Orchids look
magnificent on a fireplace mantel, but if you start a fire the rising heat will
roast your flowers.
Cold or warm drafty
areas can play havoc with an orchid that is still in the process of
blooming. The rapidly changing
temperatures also make it hard for the orchid to get into a
temperature-and-growth rhythm, as natural day and night warm and cool periods
are disrupted.
If the location for
your orchid is a room that has no windows and is very dark, avoid choosing an
orchid that has not fully bloomed.
Without any light, flower buds will fail to develop.
By being kept in the
same orientation to the light, the orchid will not waste energy repeatedly
bending toward the light.
The best time to
repot an orchid is when it is just beginning a new growth cycle, usually after
the plant has finished blooming.
Misting should only
be done in the early morning or late in the day and never when there is
sunlight on the leaves, because tiny water drops can act as a magnifying lens
for sun rays and burn and spot your orchid.
If you are giving
your orchid too much fertilizer you will first see a white residue on the
leaves. This is the excess fertilizer
and salts. To correct, flush your orchid
with water and stop fertilizing for a month.
All orchids love
rainwater. If it is lightly raining and
the temperature is in the sixties, put your orchids outside for a couple of
hours.
Clay pots can also
be washed and reused: Using a bucket
deep enough to completely submerge the pot, add the juice of two lemons and one
lime to every gallon of water. Completely
submerge the dirty pot in the bucket, stirring occasionally. Remove the pot and place it right side up in
the sun. Leave out to dry for three
days.
