Orchids (Phalaenopsis)

This is one of the most beautiful plants that I have at home; for many years I had shied away from buying one for the house due to a common misconception that they are very short lived plants and will die within a month. I didn’t want to buy a plant with such a short life, however beautiful the flowers were. I was eventually gifted one of these beautiful plants and started researching them online to see how I could prolong their life.

 

To my surprise, I learned that these are very hardy plants and required only minimal care to thrive in the house!!! Of course, like all other plants we need to be aware of their natural habitat and provide a similar environment for them to grow and thrive indoors.

Orchids are one of the largest families of flowering plants and boast thousands of varieties of flowers, each more beautiful and alluring than the other. The species that I have is a commonly found one, called Phalaenopsis and is very popular in the garden centers and retail stores. Botanists have created a number of hybrid species too and there are about 25,000 varieties of this beautiful flowering plant. BTW, the vanilla flower is a species of orchid … and it’s a vine!!! The vanilla orchid is the only one in this plant family to produce an agriculturally useful crop.

The flowers are very beautiful and long lasting; my blooms lasted for close to four months (bloomed in April and finally died in August). These flowers are such a visual delight due to their delicate colors and unusual shapes and always make for very interesting conversation. Guests are always surprised at the sheer beauty of the flowers and it always makes for very interesting conversation as I share my care tips and encourage them to buy one of these gorgeous plants for themselves.

Here’s a fun fact about the orchids: The name “Orchid” comes from an ancient Greek word “Orchis” and has a myth associated with it; Orchis, the son of a nymph and a satyr, came upon a festival of Dionysus (Bacchus) in the forest. He drank too much, and attempted to rape a priestess of Dionysus. For his insult, he was torn apart by the Bacchanalians. His father prayed for him to be restored, but the gods instead changed him into a flower.

Though most commonly found in the tropics, these flowers can be found in almost any habitat, including the Arctic Circle. My orchid is a tropical variety and needs to be provided a similar environment for it to survive and grow.

Potting medium: Phalaenopis grow on the barks of trees in tropical forests and their roots cling onto the tree barks for support for the plant. This reflects in the thick root growth that is visible in these plants as they grow. This is also the reason why they are planted in bark mix instead of soil; this potting medium provides the roots with plenty of drainage, air circulation and moisture all of which are required for the plant to grow. If you plan to repot the plant, make sure to buy bark mix from a garden center rather than use potting soil … that will be the death of the orchid for sure.

Lighting: in nature the orchids grow in the shade of trees where they get filtered sunlight; hence when growing them indoors they need plenty of light, but no direct sun; hence they are best placed in north facing windows. I have two alternate locations for my orchid; in the bloom season, I place the plant in my family room by a south facing window; the lace curtain on the window permits plenty of light, but the sunlight is filtered providing the plant what it needs. The rest of the year I place it in the windowsill of a north facing window where there is plenty of daylight.

Watering: a key problem with orchids is how to best water them. They need humidity but the roots can’t tolerate standing water. If orchids are watered in the manner that other plants are, they will soon die of root rot. During my online research when I received this plant, I came across a watering method that I have adopted and have had great success with. I fill the flowerpot with water to the brim and let it stand for 10-15 minutes; this permits the roots to absorb the water required, also the bark mix gets a very nice soaking. I then pour out the water completely and place the plant back in its spot. The wet bark gives the plant the humidity that it needs for the rest of the week and the plant grows happily. Since switching to this method, I noticed that the roots have turned a nice green color, indicating their good health.

Fertilizer: I haven’t used any fertilizer for the orchid yet and the plant doesn’t seem to mind. It gets its nutrition from the water directly, but I am planning to buy some special fertilizer  for orchids before the flowering season next spring to give the plant the additional food that it needs to produce it’s beautiful and eye catching flowers.

I haven’t tried to propagate this plant and will only do so if I get a “keiki” (baby plant). The roots of my orchid are crawling up out of the pot and I think soon it will be time to move it to a bigger pot to give the roots room to grow; I will only repot it next year once it has completed its flowering cycle. The plant is growing new leaves and has added five new ones since I acquired it; this shows it is happy and likes the TLC that I am providing it.

In conclusion, my orchid has become one of my favorites at home and my only regret is the years that I wasted not buying this gorgeous plant earlier; subject to proper space at home, I am very keen to expand my collection of orchids and add to the splash of color that the flowers provide.