGLOSSUM
ODONTOGLOSSUM orchids are good compact houseplants when kept in a cool area.
Shade them from summer sun, keep ODONTOGLOSSUM plants indoors year round.
They bloom every 9 or 10 months for four to six weeks.
They have a wide range of colors and patterns from sprays of numerous tiny flowers up to several large, showy blooms on a single stem depending on the variety.
ODONTOGLOSSUM orchids are very popular as they have a wide variety of colors, shapes, and patterns. Ranging from large showy flowers on compact stems to tall branching spikes of many tiny bright blooms. The plants are compact, which makes them easy to cope with in your home as windowsill orchids. Often the plants will flower twice a year or more as they increase in size and have growths at different stages around the plant. They should be repotted when your ODONTOGLOSSUM has outgrown its pot, about every two or three years. Follow the Cymbidium repotting instructions above for Odontoglossums.

RE-FLOWERING: Keep your ODONTOGLOSSUM orchids cool and in moderate light year round, they should reflower easily on the season's completed bulb. Keeping them too warm can prevent blooming. When the blooms have dies, trim the stem off right down to the base. The next set of flowers will be produced from the next pseudobulb the plant creates.
TEMPERATURE: Odontoglossum hybrids need a minimum of 50 degrees F in winter to give them a sufficient change in conditions from the warmer summer. Remember a maximum of 85 degrees F is near the highest temperature this plant will withstand.

LIGHT: Keep them shaded from bright, direct summer sun this will scorch the leaves. Give your ODONTOGLOSSUM as much light as possible during the cold winter months.

WATERING: Keep the free-draining bark compost moist with frequent watering in the spring and summer, which is the main growing season. When watering the plant, remove it from all covered pots or saucers, pour water through the pot and then let it drain before placing it back in a decorative planter. Never let the pot stand in water. Allow the compost to dry out slightly and the pot to become lighter before watering again. Add a bit of orchid fertilizer to the water once every two or three waterings, approximately every ten to 14 days from March through September.

Gallup & Stribling This article is a guide for orchid beginners who want to care for orchid plants. This guide contains tips on watering, temperature, lighting, and plant food.

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