Orchid Growing for Beginners

Author: Bob Roy

Article: Yes, growing orchids for beginners is very easy. They are like any other house plants, they need water, light, fertilizer and, oh yes, you should talk to them or even play some music.

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One of the long standing myths that I still hear is that growing orchids as house plants are difficult and finicky to grow. Well, plain and simple, the answer is No. In fact, care for orchids as house plants are easy to grow and will continue to bloom for years. Some orchid plants have been around for centuries.

Here are some highlights you can use as a guide to growing orchids for beginners.

Watering

One of the two top items in growing orchids for beginners is Water. The other is light. Orchid house plants and orchid plants in general will need watering periodically, usually you can water once a week. Remember, most orchids are air plants and this means you will see their roots. Their root system, especially the pseudpods, are very efficient in storing water.

Here is a watering guide you can use: Cattleya, oncidium and dendrobium orchids like to dry out between watering. An easy way to water is to put the plant in the sink and let water flow through the plant for about 20-30 seconds. Remember, let the water drain from the plant before putting it back into the decorative pot.

Plhalaenopsis orchids like to almost dry out between watering. To decide on the next watering is to stick your finger about an inch into the medium which should feel spongy and not bone dry.

Growing orchids like Paphiopedilum and epidendrum should be slightly moist so that watering can be twice a week.

Humidity

If the humidity in your home is low (below 40%) you may need to either mist the plant occasionally or use a humidity tray. The tray is simply a metal or plastic tray that is filled with pebbles and 1/2 of water. The plant would sit would sit on the pebbles. Be sure not to let the plant or roots sit in the water while on the tray.

The Right Lighting

Growing orchids for beginners requires the right light. It is the next most important element to growing orchid plants. As a general statement most orchid house plants do well in medium light. This would in a window or an area that could get about 4 hours of sun or bright light a day. Cattleya orchids do well in this light but can also do well in a sunlit area for up to six hours. Phals do well in indirect but bright light.

What about temperature?

Most orchids do well in normal house temperature. The low temperature at night do not impede the growth. Here is a little guide you can use. Growing orchids for beginners should understand that there needs to be fluctuation in temperatures in order for the plants to bloom. For example, there should be about 10 degree fluctuation for cattleyas between the day and night temps.

Orchid Genre Minimum temp Degrees F Maximum temp Degrees F Phalaenopsis

Vanda 60 90 Paphiopedilum (mottle leaf)

Dendrobium

Cattleya,

Epidendum 55 85 Paphiopedilum (green leaf)

Oncidium

Miltonia 50 80

About the author: Bob's interest in orchids is evident in the depth of his orchid website, orchids-plus-more.com with its manhy informational articles. There is also a large selection of stunning orchids.

Rose Pruning Tips

Author: JT

Article: Pruning your roses is one of the most needed and the most annoyingly difficult tasks that goes with proper rose care. It takes a steady hand the proper procedure to ensure the best possible roses that you can get.

Pruning your roses is basically the act of getting rid of dead and damaged pieces, and teaching the new growth to grow in the correct outward facing direction. That just means that you are training them to grow facing the outside of the shrub or bush. This gives your roses the correct amount of circulating air to thrive in.

Here is a list of the proper techniques to guide through the pruning process.

Soak your pruning shears in equal parts of water and bleach. This will help to protect your roses from diseases and insects. Pruning in the early spring, just after the snow melts is best. However you want to do it before any new growth appears. The best time would be when the buds are swelled, or red.

Hand shears are the best tool for pruning the smaller branches. (about 4 ½ inches thick) Loppers are best for the branches that are thicker or the thickness of a pencil. This will make it easier. You should use a heavy pair of rose gloves to avoid the thorns.

You want to get rid of the winter protection that you set up like cones, burlap, and mounded soil. You want to get rid of the dead wood first. (That would be the black wood that is black inside as well as out). Next, you wan to get rid of the thinner wood, which is the stems that are thinner than a pencil.

Cut all of the branches that cross or overlap one another because these are often diseased or will become so. Keep the remaining five healthy branches. These are often dark green. You will want to make your roses fluted or vases shaped, with an open center, and keep them from touching or overlapping each other.

Cut your healthy canes to be about one to four feet long, or whatever size that you prefer. Cut you roses properly so that they stay healthy. Cut so that the bud is facing outside of the bush and at a 45 degree angle that slopes inward so that you can keep promoting the outward growth.

You should use bypass pruners that work like scissors and not the anvil types because the anvils crush the stems and make the roses more available to diseases.

About the author: To find many more articles on roses, and other plants and flowers, head over to http://www.gardenarticles.com where we have all a gardener could want!

The Rich History of Chrysanthemums

Author: Kathy Burns-Millyard

Article: Did you know that those lush, colorful blooms called chrysanthemums are rooted in beliefs of human immortality and perfection? Today the ""mum"" graces gardens, cut flower arrangements and even salads (yes mums taste great), but they were taken much more seriously after T'ao Yuan Ming started it all in China around 500 A.D.

Over long periods of careful cross-pollination and selection, he developed stunning varieties of the flower and when he died, his birthplace was renamed Chuhsien. The City of Chrysanthemums. His efforts had produced a legacy that would bring pleasure to this world for centuries.

When China imported the first chrysanthemums to Japan, the people there bestowed many honors upon them. The Japanese wrote legends. To sip dew from the petals meant long life. To eat the flower meant immortality. Philosophers said that the systematic opening of the ""ray"" flowers symbolized both the sun and the perfection of orderly life.

By 800 A.D. the chrysanthemum had become so prestigious that only royal and noble families were permitted to cultivate it. Among the highest honors that could be bestowed in Japan was admittance to the Order of the Chrysanthemum... a reward granted to nobility for service to the Emperor.

In great contrast to this, the ""mum"" didn't make much of an impression when traders introduced it to Europe in the 1600s. But when in finally did catch on, it became one of the most popular blooms for both flower shops and gardens.

Today the mum comes in dozens of varieties. Fuji mums project rays with curly ends. Spider mums have straight-ended rays. Starburst mums have forked ends, while spoon-ended mums have a loop at the end of their rays. China mums are called ""standard"" and ""football"" because of their large, round heads. Daisy-like mums are called pompons. And those forming tight little balls are called button pomps.

Whether associated with spoons, forks or footballs, or with royalty or immortality, ""mum"" is the word for beautiful gardens and long-lasting floral arrangements. When you care for them as cut flowers, try to keep their ancient beauty away from such modern-day contraptions as air conditioning, TV sets and heaters. Don't place them in drafts or direct sunlight. Do watch their water, and replace it when needed. This way, a bouquet of mums can make your day every day for at least a week, maybe two.

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