5 Things You Need To Know When Growing Orchids Indoors

What better way to get the most enjoyment out of your beautiful orchid than to grow and nurture it indoors. For many people who live in colder climates, growing orchids indoors is a preferred option over trying to grow these tropical plants outdoors. However, there are certain requirements that are essential to successfully growing orchids indoors. Once you've found a suitable environment for them, they won't require any more care than other house plants.

Deciding where your orchid will be placed is more a matter of temperature control than aesthetics. Just because your orchid looks divine on your coffee table doesn't mean it's going to grow well in that location. Make sure you put the well-being of your orchid ahead of any personal tastes or your beautiful orchid won't look so pretty after awhile.

Here are 5 tips for you to ensure growing healthy orchids indoors:

1. You'll need to find a warm spot in your home that has a lot of light, filtered light if possible, but not direct sunlight. Too much light will burn your plant, but most species do prefer to be kept warm. Too little light and you'll notice the foliage will turn a dark green and will look limp.

2. It's also important that you consider the location of your orchid's stay during the night as well. If your window sill is sunny and warm during the day, it may get a cool draft at night. Being next to a window actually makes them very vulnerable to the cold of night even in the summer months. Therefore, you may need to move your orchids away from the window each night, or place something between the window and the plants for basic insulation.

3. When planning on a location for your orchid, humidity is also a major consideration. While a bathroom may provide too much humidity, the living room may not provide enough. There are ways to increase the humidity of a room. The obvious is using a humidifier, but if you are already suffering from stifling heat in your home, you may try isolating the humidity to just the plant itself. You can do this simply by placing your orchid directly on a bowl of pebbles and water and let the roots of the plant absorb the evaporating water from the bowl. The pebbles are to assure that the roots don't sit in the water which would result to the roots rotting.

4. Orchids generally prefer to be watered thoroughly until the excess water drains from the planting pot, then let to completely dry out before watering again. Watering with slightly warm or tepid water is often recommended due to the fact that orchids are indigenous to tropical climate. Under watering is better than over watering because too much water will drown the roots resulting in rot, or possibly contribute to the growth of fungus, and or mold.

5. Air circulation is vital when growing orchids indoors. Ensure they are in a position that provides sufficient airflow. If this isn't possible, you can use a fan near your orchid to encourage air flow. This will help the plant dry out between waterings.

Unless you're living in the tropics, growing orchids indoors is a better alternative to growing outdoors because you can control the climate and simulate a tropical environment.

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