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

The Art of Orchid Arrangement

Orchids have got the stature of becoming the most renowned flowers that are since ages used in beautiful flower arrangements largely owing to their fragrance, colorful beauty and the poised elegance that it airs.

Orchid arrangement is also used increasingly, due to its prolonged existence along with freshness. It mesmerizes the environment in which they are adorned and create an atmosphere of soothing beauty that rejuvenates the soul. The orchid arrangement serves both as a flower to beautify the interiors of a hall and also, as a gift item, especially orchid bouquet in wedding ceremonies. Moreover, the orchid arrangement can be utilized to adorn the outdoor ceremonies as such nuptials or perhaps a party. Flowers are considered to be the best way to make an individual feel good and orchids are perhaps the ideal ones for accomplishing this goal.

Guidelines for Orchid Arrangement:

Few of the finest kind of orchids are phalaenopsis, dendrobium and vanilla orchids. For creating rare and very elegant orchid arrangement, these finest types of orchids are united with several other beautiful and exotic flowers. The fact that orchids are just blessed with so much of exquisiteness makes it appear splendid, with any kind of floral arrangement. However, few flowers that simply look excellent with the orchids are lilies, roses, carnations and daffodils. In essence, these gorgeous flowers add a touch of beauty to the already exotic orchid flowers and the arrangement simply complements the orchids. The orchid arrangements as per the symbolism stands for luxury, wealth and most importantly love. The orchid arrangements comprises of very dazzling hues that serves the best purpose of a get well soon gift. The arrangements of orchid flower are accessible through the local florists at any time of the year. Though, it is very simple to make the orchid arrangement on own. The basic pre-requisite for this is a container, few fresh orchids, water, greenery akin to ferns or palm leaves and a beautiful orchid arrangement is ready to spellbind the soul. In fact, orchids are so full of innate beauty that it does not even require any special arrangement. Simply, pose them in bunch and there they are ready to roll.

Overview:

The grand orchid arrangement, especially the white orchids usually signified a time wherein only the few wealthy as well as discerning elite could afford such grandiose luxuries in their homes. Since long, orchids are associated to be the territory of few rich people, as these flowers are very exotic and add a touch of exquisiteness to the floral arrangements. The orchid arrangement was best utilized as a centerpiece of very grand places. Irrespective of planning to decorate the place as subtle or simply ravishing, an orchid arrangement can do the trick. Few orchids last long if cut, typically the thicker or waxier the flower is the probability of orchid lasting long is high.

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