Some of the most beautiful flowers are flowers that we rarely see and can only be found in faraway places. Many exotic flowers that have unique blooms live in the tropical regions where the temperature is perfect with just enough moisture and sunshine. The orchid is one of these special flowers as it was once only important from far off regions and grown by the wealthy. Today orchids are available in almost every nursery and home improvement garden department. Growing orchids is relatively easy to do as more and more people are discovering.
When walking through a local nursery, the orchid will catch many eyes but few will choose to take one home. The orchid appears to be a delicate and difficult plant to care for. Many people are unaware that growing orchids is actually much easier than they might think. Orchids take about the same amount of time to tend to them as any other common house plant. Knowing is half the battle, and with a little knowledge about orchids anyone can grow them.
Understanding that orchids come from a tropical environment, helps in providing the proper care that one must provide to orchids. Understanding the amount of water, light and the temperatures that orchids grow in provides knowledge to what an orchid requires in one's home or work environment. Once one is aware of the proper care, just like any other plant, growing orchids are easy to grow and maintain.
Watering is always a concern for many of us as we simply just don't know when to water and how much water should be given to our plants; we either tend to underwater or over water and either way we usually lose the plant. Most of the species of orchids available today prefer moist soil. This means that the soil should be wet enough for the roots to obtain moisture but not too wet so that the roots are unable to "breathe" and have root rot which can kill a plant. The water content should be checked weekly and can be easily done by inserting an object such as a pencil or chopstick into the soil then retracting it to see the amount of wetness that the soil is holding.
The amount of and the kind of light is extremely important in regards to growing orchids. Orchids prefer indirect or filtered lighting which most of us have available in our homes. In offices, fluorescent lighting is acceptable; the point of the light is for the plant to continue is photosynthesis process to maintain their blooming cycles. Never place an orchid near a window where it would receive direct afternoon light as the heat can harm the orchid.
Orchids love the same temperatures that we do; they prefer to have their environment at the "just right" temp; the temperature range can be from the 60's to the high 80's; this is a broad range but is generalized for most orchids. Many homes and offices' environments are maintained at about 72 degrees which is about in the middle and therefore perfect for orchids which is why you may see orchids at many offices. Growing orchids is easy when you have the right information.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7292889
