Orchid Beginner Tips

Basic Orchid Supplies for the Home Grower

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Photo credit: otolithe (olivier roux), Flickr

Updated October 23, 2019

When I first started buying orchids for my home, I wished I had a list of basic supplies to have on hand. So to help out other beginner orchid growers, I’ve created that very list. Also, I just like making lists, so this post is a fun one for me!

Potting Medium

Orchid newbies usually end up with Phalaenopsis orchids; the best type of potting medium for that kind of orchid is either a bark mixture, sphagnum moss, or a combination of the two. First Rays has a really good article about choosing potting media for your orchid plants.

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Orchid of the Week

Orchid of the Week: Vanilla planifolia

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Did you know that vanilla comes from the “fruit” of an orchid called Vanilla planifolia? This orchid plant with relatively Plain Jane blooms provides growers with seed pods that, when dried, make a delicious flavoring. The vanilla orchid is native to Africa, Asia, and the Americas (particularly Central America); major vanilla exporting countries include Madagascar, Mexico, and Tahiti.

Vanilla planifolia
Photo credit: amadeusvanillabeans.com

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My Orchid Garden

Uh-Oh…Another New Orchid!

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My 22nd Orchid

My fridge has been sorely lacking in nutritious fare, so this morning I made a trip to the Manhattan Trader Joe’s to pick up some cheap & tasty groceries. Here’s where you may ask, “But you live in Brooklyn—why are you grocery shopping in Manhattan?” My answer is that once a week I volunteer with a cat rescue organization inside the Union Square Petco, so I find myself just a few blocks away from TJs. I find that shopping there at midday during the week isn’t nearly as much of a shit show as, say, after work hours. Also, you just can’t beat their prices.

The past few times I’ve shopped at TJ’s (both at the Manhattan and Brooklyn locations) they didn’t have any orchids, so I didn’t expect to see any today; this was strictly a grocery trip. Or so I thought.

Lo and behold, as soon as I entered the front door I saw lots of blooming orchids: Phalaenopsis, Dendrobiums, and a couple Zygopetalums. A Zygo in bloom is unbelievably hard for me to resist, with its green, brown, and purple flowers and its amazing scent.

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My Orchid Garden

My Newest Addition: Mini Phal

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My very thoughtful boyfriend stays on the lookout for orchids for me when he shops at places like Home Depot. Yesterday he was at the HD in Manhattan and picked up a really cute unidentified mini Phal with magenta-spotted yellow blooms (thanks, honey!):

NOID Mini Phal

This orchid is so adorable and cheerful, it makes me smile!

Close-up of mini phal blooms

One of the reasons my boyfriend chose this particular orchid was that he noticed a side spike growing from the main flower spike. Bonus! I may get some additional blooms from this plant soon-ish because of the side spike:

Side spike on an orchid
Side spike

So this plant brings my total orchid collection to 21. Well, more like 20.5, because The Orchid That Won’t Die is sorta half of an orchid at this point (BTW, it’s still hanging in there…amazing).

I hope everyone is enjoying the long weekend!

Orchid of the Week

Orchid of the Week: Chysis aurea

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My choice for this week’s orchid sort of looks like a cross between a Phalaenopsis (see the white bloom in my blog header) and a Cymbidium. The Chysis aurea is a beautiful orchid that is native to Mexico, Central America, and the northern parts of South America. Just take a look at these gorgeous blooms:

Chysis aurea
Image credit: rednaturaleza.com.ar

Photo credit: amortize, Flickr

I love the waxy, peachy tone of the bloom in the first image. It almost (but not quite) makes me want to take a bite out of it. That said, the spotted center of the blooms makes me think of strep throat. I would post a photo here for comparison but strep is a little gross-looking; if you’re interested, check out (Warning! icky medical pics!) these images on Google.

Despite the fact that this orchid reminds me of a bacterial infection, I still think it’s pretty. What exactly that says about me, I’m not sure.  😛

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