If neither of those methods do not seem reasonable to you (because you don't
have any coconut trees growing in your neighborhood, or you have an allergy for
aluminum wire...), than take your geranium out of the pot and plant the orchid
back into it, using the same method as described in a) and b). But forget about
sphagnum, the ventilation in the pot is poor so the roots might start rotting.
As for the geranium - give it to your rabbit...
If however you are very stubborn and want a coconut so badly for your favorite
orchid, then we will mail you one for $1, as soon as we fishe one out of our lake
this is the way we got most of the coconuts for our orchids.
Like for any plant, the more
light, the better. But be carefull, do not let the orchid to be exposed to direct
sunlight! Only few orchids such as Vanda, can stand the light of the sun, and
after all, Vandas must be planted differently - without mix or sphagnum, with
roots hanging bare and absorbing the moisture only from the air.
If there is not enough light, the orchids will not bloom. Indoors, a good place
for the orchid would be on a window-sill, or next to a window.
It is believed, orchids need
to be watered every 5-7 days. However, in hot summer days we water them every
2-3 days. If it is so hot that you can barely stand the heat, everyday watering
won't hurt. It is highly recommended to water orchids before noon, so by the darkness
comes, the plant won't be in danger from the fungus and bugs because it had time
to dry up. We have some orchids hanged on palm trees, and the sprinkler system
delivers water to them daily. During winter time, it is recommended to water less
frequent, which sounds logical, but here in Florida we do water them in winter
almost as often as in summer. Some of our orchids came to boom in their growth
during winter, they probably need something to drink while heavy blooming... If
you have an orchid growing in a pot, then remember - it is "less worse"
to underwater, than to overwater. The mix inside the pot must be moist during
the following few hours, then it must gradually dry off by next day, and this
is normal. Orchids will get most of their moisture from the air, but if you have
a very dry air, it won't hurt to spray your orchid 1-2 times a day.
You will need special orchid
ferilizer, ammonia-free. Once every 2 weeks, apply balanced fertilization for
growth (20-14-13), after 3-4 times it should be switched to blooming fertilizer
(11-35-15). We fertilize every other week, after regular watering, so that the
fertilizer won't get washed away.
Right after Tanya understood
the science of orchids, she had recieved 50 orchids - small seedlings, which are
meant to bloom in 1-3 years. But for some reason (likely because Tanya followed
steps 1-5 and specially 6 very carefully), the orchids started to bloom just in
a few months.
These tips may be applied only to the epiphytic orchids. There are also Terrestrial
orchids, which grow in soil. About them - a whole different story.
