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THE ORCHID

Mention the orchid and many things come to mind...weddings, Easter,
a special birthday, or a tropical rainforest.  It's bloom an exotic beauty rivaled only by the rose as a cut flower.  Orchids have claimed their place in our culture, and have acquired more popularity as potted plants for the home and conservatory.  Orchids live and thrive all over the world, there are species native to the U.S. and even the state of Missouri. 
In my experience, the orchid is also a plant that many fear to grow.  Since I started my collection many years ago, visitors have commented, "I heard they are hard to grow," and "they're so delicate," and "so expensive."  There are many myths surrounding the culture of orchids as houseplants...let me clear the confusion!

Why grow orchids?  Lets be honest... the majority of orchids, without the flowers, are not beautiful plants.  Foliage is not usually showy, and the plants can get ungainly and roots can hang out of the pot.  Perhaps it is the thrill of getting one to bloom, the lovely smell of a fragrant flower, or the appeal of something so unusual and exotic that is unlike a common houseplant.  Oops, did I say houseplants are common? For me, the orchid is the queen of houseplants.  I grow orchids not only for these reasons, but also because they bloom from mid-winter to early spring, before my outdoor plants are even out of the ground.  There is no greater joy than having blooming plants around you indoors while there is snow and ice on the other side of the window! 

How do you know what kind of orchid to get?  Let's start this way:
1.  Learn about orchids...read books, ask questions, look at catalogs
2.  Find one you would like to grow (yes, just one at first!)
3.  What kind is it? 
4.  What growing conditions does it require?  sunny window? cool or warm temps?
5.  Do I have these conditions in my home, and if not, can I create a  suitable environment?

In order to grow any plant indoors, you need to select the right plant for the right environment.  You need to know your particular kind of plant.  For example, one cannot expect a plant to flower in a low light area, if that particular plant prefers full sun.  So it is with the orchid.  There are over 30,000 species of orchids, with new species and hybrids described every year. So there are lots of choices.

LEARNING ABOUT ORCHIDS
Orchids are not as delicate as they appear, although they do need specific requirements to ensure their survival.  These elements include light, temperature, humidity, and water requirements.  To grow orchids successfully in the home, one needs to have an understanding of how they grow in the wild.

Basically, orchids fall into two categories:
 Epiphytes are tree dwellers. They use the trees as a means of support.  They do not take their nourishment from the trees, and therefore are not parasites.  Nutrients are obtained from rainwater and decomposing organic matter.  To adapt to these conditions, they have thick roots, coated with spongy material that allows them to stick to tree bark and absorb water and humidity.  Many orchids also have pseudobulbs, (or false bulbs) to store water and food. 
Cattleya orchids fall under this category.  Because of these special growing conditions they may be sold in baskets with open slats, where roots are exposed to the air between waterings, or in pots with a coarse bark mix, that allows water to run through, and air through to the roots.  They like morning sun, and filtered sun in the afternoon.

The other category of orchids, terrestrials, get their nourishment from the ground and air, in soil that is light, rich in  decaying organic matter from the forest floor.  The terrestrial types are among the easiest plants to grow in the home.  They require a bit of morning sun, bright light in the afternoon.  These are also grown in a bark mix, or a Pro-Mix that has large pieces of perlite in it for drainage. Phalenopsis fall under this category.  They grow best for me in plastic pots with styrofoam peanuts on the bottom for drainage, and then a high-porosity Pro-Mix over that.  They will require slightly more moisture in this medium.  The pro-mix I use is Pro-Mix HP from Hummert's.  It works very well for phalenopsis because the medium dries evenly throughout the pot. 

POTTING MEDIUMS
Be careful with watering bark mixes.  They tend to stay wet at the bottom and dry at the top, and you may get a false indication of when to water.  I use plastic pots for my cattleyas, and create large drainage holes so I can place a finger into the pot from below and feel if the bark mix is wet or dry. 
There are other alternatives to bark mixes that may be used as well, such as perlite, volcanic rock, moss, etc. 

WATERING
If you are the type of person that likes to nurture and water your plants, then you need to be especially careful in how often you water your orchids!  Most orchids are killed by overwatering, and that is the main reason people believe that orchids are difficult to grow.  Most orchids, especially cattleyas, like to dry out between waterings.  Roots that get no air in between waterings, or that sit in wet bark will rot.  I have killed my share of orchids before I got a good understanding of how sensitive orchids are to being overwatered.  Let the plant dry out between waterings and all should be well. 

FERTILIZATION 
Orchids do need fertilization, because the bark mixes and pro-mixes are an inert medium that does not contain nutrients.  Here again, it is important to know your orchid, because certain types of orchids are sensitive to fertilizing.  Usually, a commercially prepared liquid fertilizer for orchids should be used at one-half strength once a week.

