Eight years have passed since we first found out that anyone can grow orchids.
It was my wife’s birthday, and I wanted to get her something special, so I stopped at a florist shop in my hometown, Hialeah, Florida, which displayed a big sign: ORCHIDS.
The florist was making corsages of what I later learned were tremendous purple cattleyas.
I asked him whether they grew on bushes, trees, or just what, and he patiently explained that many orchid plants called epiphytes grow on trees while the terrestrial types grow on the ground.
Epiphytic Orchid Is Not A Parasite
In answer to another question, he told me that an epiphytic orchid is not a parasite since it takes no nourishment from the host plant but is merely supported by it, absorbing food mainly from the humid air in its native rain forests of South America and the Far East.
The florist pointed to one of the big purple orchids in the corsage. “That one,” he said, “or really its parents came from the forests of Venezuela.
In fact, almost all of the orchids used in corsages come from South America.
Most of those in cultivation are third, fourth, or later generations of species collected from the jungle—man-made hybrids.”
Can Orchids Be Improved?
I wondered how a man could improve on an orchid. He said that orchids in the jungle are gorgeous but often frail.
If two selected flowers are crossed, the strain can be improved to obtain larger flowers with better coloring.
I wondered whether I could afford such blue blood when the florist led me into the greenhouse.
There were literally hundreds of orchids—pink, red, green, yellow, and white. He told me that the orchid bud goes through quite a ritual in the process of opening.
The bud starts as a small nub in the base of the sheath, a projection that grows from the middle of the leaf, and then day by day, it develops and swells until it bursts the green covering.
Then the bud slowly begins to flush with color. Finally, after it has been out of the sheath a week or so, the entire bud makes a revolution and expands, seam by seam, until the labellum—the large, brightly colored tongue in the center of the flower—spreads out.
After 48 hours, the flowers are fully open and will remain in perfect condition for three weeks or even longer.
All this ended with my buying an orchid plant instead of the planned corsage to present to my wife.
I relayed the florist’s instructions to her:
Set it on the window sill on a little flat pan full of pebbles.
Fill the pan with water up to the bottom of the pot.
The plant will get humidity that way, I explained.
Wide Variety Of Orchid Species
In two days, the buds on our plant opened, and contrary to stories we’d heard, some orchids do have a wonderful fragrance.
About a week later, my wife asked innocently: “Did you know that there are 15,000 orchid species?”
I admitted I didn’t, and she astounded me with her newly acquired knowledge.
“Orchids are the largest and most complex of all plant families. The family is called Orchidaceae.
It is further divided into genera, the singular of which is a genus.”
For a moment, she took off her scholar’s cap and explained that a genus is Like a family name—Jones. A species is like a first name—Robert.
She wasn’t finished. “Moreover, the flower comprises five distinct parts, two lateral petals and three sepals.
The sepals lie between the two petals like wings. In front is the labellum, which covers the column where the pollen-masses are borne in the cavity close to the outer end.”
“Okay,” I sighed. “You’ve put me in my place.” But she had aroused my curiosity, and that was only the beginning.
Soon it was a hobby for both of us. Finally, orchids had won a team.
Growing Orchids Through Trial-And-Error Method
We mainly learned by the trial-and-error method. I built a Wardian case about the size of an aquarium.
It had glass sides, a hinged top, and a few slits to let air in for ventilation. Good ventilation is necessary since orchids cannot thrive in a dead atmosphere.
The seedlings we bought grew well on an elevated rack inside the case, which we had placed in front of an east window.
Orchids do best with morning light and respond to organic fertilizers like fish emulsion.
Years ago, many growers found the best potting medium was osmunda—the roots of the osmunda fern. Today, there are packaged orchid potting mixes.
There is a trick to planting orchids in it. First, the plant must need repotting, which happens about once a year when the rhizome has crept to the pot’s side.
Since most of the epiphytes are sympodial, that is, they have many bulbs, the plant may also be divided at this time to increase the number of plants in your collection.
I found it best to place the orchid mix around the plants’ roots. That way, the roots had no trouble advancing through the medium.
I filled the bottom of the pot with two inches of small stones to ensure good drainage, then inserted the plant, so the rhizome was set at the back of the pot.
Avoid injuring the eyes at the front of the rhizome. These small projections are the future bulbs and contain, in embryo, the leaf, the sheath, and the flowers.
Light and Water Important Orchid Culture Factors
Light and water are important factors in orchid culture.
Orchids grow well in our bright eastern window, requiring a little more light in winter than in summer.
A good rule is to give them all the light you can without burning their foliage. Orchids suffer from sunburn just as we do.
A brown spot usually means that too much light has injured the leaf.
The color of the leaves is also a good guide. For example, an orchid plant should never be a dark shade of green.
This comes from too much shade and usually means succulent growth, giving you few flowers.
The leaves should remain a yellowish green and of good texture, and the bulbs should be plump.
As for water, let the orchid mix dry out thoroughly between soakings. Then dip the pot into a bucket of tap water for about two minutes, or until the pot, and the mix stops bubbling. Don’t water again until the osmunda is dry.
Of course, you say, we live in Florida, where everything grows well. But just to prove that you can grow orchids in the North on a window sill, without any special equipment, we gave a friend five plants.
She said they would be dead in a week. Recently we received a snapshot of three of them in full bloom proving again orchids are a hardy lot.