Orchids are one of the most beautiful and most loved flowers in the world. Because of that they are becoming more and more popular each year. If you have recently received an orchid of your own, you will not only have to learn how to take care of it, but also how to plant an orchid. The same technique that is used for planting an orchid will be used when repotting one. And since every orchid will need to be repotted every now and again, this is the information that every orchid owner will eventually need to have.
When planting an orchid (or re-potting an orchid) you will first need to get some potting medium. And no, the dirt from the garden will not do. That is the most common mistake that a lot of people make. They use ordinary soil for their orchid and since most orchids do not originally grow in soil, potting them in one will almost certainly kill them.
Orchids thrive when planted in a fibrous and porous medium. You will find them planted in coconut shell, cork, bark, or some other similar material. One problem with materials such as these is that they can quickly decompose. When this happens you will have to repot the orchid. And yes sure, there's nothing wrong with that in general, but if you repot your plant too frequently, it will not like it. Because of that, I would recommend that you visit a local gardening center and buy some pre-made orchid potting mix. This will most likely provide the best growing medium for your orchid and if you are a beginner that's definitely the safest thing to use.
The second thing you will have to choose is the pot. The style and color is or course up to you, but the size of the pot will have to depend on the size of the plant. A lot of beginners just want to make sure that the pot isn't too small, so they end up using a pot that is way too large. That is a mistake. The roots of the plant must be able to reach more or less all the moisture in the pot. If the pot is too large, that will simply not be possible.
The easiest way to get an idea of what the right size pot would be is to check out other orchids in a store or the local gardening center. Find some orchids that are approximately the same size as yours and you will see the correct size of the pot.
Now it's time to go to work. Fill the pot with orchid potting mix and make a hole in the center. It will be easier if you don't use all of the potting material at first. Filling a pot to about a half full would be a good start.
Now take your orchid and get it out of its original pot. This may be harder than it sounds. You will most likely see that some roots are holding on to the pot and you might have some troubles getting them to un-clung. Proceed slowly and carefully. Eventually you might be forced into using a knife to cut those roots that just won't let go. It's OK to do this, but try not to overdo it.
When you get the orchid out of the pot, simply place it into a new one. Fill the remainder of the pot with the rest of the potting material and tap it just a bit. You don't want to stuff the pot, but you also don't want it too lose. Now, you're more of less done. If necessary you might have to support the bulbs that are too weak to stand on their own. To do this, put a stake into the potting material (be careful you don't hurt the roots), and tie the bulb with a piece of string.
That's it. If you followed these instructions, you have just planted or repotted an orchid.
When planting an orchid (or re-potting an orchid) you will first need to get some potting medium. And no, the dirt from the garden will not do. That is the most common mistake that a lot of people make. They use ordinary soil for their orchid and since most orchids do not originally grow in soil, potting them in one will almost certainly kill them.
Orchids thrive when planted in a fibrous and porous medium. You will find them planted in coconut shell, cork, bark, or some other similar material. One problem with materials such as these is that they can quickly decompose. When this happens you will have to repot the orchid. And yes sure, there's nothing wrong with that in general, but if you repot your plant too frequently, it will not like it. Because of that, I would recommend that you visit a local gardening center and buy some pre-made orchid potting mix. This will most likely provide the best growing medium for your orchid and if you are a beginner that's definitely the safest thing to use.
The second thing you will have to choose is the pot. The style and color is or course up to you, but the size of the pot will have to depend on the size of the plant. A lot of beginners just want to make sure that the pot isn't too small, so they end up using a pot that is way too large. That is a mistake. The roots of the plant must be able to reach more or less all the moisture in the pot. If the pot is too large, that will simply not be possible.
The easiest way to get an idea of what the right size pot would be is to check out other orchids in a store or the local gardening center. Find some orchids that are approximately the same size as yours and you will see the correct size of the pot.
Now it's time to go to work. Fill the pot with orchid potting mix and make a hole in the center. It will be easier if you don't use all of the potting material at first. Filling a pot to about a half full would be a good start.
Now take your orchid and get it out of its original pot. This may be harder than it sounds. You will most likely see that some roots are holding on to the pot and you might have some troubles getting them to un-clung. Proceed slowly and carefully. Eventually you might be forced into using a knife to cut those roots that just won't let go. It's OK to do this, but try not to overdo it.
When you get the orchid out of the pot, simply place it into a new one. Fill the remainder of the pot with the rest of the potting material and tap it just a bit. You don't want to stuff the pot, but you also don't want it too lose. Now, you're more of less done. If necessary you might have to support the bulbs that are too weak to stand on their own. To do this, put a stake into the potting material (be careful you don't hurt the roots), and tie the bulb with a piece of string.
That's it. If you followed these instructions, you have just planted or repotted an orchid.
No comments:
Post a Comment