California Plants

Taking care of Orchids can be easy or difficult depending on the Orchid you choose and location you will grow the Orchid. The best way to select an Orchid is first choose where in your home you will grow the Orchid. Note if you will have bright light, shade, and when the light will come through to the plant. If you like to water more often, note this. If you are ok neglecting plants, note this. If you want an Orchid to bloom for months, note this. If you want an Orchid that will bloom for a couple weeks, note this.

To take care of the Orchids you choose to buy at home, first either get a humidity tray, choose a humid location such as the bathroom or kitchen, or place rocks in a saucer around the plant. This ensures your Orchid has proper humidity. Next make sure you have Orchid fertilizer, and use this at least once a month. Some Orchids like to dry out between waterings and others don’t. Depending on which kind of Orchid you have, lift the pot to decide by weight if the Orchid needs to be watered. Ensure to locate your Orchid without any direct sun on the leaves, no matter what kind of Orchid. The more appropriate your care conditions are for needs of a particular Orchid, the more blooms, healthy foliage, and healthy roots you will have.

These are the three easiest Orchids to grow in bright light indoors. There are many varieties of each of these kinds of Orchids.

1. Oncidiums - These Orchids light bright indirect light, almost drying out between waterings, like to be potted in fine bark, and can take temperatures as low as 55 and as high as 85.
2. Vandas - These Orchids love when they can briefly dry out between waterings, like temperatures between 65 and 90, like very bright indirect light, and like to be potted in medium or large bark.
3. Dendrobiums - These Orchids like to dry out briefly in between waterings, enjoy very bright indirect light, and like to be potted in fine bark.

For all of the Orchids above, use a humidity tray or tray with rocks and water.  All above Orchids should be misted when it is hot.

Phalaenopsis Orchid plants are the easiest Orchid to grow for the beginner grower. They are not only the easiest Orchids to care for, but they are also ideal for growing indoors. This post has information to help you shop for, buy, grow, and care for Phalaenopsis Orchids.

1. When buying a Phalaenopsis Orchid, choose one without all blooms open. This will give you more blooms to come.
2. When shopping for Phalaenopsis Orchids, choose the Phalaenopsis Orchid with the strongest leaves, and biggest roots and leaves. Look for leaves and roots that look like they are active and growing.
3. Buy your Phalaenopsis Orchid somewhere that will stand behind the plant if it does not do well. Good stores offer a return or exchange policy.
4. Phalaenopsis Orchids are epiphytic. This means they grow on trees and rocks. They get their nutrients and water from items that fall to them. They are very used to having their roots dry out at times because of this.
5. Most Phalaenopsis Orchids can bloom 2-6 months in a row. To have your Orchid bloom this long, you need humidity around the leaves and flowers. The best way to get humidity is purchase a humidity tray and grow your Phalaenopsis Orchid on top of the tray.
6. Phalaenopsis Orchids do not like to sit in water for days. Water the plant over the sink well, let the mix drain, and then don’t water again until the mix is almost dry. You can tell when to water by lifting the pot. If the pot is light, water.
7. Fertilize 2 out of 3 waterings with a very weak solution of Orchid fertilizer.
8. Repot your Phalaenopsis Orchids every 2-3 years when the plant is growing out of the pot.
9. When caring for leaf problems, only cut off a leaf with fungus.
10. Care for your Phalaenopsis in the right location in your home. Choose a location with low indirect light, good air movement, and no temperatures below 65 degrees Fahrenheit.

I worked for Rod McLellan Company as their expert grower, hybridizer and more for 3 years. Before they were bought, Rod McLellan had been the world leader in Orchids for a century.

My personal experience with Orchids has led me to understand well what Orchids you can grow more easily with bright light. If you want a larger, heavy, strappy Orchid, go for a Cymbidium. If you want an Orchid that blooms a long time and likes bright light, grow a Dendrobium. This is the easiest Orchid to grow in bright light as it loves to dry out between waterings. Another good bright light Orchid is an Oncidium. Oncidiums and Dendrobiums bloom for 2-3 months with proper humidity.

More difficult orchids to grow in bright light are Cattleyas and Vandas. Cattleyas bloom on average for 2-4 weeks. Vandas need a lot of humidity.

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.

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.