Regardless of its type, species or genus; the goal here is to meet the basic cultural requirements of your orchid plant which will ensure that it thrives.

When you do that, the plant will be healthy and happy and will, therefore, reward you with beautiful blooms. Ideally, you want to provide the same or as close as possible to the same environmental conditions which the orchids encounter out in nature. Since the Phalaenopsis is the easiest orchid plant to take care of and would most likely be your first, we will primarily focus on its care while also pointing out pronounced differences as they apply to three other popular orchid genuses: Oncidium, Dendrobium and Papheopedlium.

You should be aware of the fact that most orchids are epiphytes which means that they grow attached onto other plants and most often to the barks of trees. However, orchid plants are not parasites as they do not take anything (nutrients or energy) away from their hosts — the plants on which they grow. But rather, orchids append themselves to other plant or tree for mere physical support. And so, Phalaenopsis, Oncidium and Dendrobiun are entirely epiphytic while the Papheopedlium are semi terrestrial because although they appear to be growing in the ground, their roots are in fact planted into decomposing plant matters which are not actually soil.

All of these orchid plants grow in the shade under the thick canopy of tropical forests. In the branches of nearby trees, the roots of a Phalaenopsis stretch out and attach themselves to whatever they can reach for the support they need. Imagine, if you will, the amount of air movement around these continually moving roots. A morning rain delivers the water they need and the gentle air movements dry them out quickly. The Papheopedlium plants like their roots kept moist under a layer of decomposing leaves at ground level.

To emulate the environments they are accustomed to out in nature which in the case of Phalaenopsis, Oncidium, Dendrobiun and Papheopedlium happens to be tropical forests, these orchid plants do not like direct sunlight, they are very particular about the range of temperature they prefer, the amount of water their roots tolerate, the amount of atmospheric humidity surrounding them and the type of nutrients they are happy with.

Orchid plants have been around for many thousands of years which attests to the fact that they are a hardy lot that knows how to adapt to their surroundings and make the best of what is available. All that is quite true out in wild nature but it all changes when orchid plants are potted and brought into the home. The otherwise self sufficient plants become completely dependent on you and me as the only sources that can meet their needs.

That is particularly true when you leave your orchid plants unattended because you’ve taken a vacation away from home for a number of days. To make sure that your orchid plants are still alive and fairing well in your absence, there are certain precautionary measures you must not forget to take.

Browsing through other pages of this Orchid Care.org site will lead you to the information you need about feeding, watering and providing your orchid plants (Phalaenopsis, Oncidium, Dendrobiun and Papheopedlium) with the needed lighting, humidity and so on. Furthermore, you will learn what to do for your orchids if and when you need to leave home for a period of days and even weeks.

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Filed under: Orchid Care

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