Orchid Health

3 Important Things You Must Do For Optimum Orchid Health


You've found a beautiful orchid at the store and brought it home. But now it's looking droopy and one of your other orchids appears to be a little sick. Do you know why? What has happened? What three things must you always do in order to ensure your orchids have optimum health? This article discusses those questions and provides three clear, easy to follow tips for growing orchids indoors that everyone interested in orchid gardening needs to know.

Tip number 1: Ensure your new orchid isn't contagious:

The minute you bring a new orchid into the house put it in a room by itself and plan to isolate it for 3 weeks or longer, keeping it well away from any other plants you have.. This allows you to make sure that if pests or diseases came in with the new orchid, that they won't spread to any other plants you own. Nothing fancy is needed,just place your new orchid or orchids in a separate room and check frequently, at least once a day, for any signs of disease or insects Examine the leaves, buds, and every part of the plant closely, taking special care to look at the underneath side of the leaves. If no insects or signs of illness show up after three weeks then you will know that it is safe for your other plants to place your new orchid where you actually want it to grow.

Tip number 2: Don't bother it

Once you have decided where you're going to place your orchid in your home, turn the plant so that the flower spike is getting the correct amount and kind of light - and then leave it there. You'll be tempted to turn it around as the spike begins to grow, but please note that it is important not to move the way the plant is facing as long as the flower spike is growing. If you do, the spike will twist and turn in order to face the light again, and this surely will result in a warped, distorted spike. Be patient and wait until the orchid is finished blooming. Plants grow toward the light and you want your orchid to look natural, not bent or resemble a pretzel.

Tip number 3: Provide the right pot

NEVER place an orchid directly in a decorative pot. Orchids are highly sensitive to glazes used in ornamental planters. So much so that they can become extremely ill if not die all together. However orchids are usually sold in pretty, attractive glazed pots. Such pots look good when on display and the retailers don't intend to keep them on the shelves for very long. But this practice almost guarantees that the consumer is going to wind up with a dead orchid - which they likely will blame on poor watering or other causes instead of what really happened - the orchid absorbed toxins from the glaze in the pot it was planted in and expired.Always make sure that your orchids are planted in orchid pots, and then place that container in a larger decorative pot if you wish to use one. If you have any orchids that are growing in decorative pots now, repot them at once.

Orchids aren't difficult to grow if you know what you are doing and the first step is to realize that they aren't normal houseplants. They do need a bit more care and are more picky as far as their environment goes. But with a little research and some time you can have a houseful of marvelous orchids - or at least one stunning specimen sitting on a table.

For more healthy orchid tips and information on growing orchids indoors please visit Indoor Orchid Gardening. You'll find information on topics such as orchid diseases and pests, the proper way to water orchids, orchid lighting and much more.

Orchid Gardening

4 Basic Things Your Orchid Wants

Many people new to orchid gardening find it unexpectedly easy, you really don't have to have lots of gardening experience. Everything you need to know can be picked up as you go along. Of course some people also find that their orchid simply will not bloom or even worse dies and they don't know why.

You can avoid the pitfalls many of us have fallen into, including myself, by starting out with one of the easier varieties of orchids. This is going to give you more opportunity to learn as you go and give you more room to make those simple mistakes we all make.

The last thing I want is for you to be put off gardening orchids early on by a bad experience, as I know how much enjoyment myself and others get out of it and I know you will too.

Finding the perfect orchid for you

There are some orchid varieties that can be very temperamental, in fact some are difficult for even seasoned experts to bloom. So we want to avoid these to begin with at all costs. Oncidium, Phalaenopsis, Paphiopedilum and Dendrobium are all families of orchids that are considered to be easy to grow. They require the same basics as every other orchid variety but are a little more forgiving if you don't get it quite right first time.

What your orchid wants

1) Water

Providing your orchid with the correct amount of water is a tricky area, there are no hard and fast rules. It depends on many factors including the species of orchid you're gardening, the potting medium it's growing in (if it's potted of course), as well as the type of container it's grown in and the surrounding temperature and humidity.

A good rule of thumb though is to only water once the roots or potting media are dry or nearly dry. You can check this fairly easily if you use a stake or a label in your pot. Pull the stake or label out and check to see if the end is dry to the touch. If it is you're probably good to go.

