Cheap Orchid Plants

"Furthering certain qualities of purebred orchids is another aim for which hybridization has been initiated."

Nurturing an Orchid Plant


Orchids, like all living forms, need care for their growth and health. Raising an orchid plant at home or in gardens for commercial benefit, both require the caregiver to understand hindrances that thwart the normal growth and health of the plant. A number of things need to be given care, commonly including: blooming of the plant, using a suitable fertilizer, preventing the plant from fading out, health of leaves, cutting and trimming, and repotting. Though the nurturing needs of an orchid plant depends on which species you are growing, some measures are common to proper caring for orchids in general.

Blooming of Orchids

If your orchid plant is experiencing problems in maturing to bloom in effulgence, the most probable reasons are less than required exposure to light, improper potting, retention of excess water at the roots, and/or absence of optimum level of temperature change. To allow for the best plant bloom, place your orchid plant near the window to get enough light.

If sufficient artificial light is provided, you can place the plant anywhere you want. Repot the orchid plant if you come to detect signs of excessive retention of water at the roots. About ten degrees of daily temperature variation is commendable for proper growth of most orchid species. Water rich in minerals is not suitable for the plant; instead use distilled water or just clear rainwater.

Suitable Fertilizers

An orchid plant, in general, does not respond well to urea-based fertilizers. The use of suitable fertilizer depends on more than one factor including temperature, sunlight, and which particular location you are living in. Get your orchid a fertilizer that is free from urea, if you are unsure.

Fading Out of the Plant

Two types of signs are indicative of fading out of the orchid plant: (1) the leaves develop wrinkles and (2) buds grow yellowish and start falling. Wrinkling of leaves is caused mainly by either insufficient watering or by excessive watering. Check the roots of the plant to see if excess of watering has turned them brown and unusually soft. If so, repot the orchid plant and decrease the frequency of watering.

If lack of water has left them white and firm, provide more water daily. In case the orchid plant is shedding buds that have grown yellow and weak, the amount of water, light, or temperature conditions provided to the plant need be revised.
Remove the plant from the vicinity of sources of heat, placing it in a place where it can get optimum intensity of light. Take care to position the plant in a room with no harmful chemical fumes (paints etc.). Keep from overwatering the plant.

Repotting an Orchid Plant

Repotting an orchid plant requires different considerations in case of different species. As a general rule, repot the plant after a year or two when the roots break the medium. Carefully remove the old mix from the plant roots, rinse the roots, and place it in a new pot. You can cut the hollow or excessively soft parts of the root: they are dead anyway.

"Be sure to fertilize weakly and frequently with a balanced fertilizer; remember that one-eighth to one-quarter strength is recommended for house plants every week in spring and summer and every two weeks in autumn and winter."