Growing your Orchids – from Watering to Choosing the Orchid Pot
Orchids are an ever-popular indoor potted plant. While the exotic flower is widely available, many are not sure how to grow an orchid to keep it blooming. Growing orchids requires your time and attention, but a love of plants is also important. This article is designed to help you take those first steps to replanting your new flowers into indoor pots and having them in your permanent flower collection. If you’re still not sure about how to care for orchids, then our simple but very useful tips will help you.
New orchid pot as a first step
The first thing to do with any store-bought orchid is to enjoy the bloom. After the bloom is spent, go ahead and cut off the dead flower-head with a sterile tool and prepare an orchid pot for replanting. Each variety of orchids will require a slightly different vessel. For some, like Vanda plants, glass vases without compost are ideal, yet for the majority, any quality planter is a great option. In our catalog, you can choose exclusive and affordable orchid pots made from quality materials. We will help you answer the main question: What do orchids need to be beautiful and healthy and how to repot it? Make sure that your orchid pots feature wide drainage slits so that water can easily escape.
There are also some important requirements for repotting orchids that every gardener should know. If you are looking the way how to pot your plant, remove it from the plastic orchid pot that it came in and carefully remove as much of the moss as you can. Cut away any rotten or blackened roots leaving only healthy roots, which should be white and firm. Set the plant into the new orchid pot and fill in around it with potting mixture. Eventually, new roots will grow through the potting mixture and attach to the pot itself, thus anchoring your Phalaenopsis.
Watering your Phalaenopsis
Since these kinds of plants are native to tropical rainforests, people mistakenly assume that they need to be watered several times a week. However, watering this frequently will kill the roots of any plant pretty quickly.
You should remember what to pot - orchid care is very important for this plant, so pay special attention to proper watering. As a rule, home-grown Phalaenopsis in pots should be watered every 5 to 12 days, but this will depend on the particular plant and the environment in which it is being grown.
When it comes to watering, the three basic types of plants have different needs, so be sure to read the label. There are those required to be kept moist at all times; those that should be allowed to nearly dry out between watering in low growth periods, and those that should always be allowed to dry out a little between watering.
Economising your effort
A great time-economising solution is to buy self-watering pots, which provide optimal levels of moisture. Consider LECHUZA planters, which are known for their premium quality and variety of looks to suit any space design. How to plant your Phalaenopsis into LECHUZA planter you can read here.
One of the models of orchid pots we recommend is the award-winning LECHUZA Delta 20, which is a stylish orchid bowl that would suit a modern interior. If you are looking for a larger rectangular orchid pot, have a look at LECHUZA Balconera with a finish perfect for a cottage-style interior. Another option is LECHUZA Cararo - a rectangular orchid pot that could work as a room divider.
At Getpotted.com online shop you can buy a superb plant pot – large or small, varying in price, look, and colour with prompt delivery within the UK.
What do orchids need
Orchids are very sensitive plants, especially to lighting and home arrangement. They do not like drafts or direct sunlight. Place orchid vases on separate stands and move them away from windows. This plant loves heat, but direct sunlight is dangerous for it, and can result in spots on its leaves. Also do not forget about other streams of air, as an orchid does not like wind from fans or air conditioning. Many gardeners read a lot of literature about how to plant orchids, because these plants require a very reverent attitude and vigilant care.
Do not forget that your orchid is a thermophilic plant, and hot weather will not be a good choice for it. The optimum temperature for growing orchids is from 15°C to 26°C. If you are expecting its bloom in winter, then reduce the temperature to 12 degrees. Of course, an orchid can grow at a temperature of 30°C, but you will see that the plant begins to drop its leaves. It is also important to remember about the necessary level of humidity: orchids love 30 - 40%.
If you ant to find info how to make necessary conditions for orchid plant, then you need to know that watering should be done only once a week. If the room temperature is very high, then watering can be done 2 times a week. Also, some gardeners lower the pot with the plant in warm clean water for several minutes so that the soil and roots can saturate with water. This will moisturize the plant and the orchid will feel good without excessive moisture. Water orchid plant with standing clean water or use rainwater.
