Orchids

-Vanda Orchids

One of the more popular Orchids due to the unique flower shape and colors are Vanda Orchids.

Vanda orchids come from south East Asia and northern Australia. There is no major problem to grow them, they need plenty of sunlight and move them as the seasons change. If they get enough light, they maybe bloom two or three times a year.

During their growing season, vanda orchids need a lot of water. If you hang vanda orchids maybe outside your home, if you live in a tropical region, give them water every day, never allow them to dry out completely.

-Dendrobium orchids need light,

the more the better, but not direct. In the house a slightly shaded south window would be good. Under lights, with 40 watt bulbs directly over plants. Plants should be naturally erect, without need of stalking..

The temperature for your dendrobium orchid growing is important. Temperature is proportional important to the amount of light so both should be considered, between 10 and 35 degrees centigrade is the best. There should be a difference of about 10 degrees between night and day.

Keep dendrobiums wet, but not too wet. Dendrobiums need 50 to 60 percent humidity. At the home, place a tray over moistened pebbles and use a humidifier if conditions are too dry. Humidity trays can be purchased from gardening shops.

Potting of your dendrobium orchids should be done every two to three years.
 

-Orchids are famous for their great colors. They come in almost any color of the spectrum.

The shipper had used a cattleya orchid as packing material for other flowers. A botanist in that area could tell that this was a unique plant, and he saved it, the result of this are Cattleya orchids. His name was William Cattley, and this happened in 1818.

Orchid plants are not only tropical plants they grow on every continent except Antarctica. Where they don't grow wild, orchid growing has made them available at many orchid nursery and gardeners. The first hybrids orchid plants was grown in 1856. Orchid growing reached a new height in 1917 when Dr. L. Knudsen at Cornell University discovered that he could recreate the fungi that orchids normally grow with, by using a solid sugar-based growing medium similar to Jell-O. Many of the species that are grown 

professionally in the lab and nursery are still grown with this method.

Orchid plants are only second to grass in terms of their wide distribution all over the world. Orchids grow in almost every habitat except under water. Two orchid types in Australia even grow underground. Orchid plant even grow in the Arctic Circle. In areas with temperate climates orchids grow in soil.

Many orchids of the tropics grow on rocks or trees, as air plants, but they are not parasites, since they use the rocks or trees only for support. They are not taking nourishment from the trees. They get it from plant and other materials decaying around there. In orchid gardening this symbiotic relationship is visible when orchids are put into a coconut half, fixed on a palm tree and the orchids grow there perfectly.

Because of orchid poaching and environmental problems some species of orchids are in danger of extinction. In order to survive, the ecosystem around them needs to survive as well. This includes areas with temperate climates as well as the tropics.

Orchid plants comes in almost all colors one can imagine, very popular orchid colors are yellow, pink, blue, red, purple and white orchids. There is no black orchid, they are a myths only. The size of orchid flowers can be up to about 12 cm across others are small as a coin.

Orchid plants can live for many years if proper orchid care is taken. A Botanical Garden has a specimen that is documented to be about one hundred years old.

Every orchid flower can live several weeks, unless the orchid plant is pollinated. Once the orchid plant is pollinated the flowers will fade.

Orchid gardening involves some care. In order to grow beautiful and healthy orchids, water must be supplied in the right amount, light, but not direct, for about twelve hours a day, plus humidity in the range that the orchid plant prefers.

To avoid spotting don’t sprinkle directly on leaves or blooms of the orchid. Orchid care must also be taken to provide good drainage. The orchid should never be left standing in water, since the roots will rot.

Your orchid flower plant will thrive if you take care of it properly and you will have many years of enjoyment seeing the beautiful colored plants every day.