Some species will grow pseudobulbs which allow them to store water and nutrients to be supplied to your orchid over time. A survival mechanism they've developed to cope with prolonged absence of water. These species will require less frequent watering from you than those without.

2) Light

Again this factor varies dependent upon your species of orchid, but the majority of orchids are fairly light hungry. They will enjoy long periods of shaded or diffused daylight, 10 to 12 hours in some cases, about the same as summer time daylight hours in a temperate region.

If you are growing your orchids indoors, placing your orchids near a eastern or western facing window should allow you to make the most use of the natural daylight without exposing them to too much strong midday sun.

If your growing your orchids in your garden try to make use of the natural shade provided by plants or structures. If you're struggling to provide enough light for your orchid you could invest in some grow lights to enhance the length of available light.

3) Fertilizer

This will be largely down to the type and quality of water and the species of orchid. Some potting mediums may also have an impact on how you feed your orchid too. Fir bark for example contains bacteria which will leech nitrogen from the water and potting media, so you should use a fertilizer with a higher nitrogen content to compensate for this.

4) Air

Orchids are largely epiphytic, although there are still many terrestrial species, which means that they grow above ground nestled on trees and branches. Their roots remain exposed to the air and are specially adapted to absorb moisture this way.

You can recreate these conditions in your home or garden by either mounting your orchid or using a potting medium. Potting mediums are course loose materials supplied in different grades of either natural or man made materials. Of course it's important that you supply your orchid with a potting mix suitable to it's requirements but the principal remains the same. The mix should allow for good drainage and air flow.

Happy orchid growing!

For more information, you can visit his website at http://www.orchidgrowingcentre.com/ more more tips and info on orchids and orchid gardening

Women and Flowers

Flowers and women have a very major relationship in between them that sometimes ignored creates problems and sometimes taken into consideration relieves a relationship from many problems. The woman - flower relationship has been taken into consideration from ages taking from the recent modern age to the medieval times of the kings. The kings used to develop very big gardens for the sake of pleasure of their queens. Flowers are the eternal symbols of love. In this modern era of technology, with mobiles and internet people have forgotten the significance of the flower.

If you are thinking of taking Flowers for your date on the first date, there can never be a wise decision than that. The flowers need not be expensive, but remember to take in a fresh bunch of flowers and it should not be red roses - Your date may feel a little uncomfortable. If you want to gift roses, you can take in a bunch of yellow roses. For flower varieties, it would be better if on the first date you would limit yourself to Tulips, Lilies, Asters, etc. Just pick up a fresh bunch of flowers and present it to her.

With increasing number of dates, when you feel that you are growing serious about her, just surprise her with a bunch of Orchids and you are directly going to land in her Good Diaries. But remember orchids are quite expensive but what does expensive have to do when you are going to filter into the mind of your beloved. Then who the hell cares about the money!

Now as I talked about flowers, don't just pick up any bunch of flower for your date. Like don't make a mistake of presenting a bunch of Poppy to your date as these flowers symbolizes death and that too at the beginning of a relationship. As I have already written about some flowers to be presented at which levels, let me give you a serial representation of which flowers are most suitable for which phase of relationship.

The first incarnation of love, I am going to talk about, is of course, the Red Rose. This red rose symbolizes love, longing and passion in the most clear-cut format possible. But remember, you should not give it at any moment of the relationship. It's better to give at the moment of time when you think that you are ready for the relationship and are serious for it. Next comes the White Jasmine. This is the best way of showing affection in the public. If it fails for its looks, the exotic fragrance of these flowers would make by showing the love and care. Next in the line comes the Carnations which has different meanings for different colors. The white Carnations stand for chaste and pure love whereas the dark red one stands for meaningful love and admiration. The fourth one standing for love is Ambrosia. This flower stands for mutual love and adoration. There can't be a better token than this for an engagement or after an acceptance of a proposal. Lastly, but one of the most important flower is the Orange Blossom which stands for ultimate fondness. This flower shows an everlasting love for the person and for genuine liking. This one should not be given for a casual date and if the affection is perfect it could be sent any day.

Almost 95% of the time we are confused about what we should do in our first date with an excellent woman. I hope that the little bit of information provided above would increase a little bit of confidence of yours on what flowers should you gift in your first date and more possibly afterwards too.

Now listen very carefully. If you want to get the full scoop of dating and seduction techniques get to UNDERSTAND DATING right NOW or you may regret it in the future. Act now to understand the unspoken secrets your partner behaves! What Does a Woman Think. Or if you want to turn yourself a magnet whom no one can resist, this is a Must Click for you.

