Growing Orchids Indoors
growing orchids indoors
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1 Plant – Orchid species Cleisostoma sagittiforme (No ship USA) $5.00 |
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Sun System Bright Wing Fluorescent Grow Lamp Reflector $42.95 |
The Rules of Orchid Culture Explained by Jimmy Cox
There is no cultural difference between orchids and other garden plants. All green plants have five basic growth requirements: air, sunlight, warmth, food, and water. Cultural divergences among plants are not qualitative, only quantitative.
The same is true with orchids. They must be given these five factors in certain definite proportions which are, however, considerably different from those most other plants receive.
Rule No. 1
Provide orchids with usually not less than 40 per cent and usually not more than 70 per cent atmospheric moisture (relative humidity) during the day.
While most plants get along on a definitely predetermined modicum of growth factors, several have eccentricities which should be pampered a bit. The eccentricity of orchids is that they require more atmospheric moisture than many other plants. Orchids are dependent on humidity owing to their strange, evolutionary adaptation to their native climate
Rule No. 2
Orchids must have an abundance of fresh air at all times.
In outdoor gardening there is little to worry about if the air moves easily around the plants and is kept moist on warm days by evaporation from soil or other suitable material that is occasionally wet down. Usually, orchids grown outdoors for summer culture are set above the ground on inverted pots in order to insure the best air circulation and the most efficient use of air moisture. If drainage is excellent, potted terrestrials may be sunk into the ground.
Indoors, plant and human requirements for ventilation are essentially similar. A house that is healthy for humans is equally healthy for plants. If you possess a modern air conditioning unit that continuously circulates moist warm or cool air, depending on the season, the problem of ventilation is solved.
Rule No. 3
Orchids must have the maximum amount of sunlight they can stand without injury.
Since the effect of light on orchids is still largely experimental, it is wiser to try out all orchid plants. Give them a reasonably large and continuous amount of light – the light that passes through sleazy muslin is good for a start. Then gradually transfer them to shadier places until the correct light intensity is reached.
Rule No. 4
Orchids require protection only from frost and snow.
This does not mean that warmth is not necessary to all orchids, nor does it preclude the use of artificial heat in rigorous climates. It implies that man-made heat cannot compete beneficially with nature stimulating warmth. Artificial heat is a temporizing and last resort.
Rule No. 5
Orchids must be fed. They must have a sufficient supply of continuously available mineral nutrients.
The symptoms of malnutrition in orchids are not yet completely understood. These symptoms seem to follow the same general pattern in orchids as in other garden plants. A lack of nitrogen stunts growth and causes leaves to become yellow at the tip. Excess nitrogen produces rapid, soft, and flabby growth.
These are the fundamentals of orchid culture – humidity, air, light, protection, and food. The corollaries of composting and watering depend upon them and are manual processes which may be suited to your convenience. But don’t try to change the rules governing the basic needs of orchids. Orchids are tolerant, but they have certain minimum growth requirements which must always be taken into account.
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Article Source: http://www.earticlesonline.com/Article/The-Rules-of-Orchid-Culture-Explained/235754
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Hydrofarm FLC0125D Fluorescent Grow Light System $83.03 Compact Fluorescent Grow Light System Garden indoors year-round. Grow flowers, herbs and much more! Daylight brightness grows healthy plants. Lightweight fixture weighs less than 10 pounds. 21″ X 14.5″ X 9″ high fixture is easy to install. Includes a 125 watt compact fluorescent bulb that will serve a 3′ X 3′ growing area. Bulb lasts for 10,000 hours…. |
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Home Gardening: Potted Plants with Lori Young $16.95 Looking for an inexpensive way to quickly beautify your home and garden? Potted plants are a beautiful addition to any home. You can create a friendly and cozy atmosphere with a nice array of potted flowers and plants. Join Lori Young as she demonstrates how to transplant and maintain your favorite plants in easy to follow steps.Lori Young graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a B.A. in Environment… |
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Mini Tree Growing Kit – Giant Sequoia $8.99 Contribute to the clean air and have fun growing a tree with our Mini Tree Growing Kit! Each kit comes with a mini-greenhouse that acts as a tree nursery that you can hold in your hand, soil-less growing medium that can travel safely anywhere in the world, perlite, and high germination trees. Available in a variety of tree-types. Instructions included…. |
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Bonsai Boy’s Grow Light Kit – 60 Watt $29.95 Grow bonsai trees, orchids or houseplants anywhere in your home or office with the Dayspot grow light kit. Just clamp the fixture anywhere your plants need extra light. Includes a specially calibrated full spectrum daylight incandescent bulb (1500-1800 lumens) with a 3000 hour lifespan. The kit comes complete with bulb, designer black fixture with on/off switch and clamp. Just fasten the easy clam… |
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Miltonia Breathless ‘Florence’ Hybrid Orchid NBS $8.95 Miltonia Breathless ‘Florence’ Hybrid Orchid Plant NBS Known as pansy orchids, owing to their flower similarity to our garden pansies, these orchids are enjoying increasing popularity. Very large flowers brilliant red with a distinctive white waterfall. As a bonus it is fragrant. Great for indoors – windowsills or under lights. The foliage is pale green and the large flowers are produced on … |
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Understanding Orchids: An Uncomplicated Guide to Growing the World’s Most Exotic Plants $25.23 Orchids are the largest family of plants in the world. With 30,000 known species, you could acquire a different orchid every day for eighty years and still not grow them all. Back in the realm of reality, readers of this beautiful book can quickly and easily find the orchids that are right for them — which ones will thrive on a windowsill, which prefer artificial lights, and which need a greenhou… |
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Growing Orchids Just For The Fun Of It! $3.77 Growing orchids for novices can be quite easy. Once you know about the benefits of orchids you will find that they are really just like all other house plants, they require water, light, fertilizer and, yes, it is best to talk to them or perhaps play them a bit of music.One of several common myths that I still hear is that growing orchids as house plants is hard and also that orchids are difficult… |
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Growing Windowsill Orchids (Kew Growing) $7.75 From the elegant, warmth-loving moth orchid to the perennially popular slipper orchid, Growing Windowsill Orchids tells indoor gardeners everything they need to know in order to grow these exquisite flowering plants at home. With more than thirty years of experience growing and writing about the many species of orchids, Philip Seaton shares his recommendations for choosing the best plant, lookin… |