Orchids For Dummies

Steven A. Frowine is a noted professional horticulturist and a longtime avid gardener and communicator. The National Gardening Association is the leading garden-based educational organization in the United States. Visit https://garden.org.

Introduction 1

About This Book 1

Foolish Assumptions 3

Icons Used in This Book 3

Beyond This Book 4

Where to Go from Here 4

Part 1: Welcoming Orchids into Your Life 5

Chapter 1: Discovering the World of Orchids 7

Understanding What Makes an Orchid an Orchid 8

Knowing Where Orchids Come From 9

Seeing Why You Should Grow Orchids 10

Deciding Which Orchids to Bring into Your Home 11

Identifying Orchids by Name 12

Species orchid names 13

Hybrid orchid names 13

Recognizing What Makes an Orchid an Award Winner 16

Growing Orchids Easy As One, Two, Three 17

January 17

February 18

March 18

April 19

May 19

June, July, and August 20

September 20

October 21

November and December 21

Chapter 2: Choosing the Right Orchid for You 23

Figuring Out Where to Shop 23

Specialist orchid growers or suppliers 24

Your local garden center 24

Orchid shows 24

Online orchid suppliers 25

Home centers and discount stores 26

Considering Your Environment 26

Taking temperature readings 27

Measuring your light intensity 29

Asking yourself these questions 33

Growing Tropical Orchids Outdoors 33

Knowing What to Look for in an Orchid 34

Choosing a healthy plant 34

Deciding between a blooming plant and a young plant 36

Choosing seed-grown orchids or orchid clones 36

Selecting orchids with a sweet scent 36

Isolating Your New Orchid after You Bring It Home 37

Chapter 3: Having the Right Tools on Hand 39

Focusing on Cutting and Pruning Tools 39

Pruners 39

Knives and blades 41

Considering Potting Tools and Supplies 41

Potting tools 41

Potting supplies 43

Identifying Watering Accessories 45

Water breakers 45

Water-flow regulators 46

Hoses 46

Watering cans 46

Sprayers and misters 47

Fertilizer injectors 47

Deionization and reverse osmosis units 48

Looking At Humidifiers, Heaters, and Ventilation Equipment 49

Humidifiers 49

Ventilation 51

Heating 51

Thermometers and hygrometers 51

Chapter 4: How I Love Thy Orchid: Enjoying the Orchid’s Beauty 53

Caring for Orchids in Their New Home 53

If the plant is in bloom 54

If the plant is not in bloom 54

Staking and Grooming Your Blooming Orchids 55

Figuring out how to stake 55

Helping your orchids look their best 57

Displaying orchid plants in your home 58

Arranging orchid flowers 60

Part 2: The Basics of Orchid Parenthood 67

Chapter 5: Providing the Right Growing Environment 69

Let There Be Light! Recognizing Natural Light Sources 69

Exploring the ins and outs of light 70

Listening to your orchids 72

Comprehending Some Basic Light Terminology 76

Considering Artificial Light Sources 77

Fluorescent lights 77

High-intensity-discharge lights and high-intensity commercial LED lights 80

LEDs — The new kids on the block 80

Figuring Out Which Type of Lights Are Your Best Option 82

Knowing How Much Light Your Orchids Need 83

Growing Orchids Under Lights — Tips and Tricks to Remember 84

Humidity: Orchids’ Favorite Condition 85

Providing Ventilation — Fresh Air, Please! 88

Ceiling fans 88

Oscillating fans 88

Muffin fans 89

Looking Closer at Orchid Temperature Requirements 89

Too-low temperatures 89

Too-high temperatures 90

Giving Your Orchids a Summer Vacation 90

A shade house 91

A portable greenhouse 92

Some orchids enjoy hanging out 93

Chapter 6: Watering and Fertilizing Orchids 95

Understanding the Art of Watering Orchids — Water, Water Everywhere 95

The type of pot 96

The type of potting material 96

The age of the potting material 97

Whether the orchid is pot-bound 97

The growing environment 97

The temperature 97

The amount of ventilation 97

Whether the orchids are growing or dormant 98

The type of orchid 98

Knowing What Works — Watering Your Orchid 98

Using the pot-weighting method 98

Watering your orchids — Tips and tricks 99

Over- or Underwatering: Roots Tell the Story 100

Figuring out whether watering is the problem 100

Rescuing and resuscitating your orchid 102

Considering Fertilizers — Not Magic Potions 104

Knowing what to look for in orchid fertilizers 104

Identifying types of fertilizers and how to use them 107

Chapter 7: The ABCs of Potting Materials, Containers, and Repotting 111

Choosing Potting Materials 111

Knowing your potting material options 112

Figuring out which potting materials are best 113

Getting your hands on some not-so-secret recipes 114

If mixing your own isn’t your thing 115

Getting your potting material ready to use 116

Giving Your Orchids a Home: Potting Containers 116

Repotting Orchids without Fear 118

Knowing when you should repot 118

Orchid potting — step by step 118

Chapter 8: Two, Four, Six, Eight, Let Your Orchids Propagate: Multiplying Your Orchids 123

Dividing Your Orchids 123

Giving Babies a New Home 125

Producing New Plants from Cuttings 127

Growing Orchids from Back Bulbs 128

Chapter 9: Keeping Your Orchids Pest- and Disease-Free 131

Preventing Problems Before They Start 131

Besting the Bugs 133

Identifying common orchid pests 133

Finding safe and effective pest-control measures 137

Identifying Fungal and Bacterial Infections 140

Noticing when your orchid is sick 141

Handling a sick plant 141

Part 3: The Best Orchids for Rookies 143

Chapter 10: Moth Orchids: The Best Choice for Beginners 145

Examining Why People Grow Moth Orchids 146

Understanding why they’re so popular 146

Making them even more appealing: Hybrid moth orchids 147

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall: The Beauty of Moth Orchids 148

