Gardening with Sam: Try these tips for orchids
Sometimes we think some flowers are very costly, but some are not: Orchids have come down in price over the years, and a lot of the big box stores have them – even grocery stores have them sometimes.
Orchids are low maintenance and will bloom for months with little care. No soil is needed in the wild; orchids pull nutrients from the air and rain. Inside, they prefer fast-draining bark or sphagnum moss.
When choosing an orchid, select the ones with buds not yet open. The blooms will then last the longest – and the best part is, you can watch them open and turn into flower heads.
Moth orchids, or Phalaenopsis, like rocks and driftwood, which creates a display that’s both elegant and rugged.
Remove orchids from their nursery pots, cover the roots with moistened sheet moss and secure with florist wire, if needed. Use branch crannies and rock to support the orchid’s branch. Pour a cup of water over root balls once a week, and they should be okay.
I like to use orchid plant food, also, to make the orchid produce faster blooms.
To avoid soggy roots, place orchids in the sink, run water over the roots and let drain.
A hanging open wire basket is great to grow orchids up away from animals. Use a 14-inch wire basket or cage, wrap moss around the roots of the orchid and soak in water well. You might want to use a sheet of plastic so the drips won’t get on the floor. I like to use all kinds of moss and branches so the stems will have something to rest on, and you can have them come out the bottom, sides and top of the wire basket. This is beautiful in the sun room, where they get lots of light in the daytime. They do like cool nights.
You could also staple on old barn board or half baskets to decorate a wall and work them into your other baskets of flowers.
Overwatering orchids is just a bad as not watering at all, just like all other plants. The best way to check if a plant needs water is to push your finger about one inch down into the soil. If it’s dry, water. If not, check in a few days.
Feed orchids once a month with orchid fertilizer and keep them away from drafty windows as well as full sun. The sun will burn them if they are placed where the sun from the window comes through.
When the orchid has stopped blooming, cut the stem all the way back, leaving about half an inch of stem, and it will start a new shoot. It’s best to have multiple orchids, some in all stages of growing.
