Grow Organically

We can thank orchid and other flower fanciers, at least in part, for the recentpush to recycle the water that reaches our homes, particularly that which comes down as rain. If you are starting out with orchids, this could be something you should look into.

Orchids, similar to most other plants, have specific likes and dislikes as to what is provided them to nourish their roots. Most of them dislike hard water. Unfortunately, the water that comes out of the faucets in many places is too hard for orchids to respond as well as we might like. Rarely will hard water out-and-out kill them. It might stunt their growth, though, or keep them from ever blooming as wonderfully as they would otherwise.

A saving grace about orchids is that they sport thick, fleshy roots that can hold up to hard water better than many other types of plants. Woody plants, for example, with their fine root system, are too easily destroyed by water that is too hard. Nontheless, you should try to avoid putting hard water on your orchids if you can possibly avoid it.

There are filters that you can buy to install on your water line that will make your water softer while taking out many impurities that would be bad for humans and plants both. Nothing, though, beats good old rainwater when it comes to doing right by orchids! After all, this is the type of water that nature supplies to plants the world over.

Several companies produce rain barrels that are ideal for collecting and holding rainwater until you want to use it. Many homeowners set up the barrels beneath the rainspouts coming from their roofs. With a little planning and work, you could set up a bank of rain barrels to channel water right to your orchids. Then your watering work, presuming you live in a fairly rainy area, becomes nearly hands-free.

Whatever kind of water you use, don’t put it on plants if it has a chill on it. For instance, I would not use water taken from an outside faucet on a cold day, without first allowing it to come to room temperature in my home or greenhouse. Chilly water can lead to spotting, rot young growths and damage roots.

Some orchids will get benefit from water with a little lime mixed in it. In years gone by, people noticed that imported Cypripedium orchids often were covered with chalky lime deposits due to the plants having grown in limestone rock crevices where water trickled down on them. So if you have a Cypripedium, you could try adding lime to the water, a little at first and then more if you determine that the plant is thriving on it.

The art and science of orchid cultivation is a fascinating subject. Orchid growing is not as hard as some people like to make it out to be, but you must arm yourself with accurate information before plunging in to this rewarding pastime.

The most accurate and clear guide to today’s orchid care, in my opinion, is Orchid Care Expert by master orchid grower Nigel Howard, which is available to be downloaded from the Internet. Mr. Howard’s ebook is a comprehensive course of study, useful for beginners as well as more experienced devotees alike. Also, check out the Orchid Secrets site, which features a growing database of postings on a wide range of topics of orchid care.

When someone starts a garden, they will often find a nice patch of soil to plant their seeds in. From here, they provide good quantities of water and wait for the plants to start growing. It’s important to weed the garden often since weeds rob plants of needed nutrients, In spite of the amount of work required, the soil may be lacking essential nutrients which may not yield the strongest plants. If a person begins to grow with hydroponics, however, they can use different hydroponic nutrients to get the best results from their plants.

Soil is not a concern if one begins the growing cycle of plants with hydroponics. Since soil may be lacking in some nutrients and overabundant in others, it may not offer the best results that one could get while growing plants. Instead, with hydroponics, all of the nutrients which are needed are supplied through the water the plants will be connected to.

In order for the plants to grow to the best of their ability, the roots will be exposed to hydroponic nutrients, oxygen, and water. These plants will begin to grow up to 50% faster than they might in soil because of their open exposure to everything they need. Additionally, there will be no extra distractions around to stop the plants from getting what they need.

Separated from interfering elements your plants will be healthier to consume as the need for insecticides will be greatly reduced. The hydroponic nutrients being supplied to the plants will make sure they are vitamin and mineral rich as well as healthier and stronger.

Many different forms of hydroponic nutrients are available to anyone interested in growing with this method. Someone might purchase a nutrient system where all of the requirements are met with one nutrient solution. Other people may focus on nutrition systems that focus on the most important nutrients for their plants depending on their stage of growth.

When hydroponic nutrients are used to help a person grow plants, less time will need to be spent on the maintenance of the garden. Instead, all of the necessary energy will be devoted to keeping up with the growing cycle of the plants, helping them get as strong as can be. If you want to grown incredibly healthy plants check out hydroponic nutrient systems which accelerate garden growth.

Orchid appreciation is so widespread these days that it is hard to imagine a world without these wonderful flowers. But, not very long ago, the people of the so-called civilized world were completely in the dark about the overwhelming majority of species of orchids.

Europeans naturally were familiar with their native orchid species, such as the exuberant Bee Orchid. But knowledge of the thousands of breath-taking tropical orchids had to await the results of explorations of the jungles and mountains of South America and the eastern Indies. Even then, specimens were slow to make it back to countries such as England, Germany or France.

