Gardening in the Tropics

So, today I decided to do a little plant care. It relaxes your mind and it is very therapeutic. I would say I am a plant entusiast. I am obssessed with my plants. I check them every morning and every night. I walk and look through my garden morning and night and it really does relax my mind and put me in a positive mindset.

I have a variety of plants ranging from orchids, anthuriums, hoyas among many others. At first, when I started growing orchids, I realize they hardly grow and bloom. However, over time I have created a regimen in which I water my orchids almost every two days because I keep them on the outside.

TIPS FOR THE DAY WITH ORCHIDS

1. WATERING

On the contrary orchids do love water but you should ensure that they are placed in pots in which their roots get a lot of air and they are able to dry out properly in between watering. I use mesh baskets which I hand made and also wooden baskets which I buy from the store so that way the roots get a chance to spread and air out.

2. FERTILIZING

FEED! FEED! FEED! your orchids. It is inevitable that you feed your orchid in order for them to produce roots, leaves and bloom stalks. The more roots an orchid has is the healthier the orchid will be and the more likely it will produce a blooming stalk. As feeding your orchids give them the energy to produce those beautiful blooms.

You may ask, what do I use to fertilize? Well there are various things that you can use in fertilizing your orchids. It is based on your preference and what works best for your orchids and the environment in which they are kept.

I personally use 20-20-20 which is a complete fertilizer. Some orchids are heavy feeders while others not so much. My sun loving vandas and shade vandas are heavy feeders. I use a little 20-20-20 everytime I water these orchids and since vandas love to be watered at least once a day I fertilize every time I water.

EPSOM SALT

There are also other things that you can use in order to have healthy orchids and for them to produce beautiful blooms for you. I use Epsom salt which allows my orchids to look green, shiny and produce healthy leaves and roots. The Epsom salt may be used every two weeks or once per week. Again all of this is based on your preference.

GARLIC WATER

Another awesome tip in growing orchids is using garlic on its roots and spraying its leaves. You should soak the garlic over night so as to get all the nutrients. You would let it sit for 24 hours after which you use it to soak the roots of your orchids and then wet a piece of cloth in the said water and use it to wipe the leaves. The Garlic water serves as a natural repellant against disease and pests. In my opinion this has resulted in my orchids producing a lot of suckers and they have also send out quite a number of blooms.

In short, these are the gems I would like to leave with you for today and I really do hope that you my readers find them beneficial to your orchid care routine. Please share with me if you found any of these tips successful or useful in the care of your orchids. Please remember to spend time with your orchids in order to achieve the best results, check your orchids every day and you should be fine.

Until next time my readers enjoy the rest of your day. :-)