The Rural Voice, 2003-12, Page 53Gardening
Orchids not as exotic as mang believe
Rhea
Hamilton -
Seeger and
her husband
lire near
Auburn. She
is a .skilled
cook and
gardener.
By Rhea Hamilton -Seeger
My daughter Sarah has decided
that she would like to grow an orchid
on her window sill. A friend told her
they are very easy to grow and don't
need anything special, and she has
become captivated with the blooms
that last for weeks. So we went
looking for a healthy plant and what
we saw was an impressive array of
blooms on a wide assortment of
foliage potted in an eclectic mix of
bark. moss and fern fibre.
We needed to do a little research.
did not want her first adventure into
window sill gardening to be a dismal
failure. She had mastered goldfish
(cleaning, feeding etc.) so 1 knew she
could move up the chain to a potted
plant but if an orchid was her choice
we better make sure the odds were in
favour of survival.
I had ventured into the world of
orchids when I was about 12 years
old with a rather seedy looking
Cattleya. 1 nursed it along with weak
doses of fish emulsion that smelled
revolting but the orchid responded by
sending out soft white roots over the
bark and new leaves started to bud
up from the mess of chunky stems.
But no Flowers. So 1 moved onto
perennials.
Orchids are not the exotic hot
house specialty that many believe
them to be. They like temperatures
much like we do and enjoy a
somewhat higher humidity that our
homes can normally maintain. Truth
is, we could all do a bit better with
more humidity in our homes, it is
better on the breathing passages. But
back to the orchids.
Once you understand the basic
cultural difference between orchids
and other plants you are on your way.
Many orchids grow on trees and their
roots dry out between rain showers
enabling them to withstand some
drought conditions. Orchids also
grow in mediums that dry out
quickly. If you planted one in
standard soil it would suffer and die.
Orchid root zones need to breathe.
Many of them grow in canopies of
the rain forest. in the litter on the
forest floor or squeezed into crevices
in sheltered rock faces.
After we did a bit of research we
decided on a Phalaenopsis or moth
orchid — easy to grow on a window
sill and they bloom for months. After
the faded blossom stem is cut back. a
new Flower spike will grow from the
old stem. Look for shiny.
unblemished leaves and plump roots
peeking out of the coarse potting
medium and around the edge of the
pot. The flowers should be clear.
unmuddied colour and no browning
to indicate they are at the end of their
blooming period.
Watering begins with a pail of
water with a quarter solution of 30-
10-10. You can water and fertilize at
the same time when you dunk pot and
all into the pail. The weak solution
protects the roots from burning. You
can do this once a week or more often
in summer. One piece of good
advice: if you notice a whitish
sediment forming on the hark. cut
back on the fertilizer.
Lighting is similar to that needed
by African violets. An east window is
great but a west or south exposure
needs to he shaded with a sheer
curtain and a north window will need
supplementary light.
Humidity can he the tricky part.
Our homes run on average humidity
levels thanks to open windows. hut
central heating dries the air and
leaves us all wanting for moisture.
Orchids are no different. The old
trick of increasing humidity around
your house plants with a tray of
gravel and water with the pots sitting
on top works well with orchids.
Phalaenopsis likes temperatures
ranging from the mid -80s F during
the day to the low 60s at night. Cool
evenings spark the flowering process
and leaving your Phal in a cool
window sill at night for about two
weeks should inspire flowering. You
will know it is not another root when
it grows up towards your nose.
Repotting requires little effort and
should be done every two to three
years to encourage the hest
performance from your orchid.
Gently remove the roots from the pot
and loosen any old bark that has
deteriorated. Repot in the next size
pot. Don't he too ambitious. Let the
size of the root system determine the
size of the pot. They don't like too
big a pot. The roots like to hang over
the top and the leaves should drag
over the edge. In nature their roots
meander over tree surfaces. Gently
drop fir hark in and around the roots
up to where the stem begins. Firm
down the hark and your orchid is
potted. Much cleaner than the soil
mix for other house plants.
There are some great books
available written by Canadian
growers. One of the easiest or
friendliest to read is Orchid..
Simplified An Indoor Gardening
Guide by Henry Jaworski. senior
editor for the Canadian Broadcasting
Corporation's National news program
"The World at Six". Published by
Chapters Publishing. and printed in
Manitoba by Friesen Printers.
Orchids by 1. D. James published
by Firefly Books has a little more
detail into other orchids varieties.
And then there is .41/ About Orchids
by Ortho those lovely "How -To
People". I'hey do know how to get
the information out in a clear concise
\vay. All three are inexpensive books
and any one would make a great gift
for a new orchid grower.
Already it is December and like so
many other
gardeners I look
forward to the
rest in the early
winter but will
soon he longing
for the balmy
breezes of
spring. In the
meantime have
a happy holiday
season.0
DECEMBER 2003 49