Keep Orchid Care Simple

Orchid Care -

Keeping Your Orchids Healthy

You remember when it was thought that orchid care was only for the rich and famous. Well that was quite a while ago. Today most people know that orchids are easy to care for.

The real trick in orchid care is to be preventive. Yes, it doesn't take much time or knowledge to keep them healthy.

One of the fundamental orchid growing tips is to look closely at each of your plants once a week. It doesn't take much time, probably 1 minute per plant. But this is a very important minute .

Inspect closely at the leaves including the underside, at the psuedobulbs and at the spike. If you can see any of the roots look at those as well. This time spent on your orchid care will be valuable.

After a while you will be used to seeing what is normal. Then you will be able to spot any abnormality and be able to diagnose and treat.

To make orchid care easy, purchase orchids at a reputable supplier and make sure they look vigorous. Once you bring them home it is wise to separate them from the rest of the collection for a couple of weeks. In case, they do have a disease or insects it is best not to spread it.

When you spot a problem act on it quickly. If you are unsure what it is consult your local orchid society or the local nursery for advise on what it is and the best orchid care treatment.

Care of orchids includes identifying insects like aphids, scale, mealy bugs, spider mites are among the insects that attack orchid plants. To see the latter you will need a magnifying glass. Check with your local nursery or a handbook for the best treatment. Remember these insects have varying life cycles and need to treated so you stop growth at all the cycles.

For good healthy growth of your orchids you need the right amount of humidity as well as air circulation. Humidity with out circulation is the perfect set up for fungal and bacterial diseases. The leaves are the first to be affected. There will be soft or sunken spots.

The flowers can also be affects. Orchid care will help to spot this, it usually can be a fine speckling on the flowers. They will not last long as well.

Orchid growing tips also show that flowers can be affected by virus'. You probably will notice some flower speckling, deformed flowers or irregular brown spots on the flowers.

If this occurs and you feel this is a viral disease there is not much in the way of treatment. Care of orchids will tell you to throw out the plant before it infects others in your collection.

At Orchids-Plus-More get more information on orchid plants.

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