How to Care for Orchids ?

Everything About Caring for Orchids

Orchid flower is a beautiful and popular plant with big, durable flowers and of course attractive and special colors. Caring for an orchid flower is relatively difficult, but its unique and special beauty is worth it. This flower is a symbol of femininity, new life, glory and love and one of the best gifts for women's day. It is impossible for a man or woman to receive this flower as a gift and not be surprised by this gift. Considering the visual appeal of the orchid, if you are looking for an attractive houseplant, we recommend keeping an orchid. It is true that the method of maintaining this plant is difficult compared to other plants, but don't worry. We will go over you everything you need to know about caring for orchids in this article. To learn more caring tips for orchids visit Plant identification app

A Brief Introduction to Orchids

The difficulty of caring for an orchid is that this plant is somewhat different than other plants and it requires patience. Of course there are some types of orchids with relatively easy care like the popular Phalaenopsis. It is interesting to know that there are more than 20,000 types of orchids around the world, and we can safely say that it is at the top of the list of plants in terms of diversity. The adaptability of this plant to different environments as well as its long flowering season has made this plant one of the most popular houseplants and is used in home decoration.

Caring for Pot Orchids

In countries like Malaysia and Thailand, orchid flower grows on branches. This shows that orchid flower does not live in the soil in its natural state and receives moisture from the air and rain. It also needs high humidity.

The Right Soil for Orchids

A common question that most people ask while caring for orchids is how often they should water it. This question is fundamentally wrong because the frequency of watering depends on how much water your plant needs. This depends on humidity, temperature and air flow is in its living environment and its soil type. Let us share with you an important secret: if you try to water your plant according to a certain calendar and timing, your plant will definitely die. The answer to this question is to water the plant one day before the soil is completely dry To find out the moisture content of the soil, take some of the soil and hold it between your fingers, or insert your finger or a stick into the soil and use it to check the soil moisture. If the top few centimeters of the soil are dry, it means that it is time to water. The best way to water an orchid is to cover the entire surface of the pot with water. The drainage of the pot is also a very important point, to allow excess water to come out from underneath the pot. So the bottom of the pot should have several holes that excess water can easily drain out of. To find out Orchid's Common diseases visit Plant identification app

Watering Orchids

Spathiphyllum needs a rich, well-drained and slightly acidic soil. So you may use a mixture of quicksand, leaf fertilizer, cocopeat and soil. If you haven’t mixed your own soil before you can buy pre-mixed soil, just make sure it contains cocopeat or leaf fertilizer. Insufficient nutrients can slow down growth and lead to pale and smaller leaves. Using compost fertilizer to can enrich your soil.

The Right Humidity for Orchids

Orchid is a moisture-loving plant and its environment should be humid. So if you live near the sea and your living environment has 40-60% humidity, there is no need to provide humidity. But if you live in drier areas, you can spray the orchid daily with water to provide it with the necessary moisture. You can also use a cold humidifier or place the pot in an island of pebbles and water. Note that the bottom of the pot and the roots of the plant must be far away from the pebbles and not in contact with the water underneath, otherwise the humidity will be too high. Moisture enters the soil through the holes in the bottom of the pot and too much of it causes the roots to rot.

The Right Temperature for Orchids

The orchid plant likes a temperature of 16 to 24 degrees Celsius or room temperature. If you wish to have healthy and large orchid flowers, place the pot in an environment with moderate temperature and air flow, for example, a room with a window or an air conditioner. Be careful not to place the orchid directly in front of the air conditioner.

Does Spathiphyllum Need Trimming?

Yes, you can surely groom your plant. First step is to trim the flowers. The flowers of this plant are directly attached to the stem and drain a lot of energy from it. After blooming, you should go for high-nutrient fertilizers or trim the flowers, instead. Always trim brown and yellow leaves.

Fertilizing and Nourishing Orchids

Orchid needs fertilizing because the soil does not provide enough nutrients to the plant. For fertilization, orchid growers suggest that you dissolve a quarter of the recommended amount of water-soluble fertilizer in water and water the plant with it. This way, a small amount of fertilizer always reaches the plant and you don't have to constantly worry about fertilizing your plant.

Caring for Orchids After Blooming

If you take good care of your orchid, you should see beautiful flowers grow again about 6 to 9 months after the end of flowering, but if your orchid does not flower after this period, you should probably check the following reasons. 1. Not getting enough light The orchid should be kept in a bright place, but away from direct sunlight. If you cannot provide such conditions for it or maybe you want to put it on your desk or beside your bed, you must use special plant growth lamps. Otherwise you will have trouble keeping the orchid and your plant will wither. 2. Getting too much light Like most plants, orchids will die if exposure to too much sunlight, since direct sunlight burns the leaves. Therefore, when caring for an orchid, make sure to shade it from direct sunlight. Even if you plan to use grow lamps, be sure to develop a suitable program to turn it on; In such a way that the plant receives the amount of sunlight it would receive during the day, not more. 3. wrong temperature The orchid needs to be in the temperature range of 18-23 degrees Celsius and cannot tolerate constant temperature changes. For this reason, we recommend that you always keep the orchid inside at all times. 4. Too much or too little fertilization If your orchid is planted in sterilized and non-organic soil, it will not be able to get all the nutrients it needs from it and will suffer from nutrient deficiency. Therefore, you should use fertilizer to strengthen the plant. Our suggestion is to use urea-free fertilizers for orchids. The opposite of this issue can also prevent flowering and even withering. So be very careful with the fertilizer and give your plant just as much as it needs, no more and no less! It is better to under-fertilize than to over-fertilize orchids, because too much fertilizer will burn the orchid roots and cause them to die. 5. Flooding the plant Excessive watering is the main reason for the orchids not reblooming. If you notice the wilting of the leaves or the browning of the roots, it means that the orchid has received more water than it needs. In this case, allow the orchid to dry for a week before watering again. 6. Too little watering Just as too much watering can kill the plant, too little watering can have negative effects on orchid growth. Therefore, if the leaves of your orchid look dry, be sure to water the plant and pay more attention to it. 7. Not the right season Unlike most garden flowers, orchids bloom best in autumn. Therefore, you should not wait for the orchid to bloom in spring and summer, but you should be more careful in caring for the orchid in these seasons and take good care of it in order to see its beautiful flowers. 8. The plant needs a new pot When the orchid outgrows its pot, the roots are compressed and there is not enough room for ventilation. This issue itself can be a reason for the lack of blooming when caring for orchids. To determine if your orchid needs a pot change or not, you should pay more attention to the roots than the leaves. If the roots look brown or are moving out from under the pot, it's time to change the pot. To find out Orchid's Common diseases visit Plant identification app

The Right Lighting for Orchids

Orchids need a well-lit environment, but it should not be exposed to direct sunlight. Therefore, the windows must have a thin curtain to shade the plant from blazing sun. Since there is not much light in most homes, it is better to go for orchid types that require less light.