Orchid Plant Care

Follow these six care tips to keep any orchid plant healthy and beautiful:

1. LIGHT - ORCHIDS LIKE FILTERED LIGHT; DO NOT PLACE IN DIRECT SUN
2. WATER - WATER ONCE OR TWICE WEEKLY - MORE WHEN IT'S WARMER, LESS WHEN IT'S COOLER. ALLOW WATER TO DRAIN OUT THE BOTTOM; DO NOT LET ORCHID PLANTERS SIT IN STANDING WATER.
3. HUMIDITY - TO CREATE A HUMID MICRO-CLIMATE AROUND ORCHIDS, FILL A DISH WITH PEBBLES AND WATER AND SET THE PLANTER ATOP THE PEBBLES, OR, GENTLY MIST ORCHID PLANTS DURING MORNING OR EARLY AFTERNOON HOURS. ALSO, GROUPING ORCHIDS TOGETHER HELPS PROVIDE A HUMID ENVIRONMENT.
4. FERTILIZE - USE A LIQUID ORCHID FOOD ABOUT ONCE A MONTH. WATER THE PLANT BEFORE FERTILIZING.
5. AIR - ORCHIDS THRIVE IN AN ENVIRONMENT WITH ADEQUATE AIRFLOW, BUT BE SURE TO SITUATE THEM IN AN AREA FREE OF COLD DRAFTS.

6. TEMPERATURE - KEEP DAYTIME TEMPERATURE BETWEEN 65° - 75°F/18° - 24°C; NIGHTTIME TEMPERATURES ARE BEST DROPPED ONLY A FEW DEGREES.

ORCHID BOUQUET CARE

Cut orchid bouquets come in many different sizes and colors, but they all require just a few of the same, easy care tips. Following these tips may help your orchid bouquet last for up to 2 weeks!

1. Fill a vase with room temperature water and add the packet of flower food that came with your orchid bouquet.
2. Unwrap the orchid bouquet and trim about one inch off the bottom of the stems. Make sure you cut the stems on an angle so that the flowers can drink up more water!
3. Check to make sure that no foliage will be underwater when placed in the vase. If there are leaves low on the stems, remove them so that they don’t promote bacteria growth.
4. Keep your orchid arrangement out of direct sunlight and place in a cool or moderate temperature room.
5. Empty the vase and replace the water every 3 days. You can also re-cut the stems and add more flower food. After a week or so, you may need to find a smaller vase to accommodate for the shorter stems. For unique vase ideas, check out Julie Mulligan's section of the Petal Talk Blog.