AboutOrchids

Whether you had a nice valentine’s weekend or not, I’ll think you’ll enjoy this NPR story and remarkable video of a frustrated bee. The objects of the bee’s intentions are orchids that leave him brokenhearted with pollen stuck to his head. C’est l’amour, but it provides a great close-up of orchid pollination. Here’s a direct link to the same video in the story.

If you did have a better valentine’s weekend than that bee, maybe you received a gift orchid, and now you’re terrified that you’re going to kill it. Relax — it’s very likely that your gift is a tough hybrid, and with some basic orchid care info, it’s no harder to grow than other houseplants.

• All orchids need bright light and high humidity. Low humidity will cause the flowers to wilt quickly.
• It helps to identify your orchid so you can learn its specific light, temperature, and water needs. You don’t need to figure out its exact name, just the family of orchids where it belongs.
• Don’t worry about watering your orchid right away. Depending on what kind of orchid you have, and whether it’s in winter dormancy, it may not need water for several weeks.
• You’ll eventually need to remove wrapping paper, ribbons, or decorative containers if they’re blocking the holes in the bottom of the flower pot. Orchids need good air flow and water drainage around their roots, and they’ll quickly rot if left sitting in water.

Explore posts in the same categories: Growing, In the News, Orchids in the Wild

This entry was posted on Sunday, February 14th, 2010 at 10:26 pm and is filed under Growing, In the News, Orchids in the Wild.

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