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. It is not a secret that you will adopt the same process when planting an orchid as you do when re-potting a flower you have had for some time.
When planting an orchid (or re-potting an orchid) you will first need to get some potting medium. Be utterly sure not to employ soil obtained from your own local area. Be sure not to utilise common soil for your orchids as most types do not grow in soil in their normal environment, thus putting them in one will about be certain to kill them.
Orchids prosper when existing in a fibrous and porous medium. You will find them planted in coconut shell, cork, bark, or some other similar material. Materials of this nature can deteriorate and decompose quite quickly reducing the possibility of survival for your attractive orchids, so do not use them. The result when this happens is that your lovely orchid will have to be re-planted if it is still living. OK so there is nothing incorrect with repotting but if you keep doing it your orchids will hurt. Accordingly, I enthusiastically recommend a call to a nearby gardening center in order to obtain some pre-prepared orchid potting mix. Going to your nearest horticulture center for assistance and ideas is without doubt the best line of action for a novice and even experienced raisers of orchids.
The next thing you will have to choose is your 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. Oh no, what a large error. The roots of your orchid plant must be able to reach pretty well all the moisture in the pot. If the pot is too large, that will simply not be possible.
The best manner in which to gain an idea of the right size of pot is to pay a visit to a store or the local gardening center and check out other orchids therein. Locate some orchids that have around the same size as your own and you will find what the correct size of the pot should be.
Right. We are now equipped to get to work potting your orchid. Now fill the pot with your orchid potting mix and create a hole in the center of the container. You will make it simpler if you do not expend all of your potting material at first go. Filling a pot to approximately half full is the suitable manner for you to begin potting your orchid.
Now it is time to get your orchid out of its original pot. This can be more problematic than it might sound. Now continue deliberately and with care since some of the roots will have stuck to the inside of the pot. You have to accept that in the end you might be forced into the use of a knife to cut those roots that just refuse to let go. It is acceptable to do this but be sure not to do it to excess.
Having removed the orchid from the former pot, just put it into a unused one. The next thing you should do is fill your pot with what is left of the orchid potting miix and then just tap it down soothingly. You don´t want to stuff the pot but you also don´t want it too loose. Now, you´re more or less done. If necessary, you might have to support the bulbs that are too weak to stand on their own. You can do this by placing a stick into the potting material, being cautious not to hurt the roots and then tieing it with a piece of string.
That´s it. If you have followed the instructions you have just planted or re-potted an orchid, so well done you.
Orchids Care
Orchids Plants
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