The Leaves 148

The flowers’ shapes 148

Flower colors 149

Scents 157

Size — Small is beautiful 160

Answering the call of the wild 162

Oh, Give Me a Home : Cultural Requirements 164

Chapter 11: The Quintessential Orchids: Cattleyas and Their Relatives 167

From the Jungles to Your Home 168

Focusing on some selected cattleya species 169

Recognizing some selected species that used to be called Laelias 171

Looking at other cattleya relatives 173

The Queens of the Ball: Cattleya Hybrids 178

Pristine whites 179

Purples, pinks, lavenders, and blues 179

Hot reds and oranges 180

Sunny yellows 181

Cool greens 183

Bring out the clowns: Splash petals and flares 184

Fashionable art shades 185

Exploring the Miniatures: The Minicatts 186

Identifying the key players 186

Naming some of their prized children 188

Chapter 12: Lovely from Flower to Root: Lady’s Slipper Orchids 191

Slipping into a Lady’s Slipper 192

Seeing what lady’s slippers have to offer 192

Giving your lady’s slipper a good home 193

Getting lady’s slippers to bloom 193

Straight from Nature: Bumps, Warts, Hairs, and All 193

Paphiopedilum bellatulum 194

Paphiopedilum callosum 194

Paphiopedilum delenatii 195

Paphiopedilum dianthum 196

Paphiopedilum fairrieanum 197

Paphiopedilum glaucophyllum 197

Paphiopedilum hirsutissimum 198

Paphiopedilum spicerianum 199

Paphiopedilum sukhakulii 199

Paphiopedilum venustum 199

One Step Removed from Nature: Primary Hybrids 200

Some superior primary hybrids 201

Marvelous Maudiaes 204

Huge and round: Modern hybrid lady’s slippers 208

A different kind of slipper orchid 209

Chapter 13: Dancing Ladies: Oncidiums and Their Relatives 213

Taking a Closer Look at the Ladies 214

Oncidiums from the wild 214

Hybrid oncidiums 216

Miniature oncidiums or tolumnias 218

Pansy Orchids: Miltonias and Miltoniopsis 219

Growing them with success 220

Miltonias 221

Miltoniopsis 222

Other Members of the Club: The Oncidium Alliance 224

Orchid spiders: Brassias 224

Butterfly orchids: Psychopsis 225

Sigmatostalix 226

Trichopilias 226

Mixing It Up 227

Trying to make sense of these orchids 228

Identifying a few popular ones 229

Chapter 14: Considering Some Significant Others 235

A Huge and Interesting Lot: Dendrobiums 235

Naming the most popular dendrobiums 236

Considering some other Dendrobiums 238

Listing some popular hybrids 240

Weird and Wonderful Relatives: Bulbophyllum 241

Orchid Miscellanea: All the Rest 243

Angraecoids 243

Catasetums 246

Cochleanthes 247

Coelogynes 248

Cymbidiums 248

Lycastes 250

Vandas and some of their close cousins 250

The small-growing vandas 251

Zygopetalums 254

Chapter 15: Hardy Orchids That Laugh at the Cold 257

Focusing on Exotic and Easy Terrestrial Orchids 258

Chinese ground orchids 258

Calanthes 259

Spiranthes 260

Identifying Hardy Slipper Orchids — Not Easy, But So Worth It 261

Easy-to-grow North American natives 262

More adventuresome hardy slippers 264

Dipping Your Toe In — A Few Others to Try 265

Part 4: The Part of Tens 267

Chapter 16: The Ten (or So) Easiest Orchids to Grow 269

Moth Orchids 269

Lady of the Night 270

Maudiae Type Lady’s Slipper Orchid 270

Cockleshell Orchid 270

Sharry Baby Oncidium 271

Twinkles Oncidium 271

Mari’s Song Cattleya 271

Fan-Shape Orchid 271

Phalaenopsis Dendrobium 272

Chapter 17: Ten Common Reasons That Orchids Die (and How to Avoid ’em) 273

Overwatering 273

Underwatering 274

Too Much Light or Heat 274

Leaving Orchid Foliage Wet Overnight 275

Too Much Fertilizer 275

Improper Use of Pesticides 275

Insect Infestation 276

Purchase of Sick Plants 276

Poor Water Quality 276

Inadequate Ventilation 277

Chapter 18: The Ten Most Frequently Asked Questions about Orchids 279

Are Orchids Difficult to Grow? 279

Why Should I Grow Orchids? 280

Do I Need a Greenhouse to Grow Orchids? 280

Are Orchids Expensive? 280

How Long and How Often Will Orchids Bloom? 281

What Makes an Orchid an Orchid? 281

Are Orchids Fragrant? 281

Where Can I See the Best Collections of Orchids? 282

Are Any Orchids Hardy? 283

Are Orchids Parasites? 283

Chapter 19: The Ten Most Common Reasons Why Orchids Don’t Bloom 285

Not Enough Difference between Day and Night Temperatures 285

Too Moist during the Winter 286

Too Little Light 286

Excessively High or Low Temperatures 286

Not Using a Fertilizer or Using One with Too Much Nitrogen 287

Immature Plants 287

Too Low Humidity 287

Disease, Insects, or Mice 288

Not Enough Water 288

Recently Transplanted and Divided 288

Appendix A: Additional Orchid Resources 289

Appendix B: English-Metric Conversion Tables 295

Index 297