Growing and Caring for Orchids

The care of orchids is a difficult subject in as far as there are so many different species and kinds of orchids, each requiring its own care. The care of orchids depends very much on the kind of orchid you are caring for. The type of soil required (if at all), whether they like acidy soil or soil derived of acid, is important for the care of orchids,as for any plant. Then of course the amount of soil drainage is of extreme importance for the care of orchids. The care for orchids sometimes requires a tropical climate and outside of the tropics the care of those orchids will require a hothouse where temperature and humidity can be controlled. Other orchids like a hot and dry climate, others again thrive in a cool or even a cold climate. Thus the care of orchids depends on many factors. Then again there are seasonal differences to be considered,which influence the care of such orchids. Whereas tropical species are used to a more or less even climate year round, orchids from the Northern or Southern hemispheres will have quite different growing and blooming seasons and thus determine the care for those orchids.Thus the time of separating roots and fertilizing will differ on where the orchids are from and thus affect the care of such orchids.

The care of orchids is a very intriguing and exacting science. Witness the care Nero Wolfe, the great (fictional) detective, created by by American author Rex Stout in the 1930s, who had his orchid garden on the rooftop of his establishment where he spent hours every day morning and evening caring for his orchids, watering, cutting, transplanting, separating and re-establishing his favorite flowers. Indeed these hours were sacred to him and he hated to be disturbed durng the care of his orchids.

As we live in Australia (Melbourne in fact) the molybdenum orchid is a native species and my wife has at least 40 pots of them. Care of these orchids takes quite an amount of time, especially during autumn (May-June) when their growth period starts, the flowering months (July-September) and even more so when the flowering season is over and the plants go dormant during the hot summer months. That is the time she takes the older plants where the roots have become pot-bound and that have not flowered that season, divides the root system and re-pots them in 2,3 or even 4 pots with new orchid mix(mostly charcoal and some sandy soil, mixed with some organic plant food. The new pots are then placed around the garden in shady areas to avoid the hot sun in summer (temperatures go well over 100 degr.F or 38 degr. C) (they also make welcome gifts to our friends and neighbors)