If this is your first time owning an orchid then you will want to learn the proper orchid care steps to growing beautiful orchids. In this article I will explain how caring for orchids can be accomplished easily and quickly with these easy to learn strategies. If you want to turn your orchid plants into beautiful and thriving flowers, then you need to read this article for proper orchid care. So without further ado lets get into the exact process of caring for orchids.
Watering Orchids
In order to have amazing orchids you need to know how to water your orchids correctly. One of the main factors to watering orchids is to make sure the orchid soil is moist and not soggy or too wet. By keeping an eye on your orchid will allow you to make sure that the orchid soil does not dry out and will keep your orchid healthy. You can also make a note of the weight of your orchid after you have watered it. This is a great way to find out exactly when to water your orchid again. You can also place your finger about one inch into the top layer of the orchid medium and test to see if it is moist or dry. If it’s dry then its time to water your orchid. If the orchid medium is still moist then you should wait before watering your orchid again.
Fertilization and Nutrition
An important factor to having healthy orchids is knowing what you should feed your orchid to have vibrant plants. Nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium are the most important nutrients your orchid plants need to thrive and grow. These are the basic nutrients that every plant needs to have in order to thrive and bloom. The basic nutrients for orchid nutrition is what I will discuss for basic orchid feeding.
Nitrogen is used for the leaves and flowers of your orchid plant. If you begin to see your orchid leaves turning yellow and becoming stunted in growth, this may be a sign of a nitrogen deficiency. Having too much nitrogen can also be a problem as well and could prevent your orchid from flowering correctly or at all. Use the proper amount of nitrogen when feeding your orchids.
Another essential macro-nutrient needed for optimum health is phosphorous. Phosphorous is a great nutrient for many different things. In order to properly transplant your orchids correctly you will need the help of phosphorous. Strengthening the roots of your plants is important and phosphorous can make this happen. Slow growth and blue green discolorations of the leaves of your orchid can be caused by lack of phosphorous in the soil. Too much phosphorous will inhibit the absorption of other nutrients such as magnesium, iron, calcium and various others.
Potassium is not as an important nutrient as nitrogen and phosphorous is but is worth mentioning. In order to keep the plants cells of your orchid strong and healthy you need to have potassium in the orchid medium or soil. Important sugars such as starch is needed for proper orchid health, and potassium allows this process to occur correctly. An excess of potassium may lead to a deficiency in nitrogen, copper, calcium, iron, and many other important minerals.
Propagating Orchids
Discover all about orchid propagation and how it can help you to have amazing and healthy orchids. Propagating orchids is simple; it is just moving your plant into a new orchid pot and soil. If you don’t know when it’s time to replant your orchids then keep an eye on the roots of your orchids and when they become crowded it is time to transplant them. Handling your orchid with care is essential if you want to have healthy orchids throughout the year. When removing your orchid plant you need to make sure not to pull the plant from its stem, if you need to you can hit the bottom of the pot and this should be enough to loosen the soil and roots to easily remove the plant. You can also use a knife to cut the plant from the pot, but you need to be careful not to cut any roots.
Take a knife and remove all the decaying material that is around your plant and throw it away. If your orchid roots happen to be thriving or healthy then you will need to repot your orchid into a larger pot than the original.
Before adding the orchid into the new pot you need to make sure it will have proper drainage by adding Styrofoam peanuts into the pot. Put orchid medium into the pot and then place your orchid inside filling up the pot all the way to the top with orchid medium. Press firmly down on the orchid medium making sure that your orchid is in place and it will not move. Many people place a stick inside of the pot and tie their orchid to it to prevent it from falling over or blowing away.
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