Diary of a Gardenaholic: Orchids For
A Change…
By Monica Gaylord (& Jennifer Bird)
Gardening in
Why do we do it? As
a gardening fanatic, I cannot get through my day without a walk outdoors past a
recently planted strawberry pot or through the arbor for a whiff of the
blooming white jasmine. A newly tilled patch of dirt calls my name until I can
fill it with all varieties of goodies.
So, with all these
seasonal obstacles, what other options do we gardeners have to get our daily
fix? I raise orchids! And I grow them indoors.
Indoor gardening is
a remedy I find that appeals to almost all my senses: the sight of a beautiful
orchid in bloom for months, yes months at a time; the sound of oohs and aahs
from our northern visitors who rarely see tropicals up close and personal; the
chocolate-raspberry fragrance of Oncidium Sharry Baby, or a multitude of
corsage-quality Cattleyas in bloom that fill the air with their heavenly
scents.
Too
scary? Or
hard to grow? Nonsense! Picture yourself standing in a nice, cool room
spritzing a new growth from a pretty pot right on your kitchen windowsill while
the air outside the windows is less than ideal. Here’s how!
Step One: Buy a
full-grown blooming orchid from your local nursery or garden center. (The younger, smaller plants are not quite as
forgiving if you go on a long vacation, and may be several years away from
blooming.) You should ask your nursery
to recommend one that is “easy to grow on a windowsill”. Full-grown doesn’t necessarily mean
large. Many orchids are small when fully
mature. Prices range from $15 - $45 and
up, and there are some great orchid nurseries in
Step Two: Find a
window in your home that gets filtered sunlight most of the day (usually one
with a southern or eastern exposure). The kitchen and bathroom are ideal
locations because of their humidity. If
there is a ceiling fan, leave it on (as if the tropical breezes are blowing
through the jungle).
If windows with
adequate light are unavailable, consider cultivating orchids under artificial
lights. Remember some types of Orchids need high levels of natural sunlight to
bloom consistently and cannot be successfully flowered in the home.
Step Three: Place
your potted plant on a plate or dish full of pebbles (or on egg-crate humidity
trays) in the windowsill to raise the humidity.
Be sure to protect your sill if it is wood by using a coaster
underneath. Also be sure the pot has a
hole or two in it for drainage.
Step Four: Keep
the pebbles (or tray) wet, but do not let the water touch the pots! The plants prefer constant humidity,
especially since air conditioning that is comfortable for us dries out the pots
quickly. A daily spritzing of your
plants is also helpful.
Step Five: Water
the pot weekly, weakly. In other words,
every time you water, add about ˝ to 1 teaspoon of fertilizer to a gallon of
water. After first wetting the pot
thoroughly with plain water, pour the fertilizer solution through the pot into
the sink. No need to use the whole
gallon, just enough to soak the medium.
Clay pots dry faster than plastic, so keep this in mind to determine how
often to water. Once a month, run plain water through the pot to rinse out the
salt deposits (from the fertilizer).
Most orchids that
die do so from over-watering. Let the
roots dry out between baths. Your plant
should begin sending out new growths within a couple of months. These will produce more blooms the same time
next year, or even immediately, depending which type
of orchid you bought.
Orchids do not need
dirt to grow. Potting an orchid in soil
is actually one of the best ways to kill it. Most are grown in a mix of bark,
perlite, charcoal, tree fern or some other loosely packed material, which keeps
roots well-aerated and permits water to drain quickly. A lack of oxygen will
cause an orchid’s roots to suffocate and rot.
In the wild most
orchids attach themselves by thick roots to the sides or branches of trees.
Clinging to the bark, the plants absorb water and nutrients from the air and
rain and whatever drips down the tree.
They are adapted to surviving when rain is scarce, hoarding water in
thick leaves, stems and roots.
In about six months
to one year, dump the plant out and see if the roots look healthy. If the root tips are green and growing, and
the rest of the root is white and fleshy, voila! You are doing a great job. Being careful not to damage these roots,
firmly repot your orchid in the same pot (or a larger one if needed). Use the
same medium, or buy fresh Orchid Bark Mix at your nursery if yours looks too
decomposed. Some orchids, such as
Dendrobiums, usually like to be crowded.
If your orchid is walking out of the pot, use a larger pot. Each consecutive growth should be larger than
the first.
Having problems?
Take your plants to the Heart O’ Texas Orchid Society for a quick and free
diagnosis. The club meets the first
Tuesday of most every month at
Remember, the most
difficult part will be limiting yourself to just what will fit on your
windowsill!