How to Take Care of a Black Dragon Plant

How to Care for Orchid Plants

Orchids are amazingly diverse. Some are easy to grow, while others require tender loving care. Because of this, the different types have varying requirements to help them thrive. If you want to add orchids to your home garden, here's a general overview of how to care for orchid plants.

Easy Orchids for Beginners

Different types of orchids have different fertilizer, water, soil and light needs. For best growing results, tailor your orchid care to fit the needs of the specific orchid you're growing. Some orchids are easier to grow than others. If you're a beginner, you might have the best luck with the nun's orchid or the tropical lady slipper orchid. These orchids don't have many special care needs, and growing them is not unlike growing any other basic houseplant.

Care of Orchid Plants

The growing media for orchids should either be bark or moss. Orchids that like drier conditions prefer bark because this medium dries out well. Orchids that like more moisture do well in moss. To keep the growing media draining adequately, repot your orchid about once a year.

Watering is crucial for overall orchid health. Overwatering is a common way of killing orchids, so you need to be careful about how much water you provide. Generally, you should water most orchids just before the soil fully dries out. The time it takes for the soil to dry out depends on the growing environment and growing medium, but this is usually somewhere between several days to a couple of weeks. If the medium feels fully dry, water the orchid.

Fertilize orchids every time you water using an all-purpose fertilizer at one-quarter of the recommended strength. Provide filtered light; an eastern-exposure window is ideal. Orchids can also tolerate low light levels, if necessary. Maintain ideal humidity levels in a dry environment by misting your orchid with water daily. If your environment isn't overly dry, no special measures are necessary.

Care of Orchids After Flowering

After an orchid blooms, it requires a few specific care steps. The orchid might bloom again if you care for it correctly. If the flower spike is green and healthy, leave it to see if the orchid blooms again. If the spike is withered and brown, cut it back to the nearest node using sharp, clean scissors. Continue to water the orchid as recommended, give it indirect light and fertilize it regularly. You may see a new bloom in two or three months, or the orchid could enter a dormancy period.

Orchid Pests

Pests can be problematic for orchids. You might have to battle aphids, mealybugs or scales. These insects suck sap from the plants, causing browning and stunted growth. Correct watering, humidity levels, temperatures and growing media may prevent pest problems. If you notice signs of infestation, cut away infested parts of the plant, and repot it with fresh medium. You might also need to use an insecticide to control pests, but always choose a product that's safe for use on orchids.

How to Repot an Orchid

Once you're sure an orchid is finished blooming, and if you notice the growing medium breaking down, repot the plant. Most common orchids are monopodial orchids, meaning they grow from one stem. Other orchids are sympodial, which means they grow from a rhizome. Monopodial orchids need to be positioned in the center of a pot so they can grow upward. Sympodial orchids need to be positioned so the oldest growth on the plant is sitting against the edge of the pot, directing the new growth toward the center.

Soak the orchid in its pot in tepid water for about five minutes to loosen it. Take the orchid out of the pot and remove as much media from the roots as possible. Trim off any dead roots, leaving just firm and healthy roots. Wash the roots in tepid water. Use the same pot or one just slightly larger; orchids don't like large pots. Fill the container about halfway with growing media and position the orchid according to its type. Add more growing media and gently situate the orchid so it's supported in the container and the crown is above the media. Wait a day to water.

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