How to grow healthy and blooming orchids: tips for beginners

Orchids are graceful and elegant, but very demanding flowers. Sometimes budding does not occur even with regular watering and beneficial fertilization. However, by following simple tips, you can grow orchids in an ordinary apartment with dry air and enjoy flowering for a long time.

When buying a plant, you need to pay attention to the root system – it should be gray or light green, strong, and elastic. OBOZ.UA tells you how to care for orchids.

What kind of substrate is needed

Orchids need special substrates consisting of pine bark and additives. It is difficult to prepare such a substrate, so beginners should buy it in a store. After gaining experience, you can make the soil yourself by adding various components: bark, coconut blocks or shavings, a mixture of perlite, peat with a high fiber content, etc.

At what temperature do orchids grow

Orchids are thermophilic flowers, but it is worth noting that each species has its temperature requirements. As a general rule, the permissible temperature ranges from +5... +18°C. If it gets colder, the process of root deterioration and decay will begin.

But there are also hardy species of orchids, for example, Australian dendrobiums, for which the optimal temperature in winter is +10 +14°C, and in summer - no more than +22°C.

How to water orchids

Orchids need moderate watering, and not with cold water from the tap. You need soft, almost distilled water. Water from the tap salinizes the substrate, causing the plant to turn yellow.

If the orchid lacks water, its peduncles will quickly wither and fall off, the leaves will fade and lose their elasticity.

By the way, florists say that an orchid can dry out even because it was previously flooded with water. Excessive watering causes a lack of air exchange and the root system can simply suffocate.

What kind of lighting do orchids need

Flowers need bright but diffused light. It is better to place the containers on the windowsill on the east or west side. But direct sunlight, especially in summer, should be avoided.

Orchids are tropical plants, so they are accustomed to humid air. They can be periodically sprayed with water from a spray bottle or placed on a tray filled with water and gravel.

How to feed orchids

Fertilizer can be applied every 2 weeks, but only during the period of active growth and flowering. You can choose liquid solutions for watering under the root or spraying on the leaves. Solid store-bought fertilizers in the form of sticks or tablets are not suitable for orchids.

It is important to pay attention to the stage of plant development:

• during leaf growth, nitrogen fertilizers are needed;
• during flowering, phosphorus, and potassium will be useful;
• during the period of active root growth, it is worth spraying with a complex fertilizer.

Feeding should be done in the morning when the plant can absorb nutrients quickly. In the evening, trace elements are absorbed worse, florists say.

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