The Orchid is one of the most popular indoor plants. It is a beautiful addition to all homes with the vast range of colours and sizes that they come in. With the right care, they will give a delightful, long-lasting flower display. Here are some top tips on how to care for your orchid.
Plastic pot
It is important to keep Orchids in a clear plastic pot. This is because it allows the light to get into the roots, which mimics an Orchids natural habitat. You can put the clear plastic pot inside a decorative ceramic pot, but it is important that the ceramic pot is a little larger than the plastic pot so that airflow can get to the Orchid roots.
Light
Orchids will flower best if they are placed somewhere warm with some light. However, they don’t like to be in direct sunlight as this may scorch their leaves. It is said that an east to south facing windowsill is the ideal location for an Orchid to get the right amount of light. Maintain temperatures above 15C in winter.
Watering and Feeding
One of the most common problems people find Orchid care is over-watering. An Orchid does not need much water, which is where a lot of people can go wrong as too much water means the roots become too soft and soggy. Do not let your Orchid stand in water for longer than an hour as roots will rot, and avoid getting water in the crown of the plant.
Westland Orchid Water is a good solution for this common issue. With this specially filtered and nutrient rich water, then you just need to water the Orchid with one capsule, twice a week. So two capsules a week! This controls watering and feeding to the correct level for optimum growth and beautiful flowers.
Feed Orchid plants regularly in summer with Orchid Feed. They ideally need feeding every two weeks in spring and summer, and every 4 weeks in autumn and winter.
Extending its life and re-potting
Once the first flush of flowers fades, cut the flower spike back to a side shoot to ensure a further display. If the whole flower stem dies, remove it and wait for another to arise.
Orchids do not need regular re-potting but probably only every 2 years. An Orchid needs re-potting when all of the roots look compacted. The best time to re-pot an Orchid is in the spring. To re-pot you need another clear pot which is about an inch bigger than the original one and some peat free Westland Orchid Potting Mix. The potting mix uses clever clay granules which soak up and hold on to the water, while also giving the Orchid roots better airflow. Re-potting is simple because all you do is remove the Orchid from the original pot into the bigger pot, which has some of the orchid potting mix in the bottom. Once the Orchid is in the pot, fill the sides with the potting mix and tap the pot to settle the compost.
As long as these basic factors are met and followed, then it makes caring for an Orchid super easy and results in wonderful, long-lasting flowers.
View our entire Orchid care range here
