Care & Tips
Learning to care for the different types of orchids will make orchid growing an interesting and exciting hobby. To read the culture sheets for the different species that we sell, please click on the links below. If you have any questions please feel free to contact us by filling out our question form.
PHALAENOPSIS (fay-len-OP-sis)Commonly known as the moth orchid, this is also popularly cultivated by beginners. Flowers can last for several months, and a large, well-grown plant can flower several times throughout the year. The main season begins in winter and continues through spring. Related genera include Doritaenopsis and Doritis.
LIGHTING
One of the easiest requirement for phalaenopsis is light, because they will grow and bloom in a bright window or a room with little or no sun. Providing an east window or any location with diffused, indirect sunlight will work well to enable the plant to bloom within its season. Artificial lighting can also be used if necessary, to provide the plant with enough light to simulate a day. If you have a light meter, 1,000 to 1,500 foot-candles is recommended.
TEMPERATURE
Phalaenopsis plants grow well under warmer conditions. A temperature of 60 to 65 degrees at night and 75 to 85 degrees during the day is acceptable, although warmer conditions will allow the plant to grow more vigorously throughout the year. A drop in the night temperatures during early fall will help to initiate flower spikes, but once buds form, try to maintain your temperature levels to avoid bud drop.
WATERING
These plants do not have the pseudobulbs that other genera have, so watering is very important, as they have no water storage capacity. Water them thoroughly, and let them dry before watering again. If plants are kept indoors, watering every 7 to 10 days should suffice. Water early in the morning to allow the plants to become completely dry by nightfall.
HUMIDITY
Our humidity level runs between 60 to 80 percent. If your home is very humid, you may need to run a fan to keep the air moving. If your home is too dry, then humidity trays may be required. These are shallow trays filled with gravel and water so the plants can sit on top of the gravel, not in the water.
FERTILIZING
During their growing period, fertilize on a regular basis. Every other week, apply a balanced fertilizer, or use a slow-release solid fertilizer as a top dressing. Under cooler, winter temperatures, reduce your fertilizing schedule.
REPOTTING
Always repot after the flowering period, every two to three years to avoid root rot. If it is a seedling, use the fine seedling bark mixed with perlite. For mature plants, use the medium fir bark with perlite. We use a 4 to 1 ratio when mixing our bark and perlite. Remember to remove all of the old media and trim away any dead roots with a sterile cutting tool.
VANDA (VAN-dah) Vandas are warm, sun-loving plants. Here in Hawaii, they are used as landscaping plants and grown in full sun outdoors or on trees.Some relatives include Rhyncostylis, Ascocentrum, and Ascocendas.
LIGHTING
To rebloom a vandaceous plant, they will need high light conditions. A bright, south-facing window will work, and plants may be placed outside under filtered light during the summer months. Many of our customers prefer the Ascocendas, as these may be grown indoors using artificial lighting and will bloom on shorter plants.
TEMPERATURE
Vandas should be kept warm. Although some of these can tolerate low temperatures, 60 to 75 degrees at night and 85 to 95 degrees during the day are recommended.
WATERING
If plants are growing in wooden baskets, water should be given frequently.We start our seedlings in 2" pots with fir bark, then place them in larger pots without any media as they grow. Keeping them in pots reduces the watering frequency and allows us to apply our solid fertilizer as needed.
HUMIDITY
High humidity increases their growth rate, so provide them with 70 to 80 percent humidity and use a humidity tray if necessary. Vandas love air movement, so if they're grown indoors, provide a fan.
FERTILIZING
We use a balanced, slow-release fertilizer (10-10-10) in their pots as well as a foliar fertilizer. Whichever method you choose, be sure to do this on a regular basis.
REPOTTING
If they're in baskets, you won't need to repot unless the basket is too small for the size of your plant. In that case, wet the roots thoroughly to make them pliable, and place it in another basket without removing the smaller basket. If you're growing them in pots like we are, wet the roots to avoid breaking them and place it into a larger pot. DO NOT add any media.
ONCIDIUM (on-SID-ee-um)
It will be more difficult to give specific instructions for these, as they come from a very diverse family. Some of these grow in very hot areas, others in high mountain ranges. To be very general, we advise our customers to provide less light if the leaves are wide and grassy, and more light if the leaves are dense and stiff. Some related genera include Brasidium, Beallara, Degarmoara, Miltonidium, and Brassia.
LIGHTING
As stated above, you should check the leaves of your plant. A softer leaf oncidium that is grown indoors will require less light, so an east window will suffice. For plants with thicker or denser leaves, filtered sunlight from a south-facing window would be preferred.
TEMPERATURE
The oncidiums that we offer should be grown under warm to intermediate conditions, so try to give them 60 to 65 degrees at night and 80 to 90 degrees during the day.
