Correct Orchid Plant Care: Seven Mistakes Orchid Growers Tend To Make

When you want to spruce your home up with plants, consider the orchid plant. These plants are quite attractive and a pleasure to look at. On top of that, they are easy to care for and require little time or effort to make them stay that way. Some orchid growers who don’t know about their orchid breeds requirements may be less successful in producing beautiful blooms. The reason is that they make very common but avoidable mistakes. If you want make sure that you achieve proper orchid plant care, then it’s vitally important you know what seven things you need to avoid to make this happen.

Mistake 1 – Plant Is In Wrong Growing Medium

Whenever you are growing orchids, it’s important that you get a potting medium specifically designed for orchids. Mediums that contain bark and moss will do just fine. If you plant your orchids in regular soil and/or compost, then you can cause irreparable damage to the plant’s roots.

Mistake 2 – Growing In Wrong Temperatures

Different varieties of orchids cannot thrive in the same temperatures. Each species requires specific temperatures so make sure you know what temperatures your breed of occur will thrive in. Don’t forget that orchids need a drop in temperatures in the overnight hours and during their dormant (resting) stage.

Mistake 3 – Giving Them Too Much Light

Orchid blooms like a lot of light but they do not like direct sunlight. Make sure that you give them plenty of light but diffuse it by placing a shade over the window. Why do they not like direct sunlight? The sunlight can cause the leaves and flowers to burn. Make sure to choose the location of your plant wisely and use shades whenever needed.

Mistake 4 – Overwatering Your Plant

When you overwater your plant, you’re slowly killing it. While moisture is a necessity for your orchid plants, you don’t want to overwater them. Each orchid variety will require different amounts of water and before you water your plants, check the growing medium to ensure if it is still wet or dry. If you don’t, you run the risk of increasing the moisture levels. Remember that temperature and humidity will affect how much moisture is in the plants’ potting medium.

Mistake 5 – Not Giving It Its Required Humidity

The natural presence of humidity is not enough to sustain an orchid’s growth. These plants love humid air so you must copy the humidity levels seen in the plant’s natural habitat. You can take some steps to boost these levels by placing wet pebbles near the plant, have a bowl of water near it or using a decorative water fountain to give the room higher humidity levels.

Mistake 6 – Not Enough Circulating Air

When an orchid fails to have enough circulating air, there is a high chance for fungal diseases to crop up. Make sure to give your orchid plenty of ventilation by doing one of two things:

First, place it near a window that gets plenty of air.

Second, use a fan to get the room air circulating.

Mistake 7 – Forgetting The Orchid Fertilizer

When you grow orchids inside, don’t rely on the plant’s growing medium to give it all the nutrients it needs. Orchids will deplete them quickly. Make sure to feed it fertilizer at least once a week to keep up the proper orchid plant care. If you’re unsure about how to apply it to your orchid variety, seek out additional information and help to make sure you get the right kind of fertilizer and apply it based on your type of orchid.

If your goal is to grow orchids, make sure to know everything you can about their needs and preferences before you attempt to grow them. While you can do trial and error, you’d be allowing these flowers to die. Instead, give your orchids a chance to survive by speaking with local greenhouse staff and reading up on different Internet forums.