Gardening For Dummies: 9 Hobbyist Grower Secrets You Never Knew About Orchids

Hey there, Orchid lovers! Lately, Orchids are the most-wanted houseplants due to their explosive beauty, even if there is a real challenge in growing them indoors. You have to provide to these beautiful blooming and fragile flowers the perfect environment for an impressive growth, such as humidity, light, soil, and periodically grooming.
As an Orchid hobbyist grower I had a lot of ups and downs when it comes to Orchid care, but I can honestly tell you that this is the key to grow successfully Orchids indoors. That’s why I want to share my secrets in growing Orchids indoors without killing them.

1. Phalaenopsis is the easiest orchid to grow indoors

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This is the best orchid every beginner can grow indoors because it doesn’t require much humidity and can easily develop in low-lit areas. Also, from personal experience, these are the easiest to get to re-bloom orchids.

2. Whenever you think it’s time to water orchids, you should probably wait for another day

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It’s important to avoid overwatering when it comes to orchid care, because the roots may rot. Also, it’s well-known that saving a less watered orchid is easier than saving an overwater one.
To figure it out when it’s watering time you can try the pencil trick: introduce a pencil into the soil and if it gets darkened with moisture it means that the plant has enough water. But, if you aren’t sure whether it’s time to water the plant, you may want to wait a day or two.

3. Trick the orchids to re-bloom by creating the tropics environment

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To do: when an orchid stops blooming you may have to cut off the flower stalk at the base of the plant. After that, just take the orchid into a room where you can provide it the perfect climate conditions. Keep it there at least for one month.

4. Don’t transplant the orchid into a bigger pot

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Because they grow on the tree bark, orchids love tight spaces and re-potting it won’t be a solution for anything. The perfect time to re-pot the orchid is when the roots have grown through the holes of the pot and are dangling in the air.

5. Choose the perfect pot for your orchid’s happiness

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For the record, my Miltonia orchid has the time of her life in a proper drainage clay pot.
I also tried to replicate orchid growing conditions in a Swiss-cheese pot and I can honestly tell you that my orchids are giggled about these growing conditions.

6. You must already know that Orchids won’t grow in soil

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As epiphytes plants, orchids grow on trees not in soil, so the best potting mix for orchids is the one which contains wood chips, peat and bark. They will smile each morning through their blooming flowers if you provide the perfect substrate mixture.

7. No ice cubes for my Orchids

YOU BETTER AVOID THIS WATERING TRICK

I know the trick with ice cubes. It’s used by many to avoid overwatering, but let’s think logically here. Orchids are tropical plants and love warmth, and ice cubes are cold. Still wondering why your orchids are dyeing over time with this watering technique?
I keep my Orchids alive (and this is happening for years) by watering them with moderation (using the pencil trick) with water at room temperature.

8. Orchids can prolong their blooming period for months

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There’s no need to worry for the blooming period of your orchids, because, with proper care they can prolong the blooming period for months regardless the season.
For this concern, you may want to check one of the articles I wrote on this website because it has precisely information to prolong the blooming period of your orchids.

9. Careful, because there more than 25.000 orchid species

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There are several popular houseplant varieties when it comes to growing orchids indoors, and each single species has its own care tips. In this regard, I will post another article the following days with precise caring tips for each orchid species.
Well, not for all 25.000 varieties, but I have a few of them in my house and in the greenhouse.

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9 Hobbyist Grower Secrets You Never Knew About Orchids

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