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Contrary to popular belief, orchids do not need a lot of care and attention to grow and thrive. In fact, caring for orchids is very easy, when you know exactly what they need. Some tell-tale signs that your orchid is suffering from disease or malnutrition are: - spots on the leaves (usually caused by fungi or mealybugs) - darkened leaves (a symptom of not receiving enough light) - yellow leaves (a symptom of too much sunlight) Because there are so many different species of orchids and they are found on every continent (except Antarctica), you'll need to read up on your particular species and become familiar with their native environment. There are, however, some orchid care basics that you can begin observing right now. The four fundamental needs every orchid has is watering, light, fertilization and repotting. Watering As most orchids are found in tropical areas, they are used to receiving a lot of rainfall and being in an very humid environment (the ideal is 80%). To simulate this environment, place your orchid pot over a saucer filled with water. This will produce a humid environment around the orchid plant. However, make sure the orchid pot doesn't touch the water - a common mistake many orchid owners make is to over-water their plants. The bark that the orchids are potted in do a great job of absorbing and releasing the water. Only water your orchids once a week, and perhaps more frequently during hot and dryer weather. You can judge this by the dampness of the potting bark. Allow the potting bark to dry out before rewatering. Light In their natural, tropical environment, orchids get a good mixture of light and shade. Because their
natural habitats greatly vary, you should find out whether your orchid needs a lot of direct sunlight or whether it prefers mainly shade. If you need to supplement lighting, orchids love fluorescent lights and glow-lights. Many glow-lights come with a timer which makes it easy to meet out the light your plant needs. Fertilization Orchids enjoy a weak fertilization mixture. Half the strength should do nicely. It is recommended that you don't apply fertilization to your orchid when it is in bloom. This tends to cut short the blooming cycle as the plant concentrates on digesting the nutrients. Repotting Repotting your orchid is very important to its health. There are two approaches you can take and each one will depend on the type of orchid you have; a monopodial orchid or a sympodial orchid. Monopodial orchids, as the name suggests, grow from a single axis and should be planted in the center of the pot. An example of a monopodial orchid is the Phalaenopsis. Sympodial orchids have several growth points and should be planted in such a way as to allow for future growth. An example of a sympodial orchid is the Cattleya. Orchids are susceptible to pests. The main ones you need to be aware of are snails, mealybug, aphids and spider mites. If you make sure that you take care of all these four areas, your orchids will be happy, vibrant, healthy and beautiful and you'll enjoy them for many years to come.
Want more helpful information on caring for orchids? Check out this site: http://www.orchidtown.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ron_T._Barrett
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