GROWING ORCHIDS

Orchids were the darlings of the Victorian era growers.� Over one hundred years ago, crazed collectors could not get enough of these new, elegant, tropical blooms.� The large exotic blossoms of the Cattleya orchid have been especially prized through the years, as the orchid of choice for those special corsage giving and receiving occasions.�

These days, breeding has made the plants much smaller and more windowsill friendly.� This selecting and hybridizing makes it possible for the modern day gardener to grow orchids on windowsills.� Orchids have entered the mainstream of flower culture.� These alluring plants now grow as easily as African violets.�

Most tropical orchids are epiphytes, air plants that cling to trees in their steamy home ranges.� Orchids only use trees for support.� The orchids are not parasites, but derive their nutrients from the rainwater, air, and debris that filter down through the leafy branch-tops of their host trees in their natural habitat.� Because of this growing pattern, they are grown at home in tree bark specially formulated for orchids; not in soil.�

Some cling to open wooden baskets or slabs of bark.� You might find some orchids for sale growing in a peat-based media.� Since peat holds water, this can lead to overwatering by an amateur grower.� Water needs to flow through the pot.� Roots cannot stand to be kept wet.� They rot.� So-called orchid bark is still the best medium for most orchids.� Healthy orchid roots are bright white and often climb out of the pot.� This is normal.� If the whole plant starts to go over the edge, then it's time to transplant to a larger pot.

The bark mix also degrades over time, creating a problem with drainage.� It breaks down into soil-like compost, compacting and holding too much water.� Most orchids need repotting every couple of years; two to three years is the recommended length of time between potting.

Orchids also require a high humidity environment, higher than found inside most homes.� To add moisture to the air, add a humidifier to the growing area. �Or, you can mist the plants every day. �You can also supply extra humidity by setting the pots of orchids on gravel in plastic or glass saucers.� Keep water in the gravel but below the level of the pot bottom.� Water should not touch the pots. �As the water evaporates from below, it envelopes the orchids with the humidity these plants love.

Fertilization is important.� There is very little nutrient value in bark.� A 20-20-20 water-soluble fertilizer is adequate.� Look for one especially formulated for orchids, containing the micronutrients they need.

The rule of thumb is to feed weakly, weekly.� They should be fed while they are growing, which varies with the plant.� A timed-release fertilizer is not recommended because orchids need to have a rest period.� Withhold fertilizer when growth stops.� Do let them rest.

Orchid plants benefit from a summer vacation outdoors.� They can be hung from tree limbs.� Putting them directly into sunlight would severely burn the foliage.� The Cattleyas and Dendrobiums can move into filtered sun as they acclimate to the outdoors.� The Phalaenopses do just fine in more shade.� Shade tolerance is one of the reasons they do so well inside homes.�

Don�t put orchids outdoors until the night temperatures outside are above 50 degrees F.� They can take some temperatures a little lower than that, but that seems to be the safest temperature.�

If your garden is wildlife friendly, insect eating birds will supply a never-ending insect patrol, searching through the bark, often throwing it on the ground.� Consequently, you might need to add more bark when the plants move back indoors, but you can do away with insecticides. �In fact, there are not many insects or diseases that strike orchids, another reason for growing them.�

Move the orchids back inside when the nighttime temperatures are dropping to fifty again.� Morning sunshine, humidity, and cool indoor temperatures are all that�s needed to keep the plants happy and blooming in the windows indoors.� Orchids enjoy temperature fluctuations between daytime and nighttime.� This actually boosts the bloom.

In order to keep all of the flowers facing forward, position them facing the window light until all of the buds open.� If you turn the plant, then your buds will turn back toward the light.� You�ll have some buds going to the left and some going to the right. �You really want Phalaenopsis and Dendrobium blossoms falling in rows and the other orchid flowers all facing forward.� When the last bud opens, then it is safe to turn or move the plant away from the light.

A Phalaenopsis (commonly called a Moth Orchid) would be the orchid to take home first.� They are so easy, they can even be purchased in super markets and home improvement stores. �Cattleyas, the corsage orchids, are not too difficult to grow. �The biggest difficulty is getting enough winter sunlight so that they will set buds and bloom.�

A blue Ascocendra, �Princess Misaka� (a Vanda hybrid) might have been the first blue orchid. �It hangs out in an open wooden basket with no potting medium at all.� To water it, carry it to the sink once a week, immerse it, and let it soak for twenty minutes.

Another unusual favorite is a Brassia, a spider orchid.� One called �Witch Doctor� throws out long spikes with pale, spotted, spidery shaped flowers along the stem.� Oncidiums hold unusual small yellow and brown flowers on wiry stems.� The commonly called Dancing Lady only needs to be seen to understand the name.

Many enthusiasts find they cannot stop with just one plant. �One hundred years ago, this was called Orchid Mania.� Today, orchids offer a challenging, rewarding, engrossing grower hobby.� Got an empty windowsill?

Orchids can be purchased by mail order from Carter and Holmes orchids in Newberry, South Carolina:� http://www.carterandholmes.com/