Beauty on the Sill: Tips for Growing Orchids
Homes generally have dim light (from a plant's perspective), so orchids that tolerate low light levels stand a better chance than those that require strong light. As the print story noted, an east-facing windowsill is a great spot to grow your orchid. The sunshine from an unscreened south-facing window can be a bit too bright (and hot), but a sheer curtain offers just the right amount of filtering. Or set the orchid back away from the window so that it's not constantly in strong indirect light.
West-facing windows make it simply too hot for orchids, and McHatton doesn't recommend them. However, with some filtering (as you would with a south-facing window) you might make a go of it. The light at a north window is usually just too dim for orchids.
You may want to use a blooming orchid as a table centerpiece, or put it somewhere away from a window. There's no harm in doing so, as long as you return the orchid to better light once it's done blooming.
These orchids don't require rain forest humidity, and may do OK in your home without extra measures. But the dry atmosphere of an air-conditioned home can be challenging. That's why a daily mist, or setting orchids on a moist bed of gravel, helps success.
One precaution: Orchid pots should sit atop the gravel, not nestled within it. Otherwise, you risk wicking moisture up through the bottom of the pot and saturating the roots.
Interested in the clear plastic pots I mentioned? Try Charley's Greenhouse Supply: charleysgreenhouse.com.
To purchase orchids try the following companies that provided the ones we photographed.
EFG Orchids: efgorchids.com
Orchids.com: orchids.com
Costa Farms: costafarms.com (They supply the orchids sold in Lowe's, The Home Depot, and other retailers.)
Learn more about growing and choosing orchids from the links below.
The American Orchid Society: aos.org
Related Links
