I received an orchid last weekend,as a gift from a wedding that I attended. I'm not sure of the variety, or species, or genus, or family, or order, or class, or phylum, but I do know it's from the plant kingdom. I realized didn't know much about orchids except that they're prized and relatively expensive. I thought I had heard something about them being finicky to care for and foster, but that's about it, and I didn't want to sacrifice this plant as I learned how not to grow an orchid. Luckily for me the orchid had already bloomed and was coiffed nicely in a decorative pot. However, unlike the poinsettia that I tragically over-cared for a few holidays ago, I wanted to keep it alive; I didn't want to see it wilt, wither and die.
To keep it alive, I did some research. I knew a new pot was necessary since the existing pot had a volume of about a half-gallon but was not the weight that it should be if it were filled with soil. I suspected that the plant's roots were simply danging or worse, amputated. To start, I visited the library then searched online videos. Taylor's Guide to Orchids was the premier piece of rotogravure among my local library's paltry selection. Between thumbing through that book and watching some online orchid care videos I relinquished my initial plan of upending some soil from my backyard to use in a new pot for the orchid - it seems that orchids don't do well in dense soil. This makes sense because orchids are tropical plants, and I know from news articles about slash-and-burn farming in the rainforest that the top layer of the soil in these areas is mainly detritus - decomposed organic material that is relatively light and loose when compared to soil . Due to the recent rains, I thought about placing leaves and mulch into a pot, but ultimately picked up a bag of special potting soil for orchids at Wal-Mart. The soil is less dense than traditional dirt, however, is more dense than the wetted bark used in the videos, so I may supplement it with said mulch.
To keep it alive, I did some research. I knew a new pot was necessary since the existing pot had a volume of about a half-gallon but was not the weight that it should be if it were filled with soil. I suspected that the plant's roots were simply danging or worse, amputated. To start, I visited the library then searched online videos. Taylor's Guide to Orchids was the premier piece of rotogravure among my local library's paltry selection. Between thumbing through that book and watching some online orchid care videos I relinquished my initial plan of upending some soil from my backyard to use in a new pot for the orchid - it seems that orchids don't do well in dense soil. This makes sense because orchids are tropical plants, and I know from news articles about slash-and-burn farming in the rainforest that the top layer of the soil in these areas is mainly detritus - decomposed organic material that is relatively light and loose when compared to soil . Due to the recent rains, I thought about placing leaves and mulch into a pot, but ultimately picked up a bag of special potting soil for orchids at Wal-Mart. The soil is less dense than traditional dirt, however, is more dense than the wetted bark used in the videos, so I may supplement it with said mulch.I also found out that orchids need water about once a week and that standing pools are the enemy. Maybe my poinsettia died because I kept its soil copiously moist and had a pot that didn't drain. To combat this, I drilled a hole into the bottom of the wooden orchid pot. Lastly, they love heat and humidity...who knew? The orchid stays in my bedroom at night, and likely enjoys the warmth of my heater. I know I do! In the next few days I'll transfer the orchid, let its roots heal and acclimate to the new soil, then continue the extended care. Hopefully with some luck and the research that I did my orchid will bloom beautifully for many seasons to come.
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