Orchids For Dummies

Overview

Become a plant parent to some of the most stunning flowering plants you’ve ever seen Orchids display more beautiful and exotic flowers than you’ll find on other flowering plants, but they do require some love and care to grow well. With help from Orchids For Dummies, anyone can be successful in growing and flowering these gorgeous and fragrant plants in their garden or home! This step-by-step guide shows you how to select orchids that will thrive in your own unique environment and how to water, fertilize, repot, and propagate them on your own. You’ll learn to decipher complicated orchid names (“phalaenopsis,” anyone?) and create spectacular displays. You’ll also discover:

  • New information about updated plant and orchid classification systems so you can know what to buy at your local garden center or store
  • Expanded info on moth orchids, one of the most popular varieties of the plant sold in the world today
  • Updated instructions on which pesticides, fertilizers, and potting materials you should be using

Perfect for amateur gardeners, orchid-lovers, and anyone interested in growing these exquisite flowers on their own, Orchids For Dummies will turn your thumb green in no time at all!

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About The Author

Steven A. Frowine is a noted professional horticulturist and a longtime avid gardener and communicator.

The National Gardening Association is the leading garden-based educational organization in the United States. Visit https://garden.org.

Sample Chapters

orchids for dummies

CHEAT SHEET

Growing orchids at home isn’t as difficult as you might think. This handy Cheat Sheet will help you get started. Take a look at the list of fragrant orchids to decide which sweet scents you want around your house. You'll also find some helpful tips about knowing when and how to fertilize and water your orchids.

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The right potting mix for orchids provides plenty of drainage, air circulation, or moisture — depending on the needs of your particular orchid. Orchid mixes consist of a variety of potting materials, each of which has its pros and cons. You can mix your own blend from the recipes below, or you can buy ready-made orchid mixes.
Not only are orchids beautiful, some have an amazing fragrance. Here's a list of some of the most sweet-smelling orchids and a brief description of their fragrance: Angranthes grandiflora: Just about all the angraecums and their hybrids, like this one, have a sweet jasmine fragrance. Brassavola nodosa: Its common name, Lady of the Night, gives you a hint of its sensuous freesia or lily-of-the-valley night fragrance.
When shopping for an orchid pot, you'll find many types to choose from. Some orchid containers are more ornamental, while others have functional differences. The most common container is the basic pot — plastic or clay (terracotta); each material has its advantages, and choosing one may depend on the type of orchid you are taking care of.
Choosing the right orchid for your home requires some consideration. Few beginning orchid growers take the time to consider their environment before they buy, but it's easy end up bringing home a gorgeous orchid that's completely wrong for your home. Before you bring home an orchid, you need to consider the average daytime and nighttime temperatures in summer and winter where you live, and the amount of light the orchid will get in your home.
Overwatering and underwatering orchids show many of the same symptoms because the effect of both practices is the same — damaged or destroyed root systems, which result in a dehydrated orchid. The signs of dehydration include the following: Pleated leaves on orchids like miltonias Excessively shriveled pseudobulbs (thickened, swollen stems) of some orchids, like cattleyas Droopy, soft, and puckered leaves on cattleyas Yellow and wilted bottom leaves on phalaenopsis Bud blast (in which the buds fall off instead of opening) on all orchids The pleated or puckered leaf of this miltonia orchid is a sign that the orchid is dehydrated.
Many people think fertilizer is some type of elixir that will save even the most abused orchid. Actually, if the orchid is in poor health, fertilizers are rarely the answer. Fertilizers are most useful as a boost to help an already healthy orchid grow better.The number and types of fertilizers on the market can make your head spin!
Artificial light sources make it possible you to grow orchids without greenhouses or bright windowsills. You can grow any kind of orchid in artificial light. The cost of equipment and electricity are your only limitations. Fluorescent lights Fluorescent systems are the most accessible and economical lighting systems to buy.
Bringing an orchid plant into its new home can be traumatic for both the plant and you! Most orchids you buy come from the very high-light, high-humidity environment of a commercial greenhouse. You bring them into your home environment, which is usually less bright with lower humidity, so the plant has to make some adjustments.
The names used for orchids are usually in Latin, since it's universally accepted. Don't be intimidated by orchid names! Here's a quick pronunciation guide, with abbreviations: Genus Abbreviation Pronunciation Aeranthes Aerth. Ay-er-an-thees Angranthes Angth. An-gran-theez Brassavola B. Bra-sah-vol-lah Brassia Brs.
Insufficient humidity can stunt an orchid's growth and, in severe cases, it can cause brown tips on leaves. It can also contribute to orchid buds falling off (known as bud blast), leaves wrinkling, and drying of the sheaths (the tubelike structures that surround the developing flower buds), which can result in twisted or malformed flowers.
Don't be afraid to repot your orchids while caring for them. Despite their reputation, orchids are tough, and repotting helps them thrive. You'll know it time to repot orchids when Orchid roots are overflowing the pot The plant itself is going over the edge of the pot Potting material is getting soggy and drains poorly The ideal time to repot most orchids is when the plant starts new growth — usually right after it finishes flowering.
If you have overwatered an orchid, you can take steps to save it. If the orchid still has some healthy, firm roots, you can salvage it by cutting off all the soft, mushy roots with a sterile tool, like a single-edged razor, and repotting the orchid in new potting material. Go light on the watering for a few weeks to encourage new root development.
Flowers and spikes of orchid blossoms can be heavy and, if they aren't staked properly, they'll open at an awkward angle. Orchid staking techniques vary somewhat with the type of orchid. The two major types are the spray orchids, like phalaenopsis and oncidiums, or those with single flowers or just a few on one spike, like cattleyas and most paphiopedilums.
Orchids are killed by improper watering (usually by overwatering) more likely than by any other practice. Discovering how to properly water orchids is one of the more challenging aspects of growing orchids. The pot-weighting method of determining when to water is one of the easiest. In this method, you're relying on feel instead of precise weights.
Growing orchids at home isn’t as difficult as you might think. This handy Cheat Sheet will help you get started. Take a look at the list of fragrant orchids to decide which sweet scents you want around your house. You'll also find some helpful tips about knowing when and how to fertilize and water your orchids.
When you first notice pests on your orchids, you need to promptly and properly identify them so you can be sure to apply the most effective control. In many cases, especially if there are many pests present, you'll have to apply control measures every seven to ten days, at least three times because eggs are resistant to the control and hatch later.
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