How to Recreate an Orchid’s Native Environment
Don’t worry, it’s not as daunting as it sounds!
Even though most orchids are tropical, you don’t have to live in a rain forest to keep them happy.
The orchid family consists of some 28,000 different species, and their native environments—and thus, their care requirements—do differ a bit. Some orchids prefer more sun than others, or cooler ambient temperatures, or denser growing mediums. So the first step is making sure you know what kind of orchid you have. If you just bought it, there’s probably a tag on it. If there’s not, you can use a plant ID app or a guide from the American Orchid Society to help you identify it.
For this post, I’ll use the most common orchid for plant owners, the phalaenopsis. This species comes from the Southeast Asia, South India, and Northern Australia—warm, wet places. These orchids often grow on trees or in rocky soil near sources of water.
Think about the conditions of these places (or imagine yourself in a rain forest). The environment is humid, receives mostly dappled or filtered bright sunlight thanks to the canopy, gets periodic soaking rains, doesn’t get cold, and usually has a breeze. The more of these conditions you can recreate, the happier your orchid will be.
Here’s my tip list of how to keep a phalaenopsis happy, in order of importance:
bright sunlight but not too intense, esp. in summer (east-facing window is perfect)
If you use a south-facing window, use a filter curtain or place the orchid back from the sill.
a soak or shower—water thoroughly and let water drain completely (think rain shower) every 2-3 weeks, depending on the season (water less in winter)
be sure your pot has drainage! Orchids don’t like sitting in water.
Orchid “spa day” in the summer rain (or I put them in the shower)
substrate aeration (use orchid bark instead of soil—the roots need air and light)
humidity (humidifier or pebble tray / dishrack. Regular misting can work too, since moth orchid leaves are thick and waxy and won’t rot when wet)
especially important in winter for areas with forced heating
air flow (fan or breeze)
secure in its pot (not wobbly)
if you use a plastic pot inside of a ceramic or terracotta pot (which makes watering easier), clip it to the outside pot to hold it in place
keep at 60-80 degrees (be careful of drafty windowsills, radiators, air conditioners, etc).
nutrients (orchid bark feeds for 9-12 months, supplement monthly with orchid food during spring and summer)
It might seem like a lot, but once you figure out what works for your orchid(s), it’s easy to maintain. And despite what you might think, orchids—this kind, at least—are fairly hardy. As long as you don’t do something dramatically wrong like leaving it on a radiator or forgetting to water it for six months, it should be okay. Last thing: just because it hasn’t flowered again or seems to be growing slowly (or not at all) doesn’t mean it’s dead! I’ll talk about that in the next post.
Close-up of orchid bark and wet, happy aerial roots