WATERING
Plants should be watered thoroughly and allowed to dry before watering again. If your plant has thick or dense leaves, they like to be grown on the drier side. Cut back on watering if they are not actively growing.
HUMIDITY
This should be kept at 40 to 60 percent, as oncidiums do not require humid conditions.
FERTILIZING
Apply a balanced fertilizer during their growing period (20-20-20) and reduce fertilizing during the winter months. Some miltonias will not tolerate high phosphorus fertilizers, so be careful when using these, or tip burn will occur.
REPOTTING
Repot after the flowering period, or when plants are actively growing. We use fine seedling bark with perlite (6 to 1 ratio of bark to perlite) for plants with finer roots, such as the miltoniopsis, and medium bark with perlite for all others.
MILTONIA (mil-TOH-nee-ah)
This genus is broken down into Miltoniopsis and Miltonia. The ones referred to as Miltoniopsis have species that come from cooler regions in Columbia, while the miltonias are warmer growers.
LIGHTING
Miltonias require high light conditions, about 1800 to 2000 foot-candles, while miltoniopsis plants will need slightly less. Due to their soft, grassy leaves, if too much light is provided, they will burn easily, so an east-facing window will work best for miltoniopsis plants.
TEMPERATURE
Miltoniopsis plants will require lower temperatures, such as 50-65 degrees during the night and 75-85 degrees during the day. Miltonias will tolerate higher day temperatures, but be sure to provide good humidity levels.
WATERING
Both of these varieties love water, but especially miltoniopsis plants. Water these heavily and evenly during their growing period to help them build their pseudobulbs and to avoid the appearance of accordion leaves. Miltonias need to be dry before watering again.
HUMIDITY
A humidity level of 60 to 70 percent will work wonders. If your humidity level is higher, be sure to provide your plants will lots of air movement to prevent fungus or bacterial attacks.
FERTILIZING
Fertilize regularly twice a month using a balanced fertilizer. High phosphorus fertilizers will cause the tips of the miltoniopsis leaves to turn black, so try to avoid heavy usage on these.
REPOTTING
Repot when the plants are actively growing. Miltoniopsis plants will need to be repotted more often than miltonias, so repot these every year or two. Some miltonia plants do well mounted, such as Milt. spectabile, because of its rambling growth habit.
CATTLEYA (KAT-lee-a)
This queen of orchids is the most commonly grown genus and is popularly known for its use in corsages. It has been widely used in hybridizing, so its related genera include many intergenerics such as Sophrolaeliocattleya (Slc.), Brassolaeliocattleya (Blc.), Brassolaelia (Bl.), Sophrocattleya (Sc.), Laeliocattleya (Lc.), Brassocattleya (Bc.), and Epicattleya (Epc.) to name just a few. Some of the other related genera include Brassavola, Epidendrum, Schomburgkia, Sophronitis, and Laelia. Scientists are now using DNA to reclassify many of these genera, so we will soon be using new abbreviations to acknowledge this change.
LIGHTING
One of the most important requirements is bright light. If you're growing these in your home, a bright east-facing window or a filtered west or south-facing window will be best. In our greenhouse, we use 30% shade for the standard cattleyas and 50% shade for the miniature cattleyas.
TEMPERATURE
Cattleyas, and especially their hybrids, can tolerate a wide range of temperatures from 50-55 degrees at night to 70-100 degrees during the day. If your temperatures reach 100 degrees, make sure you have adequate air movement and additional shading. Most cattleyas will require a drop in temperature from day to night of approximately 15 degrees to initiate a flower spike.
WATERING
These are true epiphytes, growing on trees in the jungle forests. When cultivated in pots, they need to dry out thoroughly between waterings. So if you're in doubt, don't water!
HUMIDITY
A humidity level of approximately 60 percent would be appreciated by these plants. Use humidity trays if your growing conditions require them.
FERTILIZING
As with all orchids, follow a regular feeding program. Due to their slow growing habit, it is usually recommended that you fertilize at half the strength when fertilizing twice a month, or one-fourth strength if fertilizing every week. Cut back on fertilizing during the winter months to allow the new leaves to harden, as this will help in avoiding problems with bacterial and fungus attacks.
REPOTTING
Larger, mature plants will need medium to large fir bark. We use a 4 to 1 ratio of bark to perlite in all of our mixes. Perlite helps to keep the bark from packing at the bottom when it begins to deteriorate, giving you additional time to repot. Whatever you decide to use, they need lots of space at their roots for air, so your media should be very porous and quick to drain. Give the newly-potted plants enough room to grow for two years only, as this will be a good indication that it is time to repot.
DENDROBIUM (den-DROH-bee-um)
Here in Hawaii, dendrobiums are commonly used for floral arrangements and leis and are grown as cut flowers. These are one of the most widely cultivated plants in the orchid family, but because of their diversity, our information here will be very general.
