Go wild for ORCHIDS

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This article was published 22/10/2022 (1061 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Orchids are bona fide blooming houseplants with spectacular long-lasting flowers. But their obvious beauty is only one reason that orchids have gone mainstream. There are so many different types of orchids to choose from, many of which are more widely available and affordable than ever before, and you don’t need a green thumb to help them thrive.

Growing orchids, however, can be addictive. Joan Porteous knows something about that. Porteous is a retired operating room nurse and nurse educator and is a past president of the Manitoba Orchid Society. She grows more than 50 orchids — when she last counted — in her home which is just outside Winnipeg. Her favourite type of orchid is the Phalaenopsis (pronounced fayl-eh-NOP-sis), more commonly known as the moth orchid. Moth orchids are the most popular orchids today and are very easy to grow.

“There are so many beautiful, different types of orchids but the Phalaenopsis with their graceful and spectacular, long-lasting blooms, sometimes three or four months or even longer, really give you your money’s worth with a show of colour,” says Porteous. They also don’t wait another year before they rebloom. But what’s especially wonderful about Phalaenopsis orchids, too, is that blooms are triggered by the longer, dark periods characteristic of our shorter days in autumn and winter.

Cooler temperatures are the second factor that trigger orchids to bloom. “In the fall, a friend of mine waits as long as she can before turning on her furnace so that it stays cool in her home especially at night,” says Porteous. “Orchids love to have a 10-degree difference between day and nighttime temperatures to bloom. They want a cool spell. When orchids grow in the wild, for example, there is a certain time when the weather is cooler and that tends to encourage them to bloom. It is the same in the home.”

But how practical is it in our home environments to achieve a 10-degree difference between day and night temperatures? One option, says Porteous, is to put your orchid temporarily in a room where you can give it a week or two of cooler temperatures by closing the heat vents. That might be enough to encourage your orchid to produce a flower spike. Another option, says Porteous, is to place your orchid on a windowsill and pull the drapes closed at night. “If there is still space for your orchid between the window and the drapes, and the heat registers are closed, you can provide a cooler environment that your orchid needs.” While this can make a difference, it may not even be necessary, says Porteous. “Phalaenopsis orchids usually bloom happily if they are healthy.”

Phalaenopsis orchids require medium-intensity light and do well in an east- or west-facing window. This location is also ideal for slipper orchids, an impossibly beautiful orchid that is an Asian relative of our native lady slippers. The scientific name is Paphiopedilum, pronounced paff-ee-oh-PED-ih-lum. Porteous recently purchased a slipper orchid at Ever Spring Orchids, 2868 Pipeline Rd., West St. Paul. Ever Spring Orchids is the largest orchid greenhouse in Canada’s Midwest. Slipper orchids bloom annually and the flowers last for several weeks. They are available in a wide range of colours and while there are some varieties of slipper orchids that are more challenging to grow, there are also varieties such as the Maudiae type that are easy to grow. These are smaller plants and have dark green mottled foliage.

The Cattleya orchid (KAT-lee-ah) is commonly known as the corsage orchid. Its native habitat is in South America. Cattleya orchids are distinguished by their large flowers. Porteous grows a stunning specimen, Autumn Symphony, which has petals that are a burnt orange with a vividly contrasting lip in yellow and rich burgundy. She also grows the Oncidium orchid which produces spikes of small, patterned flowers. “Cattleya and Oncidium orchids require higher-intensity light and do well in east, west, or south-facing windows,” says Porteous.

Orchids can be grown in sphagnum moss or a bark mix. Both promote good drainage and aeration. “My preference is to grow my orchids in a bark mix because bark doesn’t hold moisture as long as sphagnum moss does,” says Porteous. Bark mixes for orchids contain bits of charcoal which help to absorb any impurities that may be in the water used for watering orchids.

Healthy roots are key to growing healthy orchids. An important way to achieve healthy roots is to not overwater. “The easiest way to kill orchid plants is by overwatering,” says Porteous. She waters her orchids once a week, taking care to water thoroughly. Good drainage is essential. “If you are growing your orchid in sphagnum moss, the moss will stay wet longer. Watering your plant every eight or nine days may be all it needs.”

Many orchids are sold today with plant tags that recommend watering with ice cubes by placing one or two ice cubes on the soil surface. The pre-measured amount of ice cubes is said to help prevent overwatering. “The reality is that orchids which are tropical plants do not like ice cubes or cold water. The ice cube slowly melts and releases moisture in the soil, but it is better to water your orchid with room temperature water and not too often,” says Porteous.

Every orchid will lose a leaf every year and gain a new leaf every year. A yellowing leaf can be a perfectly natural thing, says Porteous, because orchids will usually have only six to eight leaves at any one time. “But if orchid leaves are yellowing more often than one leaf a year, cut back on watering.” It may also be time to repot your orchid.

“When you repot your orchid, lift it out of the medium and check the roots to make sure they are not rotting,” says Porteous. Soft, rotted roots can be easily squashed with your fingers. Trim off any rotted roots, repot, and don’t water quite as often. “Ideally your orchid should be repotted every one to two years because orchid mix, whether it is sphagnum moss or bark, eventually breaks down into smaller pieces which fill in the air spaces, reducing the amount of oxygen to the plant’s roots.” One of the biggest mistakes, says Porteous, is to overpot an orchid. “If you put an orchid into a much bigger pot, then the medium won’t dry out as quickly and may become soggy.” It’s all about controlling the moisture.

What is the rule of thumb for fertilizing an orchid during the winter months when temperature and light levels are lower? It depends on the variety. Some orchids require a winter rest. But not the Phalaenopsis orchid which is always growing. But that said, it does not require as much fertilizing during the winter. Porteous fertilizes every three or four waterings with a dilute solution at one-half or one-quarter strength.

The National Garden Bureau has named 2023 as the Year of the Orchid. The Manitoba Orchid Society, which has hosted an annual orchid show for many years, hopes to host its first show next spring since the start of the pandemic.

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