Probably the first living orchid to be transported from the tropics to England was an Epidendrum cochleatum, one of the more showy of its family. It flowered in London in 1787. Another species from the same family was brought in to England in 1778. It took ten years for its caretakers to bring forth flowers from it.

Admiral William Bligh, of Mutiny on the Bounty fame, brought back 15 species of epiphytal orchids native to West Indies in the early 1790s. These were put on display at the well-known Kew Gardens in London. For many years thereafter the West Indies, along with India, were the principal sources of tropical orchids to Europe. In 1793, though, a species of Oncidium was transported to England from Panama, followed several years later by some orchids from Uruguay.

By 1818, Brazil was at the forefront of was contributing to what had become a steady flow of orchids back to England and other European lands. By 1830 the Royal Horticultural Society had collectors traveling throughout Brazil searching for for unusual species.

The orchid trade very soon turned into a serious moneymaking enterprise, with businessmen in Brazil negotiating arrangements with their counterparts in London to ship plants to England for resale there. William Harrison, a merchant in Rio de Janeiro in the 1830s and 1840s, shipped many lovely orchids to his brother Richard in Liverpool. Richard’s house quickly became a magnet for orchid fanatics who journeyed there to see the latest arrivals.

Introducing orchids to Europe was one thing, but cultivating them successfully proved quite another. It has truly been said that for more than half a century, England was the graveyard of tropical orchids. The plants that survived did so in spite of rather than because of the treatment they received. Growers kept experimenting and making mistakes until, by about 1850, they had mostly worked out the art of orchid cultivation. That’s when the orchid craze really exploded, because now the knowledge was available by which even non-botanists could grow these stunning plants.

Knowledge of how to successfully grow orchids has greatly expanded during the intervening years and now we know so much more than did those Victorian devotees. We also have, of course, better technology to aid us in the greenhouse and garden.

The most thorough guide to modern orchid care, it is widely acknowedged, is Orchid Care Expert by Nigel Howard, which can be downloaded from the Internet. Mr. Howard’s guide is a comprehensive course of study, helpful for novices as well as the more experienced fanciers alike. Also, visit the Orchid Secrets web site, which has an ever-growing library of postings on many topics of orchid cultivation.

Orchids are traditionally separated into two major groups, epiphytal and terrestrial. The epiphytals are the ones that tend to grow on tree trunks and tree branches. There are a number of ways to grow this type of orchid in one’s home or in greenhouses. It all starts with the potting.

In a state of nature, the epiphytals typically have roots that are much more open to air as compared to other plants.  Therefore, by “potting” we do not mean to pack them around with thick potting soil.  Rather, we want to place them in a pot containing loose, organic material, from which they can draw necessary nutrients, along with rocks or broken pottery shards to create open spaces as well as to help the plants stand.

The usual formulation for potting matter suitable to the epiphytals is 1 part sphagnum to one part peat. Place a layer of this blend in the bottom of the pot, followed by a layer of rocks or pottery pieces, then a second layer of the compost, etc. When the pot is approximately a quarter or at most a third full, carefully place the orchid’s roots down into it. Then proceed to add more rocks and mix, packing all of this material just firmly enough to support the plant.

Try to gradually build the compost until it is up to and even somewhat above the top of the pot. The height you need to go above the pot depends on the size of the pot as well as the depth to which you have placed your orchid. The rule of thumb is to allow the plant’s crown to rest on the top of the mix. By crown we mean that part of the orchid plant from where the roots start.

If you happen to be repotting an orchid, you must take care when extricating it from the previous pot. If there are any young roots attaching themselves to the outside of the pot, you should attempt to ease them off with a blade of some kind. It there is a mass of living roots — meaning, roots that have sap in them — attached to the interior of the pot, then you might have to break the pot and pick away all that you can. You might need to repot it with bits of the old pot still hanging on the roots, and this is OK.

It is preferable not to water the orchid for a day or so before and after potting it.

This has been a very basic introduction to potting epiphytal type orchid plants. The subject can be more complicated than this, especially when talking about some of the more delicate or senstive species. People have written entire books on the subject of potting the various different types of orchids!  Fortunately, most of us don’t need books devoted soley to the potting art to achieve success with orchids. A recognized, comprehensive guide to all aspects of orchid growing is sufficient.

Nowadays there is an abudance of excellent, accurate information to be had by anyone who would like to cultivate orchids. The most thorough guide to contemporary orchid gardening, more people are finding, is Orchid Care Expert by Nigel Howard, which is available to be downloaded over the Internet. Howard’s wonderful guide is a comprehensive education all to itself. And, you will find it suitable for novices as well as the more experienced orchid cultivators. Also, check out the Orchid Secrets website, which has an ever-expanding database of entries on all aspects of orchid care.