LIGHTING
Bright lighting is a necessary element for these plants to bloom. We grow our plants under 50% shade, so if you're growing dendrobiums indoor, a filtered south window that receives at least three to four hours of light a day will benefit these plants.
TEMPERATURE
Keep your plants warm, as temperatures below 55 degrees will cause certain varieties to drop their leaves. They will do well with night temperatures of 60 to 65 degrees and day temperatures of 80 to 100 degrees. High temperatures will require good air movement and extra humidity.
WATERING
These plants need moisture when they are young and vigorously growing, but once the pseudobulbs have matured, dry them out thoroughly between waterings.
HUMIDITY
A humidity level of 60 percent will be sufficient. When flower spikes have started, ensure that your humidity level is maintained, as dry conditions may cause buds to abort.
FERTILIZING
Dendrobiums are fast-growing plants and should be fed on a regular schedule. We use both a solid, slow-release fertilizer (10-10-10) as well as foliar fertilizers of varying formulas every week at one-fourth strength. A high phosphorus fertilizer may be beneficial if you are having difficulty getting your plant to bloom.
REPOTTING
We use our fir bark mix (fir bark and perlite, in a 4 to 1 ratio) and repot every two years as necessary. Your medium should allow the water to drain immediately, and should be very porous, as these plants are epiphytic by nature. Do not overpot dendrobiums and give them only enough growing space for two years worth. If keikis (small growths) begin to form on the pseudobulbs, check your media, as it may have begun to deteriorate.
PHAIUS (FAY-us)
Commonly known as the Nun Orchid because of the bronze and white colors of the flowers, these are one of the terrestrial orchids that we offer. Although these are terrestrials, they can be easily cultivated in a greenhouse or your home and will provide you with lush growth and spring flowers. Their blooming seasons starts in the fall and ends in spring. Related genera include Calanthes.
LIGHTING
The leaves of this genus are very wide, so give them less light than an oncidium, a little more than a phalaenopsis. Our general rule of thumb is the wider the leaves, the more shade it will love. In the home, an east-facing window with filtered light will work well.
TEMPERATURE
These plants are able to tolerate a wide range of temperatures, from approximately 50 to 95 degrees. Our greenhouse temperatures don't get that low, but here in Hawaii, there is one species that grows in the mountains on the Big Island, where night temperatures can leave us Mauians shivering.
WATERING
These plants love water, so keep them evenly moist at all times. In the home, water at least every 4 to 5 days. If not enough water is given, their leaves will turn yellow prematurely. Yes, they are deciduous, but its leaves will not yellow until the new growth starts to grow.
HUMIDITY
Our humidity levels are about 60 percent all year long, and since they are moisture lovers, 60 percent or more would be excellent.
FERTILIZING
We use a solid, slow-release fertilizer in their pots and use a water-soluable fertilizer every watering at 1/4 strength. Once the plant reach flowering or near-flowering size, a balanced fertilizer is alternated with a high-bloom fert, such as 10-30-20.
REPOTTING
These plants will not be shy about letting you know when to repot. They will push themselves up above the rim of their pots; this is a good time to repot! We use fine seedling bark mixed with some perlite in a 3 to 1 ratio. Some growers use peat moss to help keep the mix moist.
BULBOPHYLLUM (bul-bo-FILL-um)Plants in this genus have a wide range of plant size and flower structure. You will be able to find one for your growing space, whether you have a large area or just a windowsill. LIGHTING
Many of these are low-light requirement plants, but use our rule of thumb regarding leaf size. The wider the leaves, the less light they will require. Most of them can be grown under 1000 to 2500 footcandles.
TEMPERATURE
Most of the plants we are offering come from the southeast asian countries, where their temperatures are mostly tropical. They will grow best when given warm to intermediate conditions, with temperatures running from 55 to 95 degrees.
WATERING
Bulbophyllums are water lovers, so if they are mounted, they can take a watering twice a day. If potted, every 3-4 days with a slight drying out between waterings will keep them happy. If plants are not watered enough, the new leaf will be smaller than the previous one.
HUMIDITY
We provide a natural humidity level of 60 percent, so anything from 60 to 100 percent will benefit them.
FERTILIZING
Use a balanced fertilizer (20-20-20) twice a month at half strength for divisions and a high nitrogen fertilizer for the seedlings until they reach blooming size.
REPOTTING
If your plant is mounted and the new growths are reaching for the stars, they can be brought under control by wetting them down and securing them with monofilament line or a rubber band. Either one will break off after the plant is established. If they are in pots, use a larger, shallow pot and fine seedling bark mixed with perlite. Using a clay pot and letting them grow will soon result in a specimen ball!
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