California Plants

These are the best ways to deal with fertilizer burn on Orchids.

1. Water 3 out of every 4 times with clear water and no fertilizer.
2. If the fertilizer salts are built up quite a bit, repot the Orchid.
3. Be careful in the future not to over fertilize.

To tell if you have fertilizer burn, look for these signs:

1. Burnt tips on Orchid leaves.
2. Old mix that has salts building up on top.
3. Blackening parts of your Orchid.
4. No bloom.

When growing Orchids, these are the top tips we can suggest. Orchids can be easy, or difficult to grow and care for. Selecting the right Orchid, and understanding what it needs will greatly help your Orchid care experience.

1. Most Orchids love humidity. Putting a humidity tray under the plant, or a rocks with water under them, can help very much. Do not sit the plant in water, but instead it should be above the water.
2. Don’t fertilize too much or too little. You can just fertilize with a  20-20-20 one in every 3-4 waterings.
3. Don’t put a shade Orchid in the sun. Phalaenopsis and Paphiopedilum Orchids love shade, but if you put them in the sun they’ll burn.
4. Don’t put bright light Orchids in the shade. Dendrobiums and Oncidiums like bright light, not shade.
5. Repot every 2-3 years with the correct size Orchid bark. Oncidiums, Cymbidiums, Paphiopedilums, and Dendrobiums like premium Orchid mix for repotting. For Phalaenopsis Orchids, use sphagnum moss for repotting. Cattleyas and Vandas like a medium bark for repotting.

If you want to identify plants, I strongly recommend the The American Horticultural Society Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers. It is a great plant identification book, packed with plant information. It includes information about plant names, plant origin information, information on creating a garden, a plant selector, information about all kinds of plants, a plant catalog, a plant dictionary, and a plant index. Plants covered in this book include trees, shrubs roses, climbers, perennials, annuals, rock plants, bulbs, water plants, cacti, and succulents.

This article tells about how you can decide if you should buy a particular plant at a store, nursery, or other garden center you are shopping at. This article details five tips to help you choose that right plant that has a better chance of living in your home or yard. Choosing plants and buying plants is not easy.

1. Buy a plant with good roots. Hold the plant by the crown, which is just above soil level. Is the plant tight or loose in the pot? If you pull gently, does it seem very intact with the roots or do the roots seem weak? You should choose a plant that is well secured, with a strong root system.
2. Don’t buy plants that have been over watered. Look in the soil mix of various plants the store is selling. Do they tend to over-water? Do you see water pooling under various plants? Do you see the health of plants declining? You want to make sure that the people at the store caring for the plants have not done more harm than good.
3. Don’t buy bugs! Look for bugs on the leaves. This is a big one. They can be scales, mealybugs, flying insects, or other bugs. If you see many plants here and there with bugs, watch out. You should go to another nursery rather than bring bugs into your home. For example, I bought a six pack of red cabbage, and forgot to inspect the plants. As they grew larger, within a month I had an infestation of bugs so bad in these plants that rather than treat them, I uprooted the plants and composted them.
4. Get a plant that is ready to bloom. Did it just start to bloom, or it is ending? Look for plants that still have the show coming.
5. Choose the right kind of plant, meaning annual or perennial. Is it an annual or perennial? Some annuals may live longer than one year in some climates, but you must be careful here. Perennials live more than one year. Generally annuals are more for quick growth and bloom color added to the garden, while perennials are meant to add longevity and stability to the garden. I buy mostly perennials, with only a few annuals. I do find perennials that are showy like many of the fast growing annuals, but it does take a bit of looking. It is worth it.

Selecting the right plants for your garden can save you a lot of time. Following these tips for your indoor or outdoor plants should help you in success of your garden.

Choosing the best plants for your garden is not easy. Finding the right places to buy plants, the right kinds of plants to buy, and the right plants to fit your needs can be a challenge. With these 10 tips from me, an expert gardener, you should be fast on your way to success.

1. Talk to your neighbors. Ask them what does well for them and what plants have not done well.
2. Look at other gardens in your neighborhood. Take photos of your favorite gardens and plants.
3. Go outside your neighborhood and take photos of plants you like.
4. Go to local garden centers. Sometimes the small garden center or plant nursery will have what you need while other times you may need to go to Lowes, Target, or Home Depot. Look for stores such as Home Depot or Lowes that warranty their plants, letting you return them with receipt if they don’t do well.
5. Look in books. Note plants you like.
6. Look at Websites such as this one, http://california-plants.com/.
7. Do trial and error in your plant growing. Don’t buy 10 of something before you know if you really like it or can grow it. Try growing 1-3 of anything before getting more.
8. Pay attention to the labels. Did you know that tree you got will be 40 feet tall one day? Although the print may be small on the labels, your patience in finding the right plant to fit your needs is important.
9. See where nurseries grow the plants. If they are saying it is a full sun plant but you see it growing fine for them in partial shade, it may be an option to ask about.
10. Last but not least, evolve your garden! You may find you liked certain plants last month but now you are in a mood for succulents. Create different areas for your garden and have fun with it!

Cymbidium Orchids are terrific plants to grow in California. In many areas of California, they can be grown outside. In all areas of the United States they can be grown inside with bright light, but not full sun all day. This 5 minute YouTube video is one I created to teach you about Cymbidiums and Cymbidium orchid care. When choosing a Cymbidium Orchid, you can choose a miniature Cymbidium or Standard Cymbidium. A miniature Cymbidium has leaves from 1-3 feet in length, while a standard Cymbidium has leaves 2-4 feet in length. There are many Cymbidium species available, and the one in this video is a hybrid Cymbidium. I prefer hybrid Cymbidiums as they generally bloom longer.

Growing Orchids such as Cymbidiums can ve very rewarding. Buying Cymbidium Orchids and growing or planting them doesn’t take that much difficulty. If you already have indoor types of Orchids, these may just fit in your collection. If you already know how to care for Orchids, adding Cymbidiums will be easy. If you don’t know anything about caring for Orchids, no problem. Orchid growing tips in this video will make you a Cymbidium Orchid expert in no time!

Cymbidium growing basics include not letting your Cymbidium plant get colder than 35 degrees F. A day temperature of 50-65 F is idea, with 85 degrees F meaning the Cymbidium will be needing misting. Ensure you repot every 2-3 years in fine fir bark. Repotting time is after blooming and new growth. Fertilize weakly for best results. Cymbidiums don’t like to dry out between waterings.