Introduction 1
About This Book 1
Foolish Assumptions 3
Icons Used in This Book 3
Beyond This Book 4
Where to Go from Here 4
Part 1: Welcoming Orchids into Your Life 5
Chapter 1: Discovering the World of Orchids 7
Understanding What Makes an Orchid an Orchid 8
Knowing Where Orchids Come From 9
Seeing Why You Should Grow Orchids 10
Deciding Which Orchids to Bring into Your Home 11
Identifying Orchids by Name 12
Species orchid names 13
Hybrid orchid names 13
Recognizing What Makes an Orchid an Award Winner 16
Growing Orchids Easy As One, Two, Three 17
January 17
February 18
March 18
April 19
May 19
June, July, and August 20
September 20
October 21
November and December 21
Chapter 2: Choosing the Right Orchid for You 23
Figuring Out Where to Shop 23
Specialist orchid growers or suppliers 24
Your local garden center 24
Orchid shows 24
Online orchid suppliers 25
Home centers and discount stores 26
Considering Your Environment 26
Taking temperature readings 27
Measuring your light intensity 29
Asking yourself these questions 33
Growing Tropical Orchids Outdoors 33
Knowing What to Look for in an Orchid 34
Choosing a healthy plant 34
Deciding between a blooming plant and a young plant 36
Choosing seed-grown orchids or orchid clones 36
Selecting orchids with a sweet scent 36
Isolating Your New Orchid after You Bring It Home 37
Chapter 3: Having the Right Tools on Hand 39
Focusing on Cutting and Pruning Tools 39
Pruners 39
Knives and blades 41
Considering Potting Tools and Supplies 41
Potting tools 41
Potting supplies 43
Identifying Watering Accessories 45
Water breakers 45
Water-flow regulators 46
Hoses 46
Watering cans 46
Sprayers and misters 47
Fertilizer injectors 47
Deionization and reverse osmosis units 48
Looking At Humidifiers, Heaters, and Ventilation Equipment 49
Humidifiers 49
Ventilation 51
Heating 51
Thermometers and hygrometers 51
Chapter 4: How I Love Thy Orchid: Enjoying the Orchid’s Beauty 53
Caring for Orchids in Their New Home 53
If the plant is in bloom 54
If the plant is not in bloom 54
Staking and Grooming Your Blooming Orchids 55
Figuring out how to stake 55
Helping your orchids look their best 57
Displaying orchid plants in your home 58
Arranging orchid flowers 60
Part 2: The Basics of Orchid Parenthood 67
Chapter 5: Providing the Right Growing Environment 69
Let There Be Light! Recognizing Natural Light Sources 69
Exploring the ins and outs of light 70
Listening to your orchids 72
Comprehending Some Basic Light Terminology 76
Considering Artificial Light Sources 77
Fluorescent lights 77
High-intensity-discharge lights and high-intensity commercial LED lights 80
LEDs — The new kids on the block 80
Figuring Out Which Type of Lights Are Your Best Option 82
Knowing How Much Light Your Orchids Need 83
Growing Orchids Under Lights — Tips and Tricks to Remember 84
Humidity: Orchids’ Favorite Condition 85
Providing Ventilation — Fresh Air, Please! 88
Ceiling fans 88
Oscillating fans 88
Muffin fans 89
Looking Closer at Orchid Temperature Requirements 89
Too-low temperatures 89
Too-high temperatures 90
Giving Your Orchids a Summer Vacation 90
A shade house 91
A portable greenhouse 92
Some orchids enjoy hanging out 93
Chapter 6: Watering and Fertilizing Orchids 95
Understanding the Art of Watering Orchids — Water, Water Everywhere 95
The type of pot 96
The type of potting material 96
The age of the potting material 97
Whether the orchid is pot-bound 97
The growing environment 97
The temperature 97
The amount of ventilation 97
Whether the orchids are growing or dormant 98
The type of orchid 98
Knowing What Works — Watering Your Orchid 98
Using the pot-weighting method 98
Watering your orchids — Tips and tricks 99
Over- or Underwatering: Roots Tell the Story 100
Figuring out whether watering is the problem 100
Rescuing and resuscitating your orchid 102
Considering Fertilizers — Not Magic Potions 104
Knowing what to look for in orchid fertilizers 104
Identifying types of fertilizers and how to use them 107
Chapter 7: The ABCs of Potting Materials, Containers, and Repotting 111
Choosing Potting Materials 111
Knowing your potting material options 112
Figuring out which potting materials are best 113
Getting your hands on some not-so-secret recipes 114
If mixing your own isn’t your thing 115
Getting your potting material ready to use 116
Giving Your Orchids a Home: Potting Containers 116
Repotting Orchids without Fear 118
Knowing when you should repot 118
Orchid potting — step by step 118
Chapter 8: Two, Four, Six, Eight, Let Your Orchids Propagate: Multiplying Your Orchids 123
Dividing Your Orchids 123
Giving Babies a New Home 125
Producing New Plants from Cuttings 127
Growing Orchids from Back Bulbs 128
Chapter 9: Keeping Your Orchids Pest- and Disease-Free 131
Preventing Problems Before They Start 131
Besting the Bugs 133
Identifying common orchid pests 133
Finding safe and effective pest-control measures 137
Identifying Fungal and Bacterial Infections 140
