Posts Tagged ‘Caring for Orchids’

Today’s orchid care and maintenance tips will help you provide an “orchid-friendly” humidity level in your home.

Most orchids thrive only when maintained in HIGH humidity conditions – think 50% relative humidity or higher (rainforest levels)!  Unfortunately, most homes typically have a relative humidity level in the neighborhood of 10-20%.  This will not keep your indoor orchids happy for very long.

Giving your orchids the humidity conditions they enjoy can be done fairly easily (and inexpensively).  Here’s how to care for orchids:

OPTION #1: Humidifier (Most expensive option)

Your first option is to use a household humidifier, and run it in the room where you keep your orchids.

In case you’re curious, here’s the orchid humidifier I use specifically for my indoor orchids – pretty cheap, super-easy to clean, and so far I have no complaints:

OPTION #2: Misting (Time consuming option)

You can also produce a similar effect by lightly misting them several times a day. Just be sure not to mist your plants late in the day—leaving them wet at night or in cooler temperatures makes them susceptible to disease. (Read about how I mist my orchids in this earlier post about watering your orchids.)

OPTION #3: Humidity Tray (The perfect balance!)

One of the best, low-cost ways to raise the humidity level of your orchid’s environment is to grow your plants over what’s called a “humidity tray”.  Remember, you never want to let your orchids sit in standing water.

A humidity tray is something you can either make yourself, or purchase from an orchid specialty supplier relatively cheaply. One of the main benefits of using a humidity tray is that you can increase the humidity directly around your orchid – while keeping the rest of your home at normal levels

And if you’re curious – what the heck does a humidity tray look like exactly?  Here’s a good example of one (with a good explanation on how it works):  Humidity Tray for Orchids

You can even DIY a humidity tray for your orchids using a shallow container and clean pebbles.

Those are just a few of my humidity orchid care and maintenance tips.

Of course, everything you need to know to achieve the perfect orchid humidity level is covered in Ryan’s Orchids Made Easy book. (Including a few VERY important things you need to watch out for when using a humidity tray — and one thing even experienced growers often overlook.)  Sign up for his Free Orchid Care newsletter HERE.

Warmest wishes from sunny Florida,

Carol
The Orchid Care Lady