Five Popular Orchid Species

There are virtually thousands of orchid species found throughout the world.

Dendrobium

You will likely want to choose a plant that produces beautiful flowers. However, you will also need to consider the type of environment that you can provide. This article will discuss some of the most popular orchid species.

Dendrobium

This is one of the most popular varieties. These plants produces either twins or triplets of three inch flowers. The flowers come in colors of red, white, orange, and purple. Dendrobium orchids can go relatively tall, so you need to make sure you provide stability with a stake. During the summer months, you need to give them full light, humidity, and provide warm temperatures. They like less humidity and heat during the winter.

Cattleya

Cattleya

One of the next popular orchid species is the Cattleya variety. These plants produce white, yellow, rose, or purple flowers. They are also well-liked because of their beautiful scent. It's best to grow them in temperatures ranging from 60 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

Vanda

Vanda

Up next are the Vanda orchids. They are quite exotic and liked because of their unique design. The flowers emerge from the bases of the leaves. The leaves themselves grow from the plant's single stalk. These plants can produce between five and 20 flowers each bloom.

Laelia

Laelia

Laelia orchids, cousins the Cattleyas, hail from Mexico. They flower in the fall and winter. The flowers range from white with yellow markings, yellow with red markings, and white with rose and purple lips. Laelias prefer plenty of light and temperatures ranging from 60 to 65 degrees.

Cymbidium

One of the final most popular orchid species is the Cymbidium. Flowers can be colored either white, brown, green, or red. After being cut, they last longer than most other types. Therefore, they are commonly used to create corsages. You should grow Cymbidiums somewhere that is no more than 60 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cymbidium

Now you know some of the most popular orchid species. If you want to try your hand at raising one of these beautiful plants, stop by care4orchids.com to learn all about caring for orchids. As you just read, there are many different species, each with their own requirements. So, stop by today to become an expert at growing orchids.

Orchids Versus the Traditional Rose

Orchids spark more emotion in more people than perhaps any other flower.

Yes, many of us might hold roses as the most emotion-inducing flowers. After all, roses are the flower most associated with romance in our culture. But in truth, most would consider an orchid to be a much more romantic gift. Who would not choose an exotic and wild orchid (and often rather expensive orchid) over a typical backyard rose?

There is much more of a culture behind orchids. There are so many people that are extremely passionate about orchids - whether these people collect and grow phalaenopsis orchids, cymbidium orchids, and dendrobium orchids in their homes, whether they travel around the world taking photos of wild orchids, or whether they spend years of their lives trying to find the perfect hybrid to make a truly black orchid... some people are just crazy about orchids and pursuing them is their life goal!

Of course, you do not have to be absolutely crazy about orchid plants just to love them. Perhaps you have just one orchid flower that you love and care for dearly. Or, perhaps you love and care for that orchid flower a little too dearly, and you end up over-fertilizing it or over-watering it. And, of course, such actions will surely lead to the demise of your beloved orchid plant!

Orchid care can be rather tricky, and sometimes, it seems, only seasoned orchid growers can master proper orchid care. In truth, though, there are quite a few species of orchids that practically anyone could grow - it is just a matter of providing the right growing conditions and the right orchid care.

Even if you are not growing an orchid plant of your own, you can surely appreciate the beauty of any orchids that you might see in photographs or in another person's home. There is just something hypnotic and tantalizing about orchids.

Again, there are likely some of us who prefer roses to orchids, but perhaps this is simply because roses are more common - roses are everywhere - and people have not yet had enough exposure to the beauty of orchid flowers.

Indeed, although there is much more of an orchid-culture than a rose-culture, it seems that references to roses appear in our overall culture much more often. Just take a look at poetry! Take a look at tattoos, even!

Nonetheless, the love of orchids is a love that will burn brightly in a culture for as long as orchids still exist. There are so many different orchids out there in the world, it is practically impossible to not fall in love with at least one species, or type. After all, there are dendrobium orchids, Thai orchids, white orchids, blue orchids, phalaenopsis orchids, cymbidium orchids, and so many more!

Anne Clarke writes numerous articles for websites on gardening, parenting, fashion, and home decor. Her background includes teaching and gardening. For more of her articles on orchids,please visit Down Under Orchids.