Garden Decors

Growing a breathtakingly inspiring orchid can be an extremely satisfying accomplishment as well as a frustrating one as you need to know a little about orchid care. There are lots of orchid addicts about attempting to grow the flawless orchid, however, many orchid carer has been left agonized in attempting to pull off this goal.

If you do not own your first orchid yet then the best place to purchase your first is the local garden center or a specialized store. The local garden center is great because you can go a long and chat with members of the garden center staff. People who work in garden centers are usually really friendly and helpful. If you do find a memeber of staff that you like remember their name for next time. Specialzed stores are great but I am pretty sure that you won’t have one around the corner from you. Often they operate on the internet and offer a mail order service. Owners tend to have a lot of knowledge of orchid care so they are a good service to use.

Orchid care is more of an art than an exact science. You don’t have to follow all the guidelines by the book but as a starting point do you best to follow them exactly. Then when you become more confident you can experiement a little.

A commom problem that people have with orchid care is knowing how much to water the orchid. Even the most experienced orchid grower can have these problems. Don’t worry though, all you need to remember is not to overwater it. This is where most people go wrong. You only need to water the orchid about once per week. A lot of people are tempted to water them more and that results in them dying. Test the soil with your fingers before you water. Make sure that you get your fingers right under the surface. If the soil is still damp then it is too soon to water.

The best position to place the orchid is in a suitably lit spot as high levels of light are necessary. Avoiding direct sunlight is also a must as excessive amounts of light will lead to leaf scorch. If the leaves start to turn a red like color then this is an indication of excessive light and you have to try and create more shade to force the plant temperature lower.

There is so much for you to learn about orchid care. For more resources and tips go to the ‘Orchid Care How To’ website. You will find lots of valuable guides for caring for orchids.

To start, you need to get a new pot for your plant. You need to prepare this pot properly, or your time spent repotting orchids will be a waste! If you are recycling an old or used pot, soak it in a little bleach and water mixture. Once it is thoroughly soaked, rinse it and give it a efw days to dry out. You want it totally dry before you proceed. If the pot is brand new, just soak it in water for a little while.

You aren’t quite done with the pot yet. You need to add some plastic foam peanuts or small pebbles at the bottom of the planter. This makes sure your newly repotted orchid gets enough moisture.

Well, your orchid is ready for the big move now – right? Just turn the orchid upside down and gently tap on the sides of the pot. Sometimes the roots will stick to the side of the pot. Be careful and get a butter knife to loosen the roots from the side. If you damage a few roots, it won’t kill your plant, but do be careful and gentle.

Give your plant a gentle shake to loosen and drop off the dirt attached to the roots. Often some clumps will stay behind. Don’t worry about that – just be gentle and careful with your orchid while you are repotting it.

Repotting orchids is a great time to do a little below-the-earth care of your orchid. You need to take a little time and trim off any of the dead and rotting roots. You will know which ones are dead by the brownish color and mushy feeling. The healthy roots are white and firm. Once you have trimmed the roots you can place the orchid in the newly prepared pot.

As you are repotting orchids – make sure that you look at the new growth. You want it facing outward. You need to give the roots some room to grow.

If there is growth extending all directions, place the orchid in the middle of the pot. Pack your potting mix firmly around the orchid’s roots. The roots should be totally covered with dirt.