Orchids - new ways to use them

Besides placing the orchid in a pot and setting it on the windowsill, we present some tips on how you can position your orchid here. Let your imagination run wild with old heirloom bowls or flea market finds.

1. Plant 3-5 orchids together in a bowl or large pot topped with decorative stones, moss, or bark. It can also be nice to include a green plant with tendrils in the same group, for example, baby's tears.
2. Plant the orchid in a cylinder vase.
3. Wrap the roots in a ball of moss and hang the orchid up as a floating plant, also known as Kokedama. Water by spraying the moss ball, or take it down and dip the ball in water occasionally.
4. Place the orchid in a hanging planter and remove the flower sticks, so that the stems can hang freely.
5. Place the orchid with bare roots in a vase together with a stem of ivy. This will last for at least 6 weeks, probably longer if you change the water occasionally.

• Placement

Phalaenopsis orchids thrive in bright and warm conditions. Avoid direct sunlight or proximity to heat sources. A north-facing window or a spot a little further into the room usually works excellently. Phalaenopsis orchids bloom for at least 1 month, and most often for up to 3 months if they get enough water. Sometimes a new stem appears even before the others have withered, other times you have to wait for several months before it feels like blooming again.

• Watering

Water 1-3 times a week depending on heat, light, and whether the orchid is blooming or not. Summertime with high temperatures doesn't just make us thirstier. The plants also need more water then. Light also plays a role. If the orchid is in a north-facing window in winter without flowers, it is sufficient to water sparingly once a week. Water either by dipping the entire pot in water, holding it under the tap, or showering it for a few seconds. It is fine to water an orchid "normally," that is, with a watering can or similar. If so, be careful that it doesn't get too much water each time. When the orchid's aerial roots and leaves are green and thick, you know that it is thriving and getting enough water.

• Nutrition

Just like us humans, plants need nutrition to feel good and develop optimally. Give your orchids fertilizer once a month at the same time as you water. You can also use fertilizer sticks that you press down into the pot. These last for a longer period.

• Soil

Most orchids are epiphytes, that is, plants that live on other trees or plants where they cling with long aerial roots that collect water and nutrients from the surroundings. Our homes are rarely as humid as the rainforest, so for the orchid to thrive, it is usually planted in a bark mixture called orchid soil. It is airy, so that the roots get plenty of air and moisture. When we, for example, hang the orchid in a moss ball, it is the moss ball that acts as a moisture container. There is also a special orchid moss that retains moisture well. You can have it in both hanging planters, pots, and flower arrangements.

Afterward, the flowers wither, dry out, and fall off. If it starts losing flowers that haven't dried, something is probably wrong. Usually due to too much or too little water. When all the flowers have fallen off, you can cut off the entire stem. Then it may take a little longer before new flower stems appear, but at least you avoid looking at a dried-out stem. You can also cut off the top of the flower stem and leave about a third. You can see where new shoots will come. One way to speed up the formation of new blooms is to place the orchid in a bright and cool place for 2-3 weeks. When the plant starts to bloom, you can support the stem with a support stick if you want. If you want flowers all the time, it's easiest to buy new ones and compost the old ones.

Phalaenopsis “Royal Blue”

A common Phalaenopsis that is injected with ink from the bottom of the flower stem so that the flowers turn blue. However, the effect of the coloring is quite short-lived. Buds that open after you have bought it will be lighter blue or white, depending on how far they had come when the plant was injected.

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