Orchids have a bad reputation of being a finicky, hard-to-grow plant—but plant experts say that’s undeserved. If you know (and follow) the rules of proper orchid care, you can keep your plant growing and blooming beautifully for years to come.
If you want to successfully keep your orchid thriving, avoid these all-too-common orchid care mistakes.
Sandi Liang, founder of Dandi Plants at Palmstreet
Under- or Overwatering
Orchids are like the Goldilocks of plants, and require a “just right” amount of moisture to thrive. “Too much water can cause the roots to rot, eventually leading to the plant’s death,” says Sandi Liang, founder of Dandi Plants at Palmstreet. “Underwatering your orchid is also a common issue. Conditions in the average house are usually too dry for them, and will dry the plant out.”
To get the water situation just right, Liang recommends a weekly watering session, ideally in the morning. “Watering your orchids in the morning allows them plenty of time to drain before nightfall and discourage disease.” Make sure that the water drains from the pot thoroughly to avoid root rot, and consider keeping the area around your orchid moist by placing the plant’s pot on top of a container filled with pebbles and water, giving it its own humidifier, or misting the plant’s leaves regularly. “Take care to avoid misting the blossoms, which could rot,” Liang says.
Using the Wrong Kind of Soil
The standard potting mix isn’t going to make your orchid happy. “Orchids are used to growing on trees without soil to feed their root systems,” Liang says. “So, orchids should never be grown in potting soil and should have a special orchid planting mix.” You can buy a special orchid mix or use a mix of 80% fir bark and 20% sphagnum moss, which is beloved by the moth orchid, which is a common orchid houseplant. “Use a chunky, bark-based potting medium that allows water to quickly drain off the orchid’s roots.”
Planting Your Orchid in a Closed Pot
Your orchid’s roots need plenty of air circulation, and a closed pot is a one-way ticket to root rot and a sad orchid plant. “An orchid’s roots absorb moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, and surrounding debris when in nature,” Liang says. “So, make sure to select a container that is similar to the orchid’s habitat—ideally pots that are filled with multiple air holes, both on the bottom and along the sides.” That not only lets the roots pull more moisture from the air, but it also makes it easy for you to check for signs of root rot before it becomes terminal.
If you want a fancier looking pot, Liang recommends having a second, larger decorative container that you can put the orchid plant’s main pot into between waterings.
Giving It Too Much Sun
Sunny windows are great for a lot of plants, but the orchid isn’t one of them. You want to try to recreate the conditions on the floor of a tropical forest—which means dappled, indirect light. “If you place your orchid in full sun, the foliage will burn, and the plant will lose water too rapidly,” Liang says. “To create the perfect lighting condition, place your plant in an area of bright but indirect sunlight, with at least six hours of sunlight per day.”
If the lighting doesn’t seem right where you’ve placed it (your orchid may look peaked and tired), you’ll want to slowly move it to a better location over a few weeks to avoid shocking the plant with a sudden change in lighting.
Comments are closed.