Orchid Care for Beginners

Looking at an orchid, it's easy to understand their appeal. Long arching stems grow from thick green leaves and bear exotic-looking flowers in every color of the rainbow. These flowers are long-lasting and some are fragrant. Orchids come in diverse shapes and sizes with over 35,000 orchid species now known, according to "Beautiful Orchids." Many of those species are available commercially. Although they have a reputation for being difficult to grow, orchids thrive as houseplants once you learn to meet their growing requirements.

Orchid fertilizer

Sheer curtain

Sharp garden shears

Orchid pot

Orchid growing medium

Tray

Pebbles

Place your orchid where it will receive bright, indirect light, especially when the plant is not in bloom. Orchids need more light than most houseplants to store energy and produce flowers, but direct light on the leaves may burn them. Place your orchid near a north or east window ideally, especially Phalaenopsis or Oncidium orchids, which require less light than other species. For other orchids, such as Cattleya or Dendrobium, if only a west or south facing window is available, shelter the plant from intense light by placing a sheer curtain over the window.

Water your orchid once a week in the winter and twice a week in the summer when the air is typically drier. The potting solution should remain moist but never damp or dry. Orchids need moisture for their roots, but they rely on high humidity, or moisture in the air, to thrive. Ideally, orchids require 50 to 70% humidity in the air. As this level is not commonly found in most houses, place the orchid pot on a shallow dish of pebbles and water, making sure the water stays just below the level of the pebbles, to increase the humidity around your orchid.

Feed your orchid a water-soluble fertilizer created specifically for orchids every two to three weeks while the orchid is growing. Although orchids need fertilizer to maintain their blooms, it's better to under-fertilize than feed them too much. Too much fertilizer will burn your orchid roots. One of the first signs of an over-fertilized orchid is dark green, limp leaves.

Cut the flower stalk to the ground with sharp shears once your orchid stops flowering. This will encourage the orchid to store up energy for the next flush of flowers. Allow your orchid to rest, and be patient. Continue to water, fertilize and provide plenty of sunlight to your orchid.

Repot your orchid approximately every two years. Orchids grow in specialized medium such as bark, coconut husk or sphagnum moss. Plant your orchid in a pot only slightly larger than its current container. If the pot is too big, the orchid will expend its energy on root growth instead of flowers. Orchids don't mind being slightly root-bound.