How to Take Care of an Orchid? 15 Tips for Your Cultivation!

Keep the orchids in indoor vases is one of the most common ways of growing the plant.

But for it to develop properly it is essential to find the right place to leave the vasinho.

The ideal, in this case, is to leave the orchid near to a window so that it has contact with the air and the luminosity.

But be careful because orchids can not receive many direct sunrays, so choose a window that receives the morning sun.

Besides the amount of light, it is important that the chosen location is neither too hot nor too cold.

This is because the orchids develop better at temperatures between 10º and 25ºC.

So, avoid putting your orchid in places near the air conditioner.

If you have other plants or orchids, be careful not to leave them too close because if one is infected with plagues, others can get them.

When planting the orchid, prefer the clay pots to the plastic ones.

Although they are more expensive, clay pots are more porous and drain water better.

If you use plastic pots, pay attention to watering, avoiding overfilling the plant.

Another very common doubt is about how many times we need to water the orchid.

In general, the recommendation is to water the orchid once every 4 days.

If the weather is dry, they can be watered once a week.

In addition to the ideal watering frequency, another important point is to pay attention to how this watering is done.

The indication is to wet the orchid slowly so that the water is packed between the roots.

Water until the water starts flowing into the voids in the vase.

Another important tip on how to take care of an orchid is about the right time to do the watering.

The best is to water the orchid in the morning so that the plant can dry during the day.

Avoid watering at night as the orchid will take a long time to dry out, which may favour the attack of bacteria and fungi.

An essential point to take good care of your orchid is to know which species it is. Oncidium adapt well both indoors and in the gardens.

Vanda has aerial roots and therefore must be planted in open areas, such as backyards and gardens. They like lots of light and airy places.

Cattleya and Phalaenopsis adapt well to many environments, besides being easy to care for and develop in pots.

When it is time to cultivate your orchid, there are some essential points that need to be considered.

The soil, for example, is not the most recommended substrate because several species have roots that need more space and some have aerial roots.

In this case, the indicated is to use pine bark, tree fern fiber, perite or a mixture of many substrates, including options already ready for orchids cultivation.

All the plants need fertilization to develop well. Although orchids can absorb nutrients from leaves and roots, they also need this care.

Chemical fertilizers have a faster effect, but it is necessary to use the right amount so as not to harm the plant.

The most used one for orchids is the NPK 20-20-20 which can be applied once a week and needs to be placed on both leaves and substrate.

To stimulate the next bloom, use NPK 10 30 20, which has a higher concentration of phosphorus.

How to take care of an orchid involves, also, observing your plant carefully.

That’s because she’ll signal if something’s wrong.

The colour of the leaves, for example, is an important indicator.

If the leaves are dark, move the orchid. The more contact with the light it has, the more it will bloom.

The most common plagues that reach orchids are: aphids, wasps, fungi, snails and mealybugs.

Aphids appear in coloured dots such as yellow, black or white and like new leaves. They can be treated with insecticide or coconut soap.

Fungi cause dark spots on orchids. The ideal is to cut the affected parts and burn them.

Mealybugs feed on the roots of the plants and it is recommended to replant to eliminate the pest.

Although some insects are seen as plagues, others help your orchid.

The ladybird is an example that feeds on plagues that can appear in orchids.

The same goes for spiders and dragonflies. So no killing those insects if you see them in your orchid.

It is normal that, at some moment, the orchid loses its flowers.

Normally, orchids don’t develop more flowers from the old stem. So, in some cases, the stem can dry out and the ideal, in this situation, is to cut the stem.

When the flowers fall, the orchid enters in the resting period, so take good care of your plant, pruning and fertilizing correctly so that it blooms again.

Pruning is essential for the orchid to continue growing in a healthy and beautiful way.

The important thing is to prune only the damaged parts of the plant, such as the pest parts or the dry stem.

In the case of roots with darker colours, it is necessary to remove them from the vase and cut only the damaged parts.

And always prune the orchid during the rest period (when the flowers fall).

If you have a nursery or several orchids to take care of, the tip is to use identification plates in each one of them.

Write down the name of the species, the period of the last flowering and the types of fertilisers used, as well as the last time applied.