{"id":11975,"date":"2012-11-25T23:05:43","date_gmt":"2012-11-26T07:05:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/?p=11975"},"modified":"2013-01-13T09:42:59","modified_gmt":"2013-01-13T17:42:59","slug":"five-common-orchid-growing-mistakes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/2012\/11\/25\/five-common-orchid-growing-mistakes\/","title":{"rendered":"Five Common Orchid Growing Mistakes"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Considering the incredible diversity of the orchid family, it&#8217;s surprising how the same few mistakes crop up over and over. Try to avoid these five common problems:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Too much water<\/strong> &#8212; Orchid roots and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/care\/details\/potting.html\">potting material<\/a> should dry out between regular <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/care\/details\/water.html\">waterings<\/a>. Kept too wet, they&#8217;ll rot. Most orchids sold today are <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/identify\/orchids\/phalaenopsis.html\">Phals, or Moth Orchids,<\/a> which need water 2 or 3 times per week. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/identify\/orchids\/masdevallia.html\">Masdevallias<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/2012\/05\/15\/lady-slippers\/\">Lady Slippers<\/a> may require daily watering, while <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/identify\/orchids\/cattleya.html\">Cattleyas and Laelias<\/a> only want water once a week. During <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/care\/details\/dormancy.html\">winter dormancy<\/a>, many varieties with <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/2009\/11\/12\/pseudobulb\/\">pseudobulbs<\/a> need less water.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Not enough water<\/strong> &#8212; Many orchids die from drying out. Whether caused by forgetful owners or <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/2012\/08\/20\/orchid-care-during-heat-waves\/\">heat waves<\/a>, inadequate water leaves these rainforest plants struggling. Always give the plant enough water to thoroughly soak the potting material and run out the bottom of the pot. People who use <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/2012\/01\/04\/hold-the-ice\/\">ice cubes<\/a> are often guilty of underwatering, since each ice cube amounts to only a few spoonfuls of water.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Letting the pot sit in water<\/strong> &#8212; With rare exceptions, like <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/2010\/06\/05\/stream-orchid\/\">the Stream Orchid<\/a>, orchids should not sit in water for more than a few hours. Water blocks air flow, which is essential for orchid roots. Make sure all excess water drains from the pot after each soaking. If you use a tray with pebbles and water for <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/care\/details\/humidity.html\">humidity<\/a>, always keep the pot above the water level.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Not enough light<\/strong> &#8212; Orchids can live for a long time, even if conditions aren&#8217;t right. They can survive in low <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/care\/details\/light.html\">light<\/a>, but won&#8217;t bloom or have vigorous growth. Orchids want enough light to keep their leaves medium or light green; dark green leaves indicate insufficient light. Many thrive best with <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/2011\/03\/29\/let-the-sunshine-in\/\">morning sun<\/a>. In the low light and short days of winter, many types need <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/2009\/10\/22\/seasonal-light\/\">supplemental light<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Dry air<\/strong> &#8212; Low <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/care\/details\/humidity.html\">humidity<\/a> wilts flowers and invites <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/problems\/index.html\">pests<\/a>. Raise humidity levels by keeping the pot on a tray of pebbles and water, grouping plants together, using a spray mister, or running <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B003H4QJAQ\/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=B003H4QJAQ&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=abouorch-20\" target=\"_blank\">a cool-mist humidifier<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Phalaenopsis_lueddemanniana_800px.JPG\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-thumbnail wp-image-13570\" title=\"Phalaenopsis species\" alt=\"Phalaenopsis species\" src=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Phalaenopsis_lueddemanniana_800px-128x128.jpg\" width=\"128\" height=\"128\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Phalaenopsis_lueddemanniana_800px-128x128.jpg 128w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Phalaenopsis_lueddemanniana_800px-300x300.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Phalaenopsis_lueddemanniana_800px.JPG 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 128px) 100vw, 128px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Dendrobium_hybrid_800px.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-thumbnail wp-image-13568\" title=\"Green Dendrobium flower\" alt=\"Green Dendrobium flower\" src=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Dendrobium_hybrid_800px-128x96.jpg\" width=\"128\" height=\"96\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Dendrobium_hybrid_800px-128x96.jpg 128w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Dendrobium_hybrid_800px-300x225.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Dendrobium_hybrid_800px.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 128px) 100vw, 128px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Paphiopedilums_800px.JPG\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-thumbnail wp-image-13569\" title=\"Lady Slippers\" alt=\"Lady Slippers\" src=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Paphiopedilums_800px-128x128.jpg\" width=\"128\" height=\"128\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Paphiopedilums_800px-128x128.jpg 128w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Paphiopedilums_800px-300x300.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Paphiopedilums_800px.JPG 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 128px) 100vw, 128px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><noscript>&amp;lt;br \/&amp;gt;     &amp;lt;img src=&#8221;http:\/\/wms.assoc-amazon.com\/20070822\/US\/img\/noscript.gif?tag=abouorch-20&#8243; mce_src=&#8221;http:\/\/wms.assoc-amazon.com\/20070822\/US\/img\/noscript.gif?tag=abouorch-20&#8243; alt=&#8221;&#8221; \/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br \/&amp;gt; <\/noscript><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Considering the incredible diversity of the orchid family, it&#8217;s surprising how the same few mistakes crop up over and over. Try to avoid these five common problems: Too much water &#8212; Orchid roots and potting material should dry out between regular waterings. Kept too wet, they&#8217;ll rot. Most orchids sold today are Phals, or Moth [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,6,7,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11975","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-growing","category-photos","category-problems","category-watering"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11975","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11975"}],"version-history":[{"count":42,"href":"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11975\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13604,"href":"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11975\/revisions\/13604"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11975"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11975"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11975"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}