Choosing Orchid Plants

Congratulations on your decision to become an orchid grower! You were probably attracted to orchid plants by their beauty and diversity, but when it comes time to buying an orchid of your own you may be overwhelmed by the countless numbers of available orchid plants.

Narrowing down your choice is not easy, so here are a few tips for choosing orchid plants.

Orchids are found in a variety of climates, so choose an orchid that closely matches the growing conditions of your environment. This means assessing your light sources, available space, temperature range, and humidity.

Armed with this information, do a bit of research to find out which orchid plants match your environment. These will be the easiest types of orchid plants to grow and your success will encourage you to develop more skills as an orchid grower.

Prices of Orchid Plants

The price range of orchids is amazing - from a few dollars up to hundreds of dollars for each orchid. As a beginner orchid grower, it's best to choose a moderately priced orchid.

Orchid plants are sold in many places including supermarkets. You are unlikely to get advice when you buy a supermarket orchid, so if need extra information buy and orchid from a nursery.

Consider the blooming frequency when selecting orchid plants. Some species bloom twice a year, while some only bloom once a year or even less frequently. Some orchids only bloom at specific times of the year.

Orchid Care

As a beginner orchid grower, be aware that orchids have slightly different requirements than other plants. Orchids can be fairly easy to grow but they will not do well unless their watering and lighting requirements are met.

Never leave water to accumulate on the leaves, sheaths, or pseudobulbs as this can spread disease. You can tell the general health of an orchid by the color of its leaves which should be a medium grass green color. Discolored leaves can indicate disease or other problems.

Orchids are susceptible to virus, fungus, and bacterial diseases. The most common of these are Cymbidium mosaic and Tobacco mosaic which are caused by viruses. Fungal diseases include anthracnose, black rot, fusarium wilt, rust, snow mold, and southern blight. Bacterial infection is indicated by brown spots on the leaves.

Most of these diseases can be treated, although some are potentially fatal and can spread to other orchids. If you have several orchids, you should protect them by removing any orchid plants which are ailing.

Orchids are also susceptible to insect and animal pests such as aphids, mites, thrips, scale, slugs and snails. Protecting your orchids from these pests is essential for the health of your orchid plants.