Orchid care is important for orchids. Orchids, easily recognizable by their long stems and exotic brightly colored blooms, symbolize many things like beauty and love, strength, luxury, and power. They’re incredibly elegant, make great gifts, and can enhance the beauty of any space.
And what’s great is that orchid care for beginners is easy, so if you have the proper growing conditions, it won’t be difficult to learn how to care for your orchid plants.
Want to grow beautiful, long-lasting orchids that will wow you and your guests? Keep reading for 10 tips of orchid care for beginners.
10 Tips of Orchid Care for Beginners
Taking care of orchid plants is easy if you know what you’re doing. Here are some basic indoor orchid growing tips that every beginner should know.
1. Know Your Orchid
There are nearly 30,000 species of orchids in the world, spanning across six continents, so orchid care for beginners requires knowing about the kind of orchid you’re growing. If possible, you should know the exact name of your orchid, and if you can’t find that information out you should at least know what type of orchid it is.
If you don’t have a tag or are unsure, you can bring your plant to a local orchid society to have it identified. By knowing what type of orchid you have, you’ll have able to find out the basic light, water, and temperature needs for your orchid.
2. Provide Proper Lighting for Your Orchid
When it comes to growing orchids indoor, providing them with the right amount of sunlight is essential. It’s also important to know that the kind of lighting you need to provide your orchid depends on the type of orchid they are.
Medium-high light orchids grow best in locations that are bright but not in direct sunlight. Medium-low light orchids do best near east-or west-facing windows with no direct sunlight. And low light orchids do best when the light is blocked by trees or neighboring buildings.
3. Grow Your Orchids at the Proper Temperature
Like light, the temperature an orchid blooms best at depends on the type of orchid you’re growing. Orchids are generally divided into three temperature categories
- Warm-growing orchids (like temperatures between 70?F and 85?F)
- Intermediate orchids (like temperatures between 65?F and 75?)
- Cool-growing orchids (like temperatures below 70?F)
Most orchids like a 10-15F drop in temperatures at night. What’s nice though is that most orchids grow well at the same temperature as other houseplants, so you won’t have to treat them differently than your other houseplants.
4. Provide Your Orchids With the Proper Humidity
Most orchids like the humidity in a room to be about 70%. This is a lot more humid than most homes, so you’ll need to take some extra steps to provide your plants with this amount of humidity.
You can do this by doing things like misting your plants with a spray bottle. This is especially helpful for plants with aerial roots growing out of the pot. You can also set up a humidity tray, which will provide some extra humidity for the plant.
5. Water Your Orchid Properly
When it comes to orchid care for beginners, you must avoid overwatering it, as that is the number one killer of orchids. Orchids are usually potted in bark mix rather than potting soil, so they need to be watered differently. You should never allow your orchid plants to sit in still water, and you should never water them at night, as that encourages bacterial and fungal diseases and allows the water to stagnate.
When you water your orchids, make sure you do it thoroughly, and research your orchid species in advance to know how much water it needs. If you’re not sure if you should water your orchid or not, however, it’s best to hold off. In general, how frequently you water your orchid depends on the following things:
- The type of orchid
- The type of pot
- The type of potting mix
- The air temperature
- The humidity
- The level of light
By considering these factors and educating yourself about your orchid, you can master this main rule of orchid care for beginners.
6. Grow Orchids That Like Your Growing Environment
Your orchids will grow best in an environment most like their native one. So when you’re considering an orchid type, you should think about what species are best suited for your home, and how much effort you’re willing to put into accommodating their needs.
The great thing about orchid is that there are many kinds of them, so there is bound to be one that matches your environment. You’ll be setting yourself up for failure if you buy an orchid that likes the opposite kind of environment that you can provide them.
7. Fertilize Your Orchids Properly
An important part of orchid care for beginners is fertilizing your orchids properly. In the wild, orchids get very fertilization, but they can actually grow well and vigorously if you fertilize them. You should know that orchids are very sensitive to salt, so you should avoid fertilizers that include them.
When you fertilize you should do it during the growing season, and only use the fertilizer at half the strength that’s listed on the package. You should also only do it once a week when you water the plant, as this will ensure that orchid will absorb the fertilizer.
8. Invest in Proper Care for Your Orchids
One of the most important parts of orchid care for beginners is investing in the quality potting materials needed for success. You should try to buy from a professional orchid vendor and ensure that it will be potted in a proper mix. By doing this you can make sure your orchid is healthy and ready to grow in your home.
9. Ask Questions Before You Buy
When buying your orchids, you should ask the buyer everything you need to know about your plant. They can tell you what conditions the plant has seen recently, and any special considerations that your plant may need. The buyer is more likely to be able to answer your questions about your orchid species than the Internet, so you’ll be better prepared if you ask them.
10. Be Aware of Any Pests or Health Problems
As most orchids are from tropical regions, they’ve evolved to fight off tropical bugs, so they may not be as suited for dealing with bugs that live in our temperate regions. The key to fighting off pests and diseases is providing your orchid with the proper lighting, humidity, and temperature to keep them strong enough to ward them off. Also, regularly inspect your orchid for any bugs or insects and if you’re struggling speak to an orchid expert to help you!
Final Thoughts
With their vibrant color and tropical style, Orchids may a great addition to any home. By following these 10 tips, you can master orchid care for beginners and ensure your orchid will live a long and healthy life.
Are you looking to bring some beautiful orchids home? The good thing is there are fantastic orchids available online, and many of them ship free! Let us know what you think of this orchid of the month in the comments!