Noticing when your orchid is sick 141
Handling a sick plant 141
Part 3: The Best Orchids for Rookies 143
Chapter 10: Moth Orchids: The Best Choice for Beginners 145
Examining Why People Grow Moth Orchids 146
Understanding why they’re so popular 146
Making them even more appealing: Hybrid moth orchids 147
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall: The Beauty of Moth Orchids 148
The Leaves 148
The flowers’ shapes 148
Flower colors 149
Scents 157
Size — Small is beautiful 160
Answering the call of the wild 162
Oh, Give Me a Home : Cultural Requirements 164
Chapter 11: The Quintessential Orchids: Cattleyas and Their Relatives 167
From the Jungles to Your Home 168
Focusing on some selected cattleya species 169
Recognizing some selected species that used to be called Laelias 171
Looking at other cattleya relatives 173
The Queens of the Ball: Cattleya Hybrids 178
Pristine whites 179
Purples, pinks, lavenders, and blues 179
Hot reds and oranges 180
Sunny yellows 181
Cool greens 183
Bring out the clowns: Splash petals and flares 184
Fashionable art shades 185
Exploring the Miniatures: The Minicatts 186
Identifying the key players 186
Naming some of their prized children 188
Chapter 12: Lovely from Flower to Root: Lady’s Slipper Orchids 191
Slipping into a Lady’s Slipper 192
Seeing what lady’s slippers have to offer 192
Giving your lady’s slipper a good home 193
Getting lady’s slippers to bloom 193
Straight from Nature: Bumps, Warts, Hairs, and All 193
Paphiopedilum bellatulum 194
Paphiopedilum callosum 194
Paphiopedilum delenatii 195
Paphiopedilum dianthum 196
Paphiopedilum fairrieanum 197
Paphiopedilum glaucophyllum 197
Paphiopedilum hirsutissimum 198
Paphiopedilum spicerianum 199
Paphiopedilum sukhakulii 199
Paphiopedilum venustum 199
One Step Removed from Nature: Primary Hybrids 200
Some superior primary hybrids 201
Marvelous Maudiaes 204
Huge and round: Modern hybrid lady’s slippers 208
A different kind of slipper orchid 209
Chapter 13: Dancing Ladies: Oncidiums and Their Relatives 213
Taking a Closer Look at the Ladies 214
Oncidiums from the wild 214
Hybrid oncidiums 216
Miniature oncidiums or tolumnias 218
Pansy Orchids: Miltonias and Miltoniopsis 219
Growing them with success 220
Miltonias 221
Miltoniopsis 222
Other Members of the Club: The Oncidium Alliance 224
Orchid spiders: Brassias 224
Butterfly orchids: Psychopsis 225
Sigmatostalix 226
Trichopilias 226
Mixing It Up 227
Trying to make sense of these orchids 228
Identifying a few popular ones 229
Chapter 14: Considering Some Significant Others 235
A Huge and Interesting Lot: Dendrobiums 235
Naming the most popular dendrobiums 236
Considering some other Dendrobiums 238
Listing some popular hybrids 240
Weird and Wonderful Relatives: Bulbophyllum 241
Orchid Miscellanea: All the Rest 243
Angraecoids 243
Catasetums 246
Cochleanthes 247
Coelogynes 248
Cymbidiums 248
Lycastes 250
Vandas and some of their close cousins 250
The small-growing vandas 251
Zygopetalums 254
Chapter 15: Hardy Orchids That Laugh at the Cold 257
Focusing on Exotic and Easy Terrestrial Orchids 258
Chinese ground orchids 258
Calanthes 259
Spiranthes 260
Identifying Hardy Slipper Orchids — Not Easy, But So Worth It 261
Easy-to-grow North American natives 262
More adventuresome hardy slippers 264
Dipping Your Toe In — A Few Others to Try 265
Part 4: The Part of Tens 267
Chapter 16: The Ten (or So) Easiest Orchids to Grow 269
Moth Orchids 269
Lady of the Night 270
Maudiae Type Lady’s Slipper Orchid 270
Cockleshell Orchid 270
Sharry Baby Oncidium 271
Twinkles Oncidium 271
Mari’s Song Cattleya 271
Fan-Shape Orchid 271
Phalaenopsis Dendrobium 272
Chapter 17: Ten Common Reasons That Orchids Die (and How to Avoid ’em) 273
Overwatering 273
Underwatering 274
Too Much Light or Heat 274
Leaving Orchid Foliage Wet Overnight 275
Too Much Fertilizer 275
Improper Use of Pesticides 275
Insect Infestation 276
Purchase of Sick Plants 276
Poor Water Quality 276
Inadequate Ventilation 277
Chapter 18: The Ten Most Frequently Asked Questions about Orchids 279
Are Orchids Difficult to Grow? 279
Why Should I Grow Orchids? 280
Do I Need a Greenhouse to Grow Orchids? 280
Are Orchids Expensive? 280
How Long and How Often Will Orchids Bloom? 281
What Makes an Orchid an Orchid? 281
Are Orchids Fragrant? 281
Where Can I See the Best Collections of Orchids? 282
Are Any Orchids Hardy? 283
Are Orchids Parasites? 283
Chapter 19: The Ten Most Common Reasons Why Orchids Don’t Bloom 285
Not Enough Difference between Day and Night Temperatures 285
Too Moist during the Winter 286
Too Little Light 286
Excessively High or Low Temperatures 286
Not Using a Fertilizer or Using One with Too Much Nitrogen 287
Immature Plants 287
Too Low Humidity 287
Disease, Insects, or Mice 288
Not Enough Water 288
Recently Transplanted and Divided 288
Appendix A: Additional Orchid Resources 289
Appendix B: English-Metric Conversion Tables 295
Index 297
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