Orchid Care
tips and suggestions from the orchid experts
How We Grow Vandas
Tips for growing Vandas. The most common vandaceous orchids are Vandas (including recently renamed Ascocentrum), and Ascocendas. Here in South Florida we also grow many other species and intergeneric hybrids such as Rhynchostylis, Aerides, Aeridovanda (Aerides × Vanda), and numerous other combinations of these closely-related plants.
How We Grow Cattleyas
Most everyone is familiar with the voluptuous, fragrant “corsage” orchids commonly known as cattleyas. This common name encompasses a large number of closely-related orchid species in many genera (singular: genus) and their hybrids. They are native to the American tropics and subtropics, and are among the most recognizable orchid flowers anywhere in the world.
How We Grow Phalaenopsis
The exquisite “moth orchids” are popular among novice and experienced growers alike. Their beautiful and incredibly long-lasting flowers are borne on easy-to-grow plants, putting phalaenopsis at or near the top of just about everyone’s recommendation list for beginners’ orchids.
How We Grow Dendrobiums, Part 1
Vandas • Catleyas • Phalaenopsis • Dendrobiums 1 2 3 4 • Making Orchids Bloom Dendrobiums are native to a huge area in Asia, ranging from southern Japan and the eastern foothills of the Himalaya south into India, the Indo-China peninsula, Malaysia, Indonesia, New...
How We Grow Dendrobiums, Part 2
Vandas • Catleyas • Phalaenopsis • Dendrobiums 1 2 3 4 • Making Orchids Bloom In this “chapter” on growing dendrobiums, we’ll cover the species in Section Callista. These are spring-blooming orchids native to mainland Asia, most commonly northeast India, northern...
How We Grow Dendrobiums, Part 3
Vandas • Catleyas • Phalaenopsis • Dendrobiums 1 2 3 4 • Making Orchids Bloom In this “chapter” on growing dendrobiums, we’ll cover the plants in two closely-related sections: Phalaenanthe and Spatulata, commonly known as the “phalaenopsis type” and “antelope type”....
How We Grow Dendrobiums, Part 4
Vandas • Catleyas • Phalaenopsis • Dendrobiums 1 2 3 4 • Making Orchids Bloom Another group of Dendrobiums, section Pedilonum, includes about 80 species from a wide swath of Asia, from India across southeast Asia to the Philippines and south to New Guinea. Many of the...
Making Orchids Bloom
Vandas • Catleyas • Phalaenopsis • Dendrobiums 1 2 3 4 • Making Orchids Bloom One of the questions we hear most often is “Why aren’t my orchids blooming?” Although there’s no single, simple answer, there are a few general principles that may help you understand how to...