Orchid Care for Beginners

Unveiling Life: A Petal-Painted Symphony of Renewal (12/19/2023)

(Updated on 12/19/2023)

This document details the full orchid life cycle, encompassing hibernation and the opening of a bud signifying a new cycle.

Figure 1.  Orchid varieties

Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae, a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colorful and fragrant.^[1]

The orchid flower is typically has an outer whorl of three sepals, an inner loop of three petals, a single large column in the center, and an enlarged bottom petal called a lip or labellum (see Figure 2). The overall flower shape is characteristically bilaterally symmetrical (the left and right halves of the blossom are mirror images), a necessity for reliable pollination by bees.

Figure 2.  Basic structure of orchid^[1]

Orchid Care

There are more than 20,000 species of orchids, and contrary to popular belief, they are extremely easy to look after, yet many homeowners flounder by overwatering or putting orchids in the wrong place.

Lighting

Orchids do not like direct sun. They require low light levels, but they do need sunlight. It is possible for them to survive in offices but they may struggle. Avoid placing your orchid on windowsills because of the direct light.

Temperature

It is best to keep your orchid between 60 F and 80 F.

Fertilizer

It is not necessary to add fertilizer to your water or feed your orchid. At the greenhouse, the growers sometimes give low amounts of fertilizer and your orchid has plenty of energy to continue its bloom cycle.

For our orchid in 5 inch pot, we water them weekly using the cup shown

Watering

Orchids do not require water often and do not need a lot.^[2]

When giving water using the measuring cup (see Figure 1), be aware about the size of orchid you bought. Mini orchids in 2.5 inch pot need 1.5oz of water weekly. Orchids in 5 inch pots instead need 3oz of water per week.

Trimming Stems at the End of Bloom Life

At the end of your orchid's bloom cycle, the blooms will begin to wilt and fall off. This should start with the oldest (lower) flowers first. Based on grandmom's advice, this is the time for you to cut them down at the stem base.^[2]

To prepare your orchid for the flower break you should remove wilted flowers and keep the stems as long as they are still green. The plant will send all energy from the stems back into the roots. Only when the stems are getting brown you should cut them down at the stem base.

The following caring tips were given by a grandmom as you can see in the below pictures.  Note that she never repot her orchids.  If you plan to repot, be very careful not to damage the roots.

This orchid plant has been grown for around 7 years with each cut represents one year 

Yesterday (07/17/2023) grandmom had cut off two stems from the below orchid plant

To prepare this orchid for the flower break, trimming was done

A velvety green bonnet swells with anticipation, cradling a hidden surprise (12/10/2023)

Like a tiny sunrise, a vibrant bloom explodes from the bud, painting the air with its radiance (12/19/2023)

References

1. Anatomy of an Orchid
2. Orchid Care