REPOTTING 
A good rule to follow is that you keep the orchid potted in the same type of medium as it originally grew in the pot.  For instance, if you purchase a plant grown in bark mix, and you wish to repot the plant, do not repot the orchid in a container filled with moss, or some other medium.
There is a specific time that is best to repot an orchid.  After an orchid flowers, it sends out new roots from the base of the plant.  When necessary, it is best to repot the plant when these roots are just beginning to develop.  Root tips will snap off easily, so do not wait until the new roots have grown out from the plant.  Observe the way your orchid has been planted in the original container before moving it, and direct new growth towards the center of the pot.

TEMPERATURE
If the kind of orchid you want to grow comes from a cooler climate, that orchid will need to be grown in cooler conditions.  Putting such an orchid outdoors in conditions warmer than its natural environment could cause injury or death to the plant. (Yes, I found out the hard way)  So....most commercial orchid growers will list each orchid's temperature requirements* as follows:

W=Warm growing - an ideal temperature of 64 degrees at night
      70-75 during daytime, 80 degrees with sun
I=Intermediate temperature range is for this plant
      60 degrees at night
      65-70 during daytime
      75 on sunny days
C=Cool growing variety fora cool greenhouse or growing space
      55 degrees at night
      60-65 during daytime
      70 degrees on sunny days
*Codes are from the Orchids by Hausermann's catalog

HUMIDITY
Most orchids prefer a humidity between 40 and 70 percent.  Placing an orchid in a bright window in a kitchen or bathroom can easily provide the plant with the humidity it needs.  I grow my orchids in the basement, under lights, where humidity is not a problem, except in the winter. Then I run a humidifier on the cold, dry winter days when the humidity is very low.  It helps to have an instrument that will read the correct temperature and humidity in the room you have your plants.
They are fairly inexpensive, and easy to use.

CHOOSING YOUR FIRST ORCHID
Once you have noted your home conditions, and can match the growing conditions to the type of orchid you wish to grow, it's time to go shopping!  You should start with an orchid that is noted to do well in the home.  My first orchid was a phalenopsis that I purchased in a nursery when we went to Florida on vacation.  They do well in bright light, a bit of morning sun, and send up a spike of flowers in early spring.  A very easy terrestrial is the Jewel Orchid, or Haemeria Discolor, and this is the easiest orchid to grow in my experience.  This is the exception to the rule that orchids out of bloom aren't too pretty.  The foliage on this plant is striking silver lines over dark burgundy, and in the fall it sends up spikes of little white flowers in the center of each stem.  Over the last several years, orchids have increased in popularity, and there are many orchid shows and sales especially in the early spring.  Also there are many companies that grow and sell orchids to the general public, either direct from the greenhouse, or by mail order.  See sources listed below. 

COST
Orchids usually will cost more than African Violets and other houseplants.  The reason being that it takes at least three to five years (some take longer) for an orchid to reach blooming size from seed.  To grow an orchid from seed requires a sterile environment and is usually done in a laboratory.  Seedlings are grown in a special medium in a flask until they are large enough to transplant.  Another way of propagating orchids in the laboratory is through tissue culture, using cells from new growth buds to make an exact duplicate of the orchid.  Also, orchids can be propagated by division, taking offsets or dividing plants.
Regardless of where you buy your plants, you will pay much more for a blooming orchid than one that is out of bloom.  These days you can buy an orchid inexpensively from local discount stores or home stores. (They won't be fancy hybrids, but that's what the catalogs are for) If you are really brave and not picky about the flower, start with one that is out of bloom and raise it to flower the following year, and be surprised (the surprise being the flower color, not surprised that you can grow it!) 

ON A MISSION FOR A PARTICULAR PLANT? 
Keep in mind as your collection grows, and you shop for a particular hybrid, that seed grown plants out of bloom may be have differences in flower color, even though they all have the same name.  As in our own families, brothers and sisters though they have the same parents,  look different from each other.  So it is with seed grown plants.  Seed grown plants are less expensive, but you may not get a particular characteristic that you are looking for. In this case, it may be best to purchase that particular plant in bloom, so you know for sure you are getting what you want.  If the plant has been propagated from a tissue culture method, you will get the exact plant, so be sure to ask before you buy.

CREATING A SUITABLE ENVIRONMENT 
If you're like me and don't have a greenhouse, or much place where the light is acceptable, perhaps you may want to create a suitable growing area for your orchids or other plants.  For me, this wasn't an inexpensive route, but when my husband told me I had to get my plants off the living room floor, it really became a worthwile investment, and of course, it looked much better too!  I purchased a tiered stand to put my plants on, and invested in a 400 watt metal halide lamp.  It went in the basement where there was a nook that the tiered stand fit in perfectly.  The orchids that required more light were at the top level of the stand, and the other plants in graduated light levels on down to the bottom.  With the higher humidity in the basement, and the lower night temperatures, this works very well. 

If you've ever wanted to grow orchids, I hope that this article will inspire you to try them and enjoy them for yourself.