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Top 5 Mistakes To Avoid When Growing Beautiful Orchids

By Amy C.

Republish: EasyPublish™ Published: 08May2011 Word count: 617 Viewed: 206 time(s) Get Free Content For Your Site

The growing of an orchid is not something to be undertaken lightly. It is a multi-faceted process with many components that will contribute to the success or failure of the project. There are many types of orchids and each one has a different cultural need. it has been joked that an orchid expert is someone who has a full orchid grave yard hidden in their basement. This is an exaggeration but it does have a bit of merit. Since hardly anyone ever gets it right the first time around.

The first thing you will need to do is learn about the environment the type of orchid you intend to grow will need. If you cannot provide the proper growth environment for this particular type of orchid then perhaps another variety will fare better in your environment. The trick is to recreate the orchids natural growing environs. Read on for five of the worst mistakes besides this one you can make with an orchid.

1.) Low humidity is one of the biggest and the worst kind of mistake that is most often made when attempting to grow an orchid. Orchids thrive from the humidity factors and not being directly saturated with water. An orchid thrives in humidity levels of 40-70%. The temperature and the humidity can be a bit lower during the night.

2.) The next faux pas is inadequate lighting. The truth is most homes do not provide enough light to grow an orchid even in the sunniest of windows. Most orchids are found growing quite beautifully in the tops of tress in tropical forest settings. They are in the right humidity and tend to grow where they can get an abundance of light. Lighting requirements are totally dependent upon the particular species, so do your homework. You may have to install a special lamp to provide the proper level of light for your plant. Just make certain the sunlight or lamp is not directly on the plant.

3.) Planting orchids in regular potting soil is one way to assure yourself of having a dead plant on your hands. Orchids need to have their roots aerated they will suffocate. One of the best mediums for growing orchids is lava rock. The three most important things to remember about a medium used for an orchid is that it must be able to retain water, hold nutrients and will allow the orchid to cling by its roots to the surface.

4.) Another way to severely damage an orchid is to saturate its roots with water. A porous container works best for potting orchids. When you water the orchid it should be in the form of a light mist and the plants' container should allow the water to drain away completely.

5.) Not fertilizing the orchid with a properly balanced formula is also one of the mistake novice growers are making with their plants. For an orchid the most important chemicals in a fertilizer would be Nitrogen, Phosphorous and potassium but the other trace chemicals are also of import. A fertilizer that can be added to the water is best for orchids and the N_P_K scale of 20-20-20 is the best of all.

Growing orchids can be a rewarding pastime. The flowers are beautiful and when you get that first very bloom you will be so excited you will not want to wait to show it off. Don't forget to get some decorative garden planters and solar fountains in your garden for creating a total makeover of your gardens appearance.

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