Orchids are home beautifiers, love the shade, and tender care. So for orchid growers, it’s important to grow them well in a greenhouse or shade house.
Orchids will grow in greenhouses and bloom many times throughout the year! To get the good quality of your orchids, you need to take good care of them. If you want to grow your orchid in a healthy environment, here are the 5 tips you should be aware of.
Watering Orchid in Greenhouse
Water your orchid at the right time and with care. One mistake people make is to water regularly. If you do that, you might end up killing your orchids. Only water your orchids when the soil is dry. To know whether your soil is dry or not, you can stick your finger into the earth. If the soil feels moist, don’t water. However, if the soil is dry, water the soil.
When your potting medium s dry it is time to water your orchids. Check daily. There are telling signs that your orchids need watering. If leaves are shriveled sign for need water. However, ensure you don’t overwater. Don’t water your orchids daily. Overwatering can lead to root rot. You should ensure your planting medium has good drainage. Also check your water is, is ph neutral, have fewer dissolved salts, and is of quality
Planting Medium/Material
The orchids are potted in a prepared mix of potting materials. either bark chips or sphagnum moss. These two types of potting materials are:
- Moss – acts like a sponge that helps orchids to take a long time to dry out. Moss is good for nun’s orchids and lady’s slipper varieties.
- Bark – On the other hand, bark drains quickly and doesn’t hold too much water. Thus, they are the ideal choice for the species of Cattleya and Phalaenopsis.
Location of the Shade or Greenhouse
Install your greenhouse or an orchid shade house, the location should capture maximum light. A well-located shade house can provide a consistent and better environment for your orchids.
The best position for a standing shade is on a north-south axis so that the sun travels across the entire length as it moves from east to west. If your greenhouse is leaning, let it have exposure in the east or south.
Besides, you should avoid nearby shade trees or shadows from nearby homes or buildings. To cut down on intense light is easy, however, it is hard to provide light when the greenhouse is shaded beyond your control.
When planning for the construction of your greenhouse, there are many factors to be considered. Most require professional advice.
Apart from the site, the window direction influences the orchid light exposure. It’s crucial to know the amount of sun exposure to the orchids because they require different levels of light. Here are some directions for the window to face.
South
The window faces the sun exposure. This makes it a good direction for orchids that require a lot of sunlight
East
This window direction offers your orchids more hours of light exposure to morning sunlight. This is good for sun exposure to orchids in summer, spring and fall.
West
The window direction offers orchids more afternoon light to orchids. Your orchids get hotter environments. Take care the direction can lead to too much light, leading to the death of your orchids.
North
The light is not enough for orchids to grow healthy. This is good for ferns that require less light.
Your Shade Cloth Color
Whether orchids are placed in a greenhouse or shade house installing shade cloth is important. The shade cloth allows your orchids to grow taller and have bigger leaves
Different shade cloth colors provide different benefits to your orchids. Here are some of the benefits:
| Shade Cloth Color | Benefits | |
| Silver | Spreads the light without change to its full spectrum. Have a cooling ability | |
| White | Alters the light spectrum. Reduces the quantity of light. | |
| Red | Promotes early-blooming Orchids usually have large leaves. promotes thicker and taller stems | |
| Blue | Scatters the light Generates heat from the sun. Produce more roots and large leaves. |
Shade Cloth %
Orchids require 70 to 80% shade cloth to provide enough shades for them. However, the shade cloth % is affected by the following factors.
Temperature
If your area has higher temperatures during summer, choose a shade cloth of 70 to 90%. But if you are from areas with the winter season, use minimal shade.
Types of Orchids
The light required by orchids varies with the types. Take, for example, Bulbophyllum Paphiopedilums and Phalaenopsis. They need 30 – 60% of light for 4 – 6 hours every day. Therefore, to achieve this light intensity requirement for these orchids, you need 75-80% shade cloth.
The light-loving orchids such as Oncidiums, Dendrobium, and Cattleya need 50% or less shade cloth depending on their location.
Pruning
Orchids produce beautiful blooms but require pruning once the flowers fall off. Pruning improves your orchid health and flowering. Below are some of the orchid parts to prune:
Prune The Roots
You need to trim the roots that are not benefiting your orchid. The dead roots are brown and appear to wither. These are the ones you should cut off. If the roots are grey and are strong, then they are healthy and you should not cut them off.
Pruning Diseased Orchids
Prune the diseased part of your orchid. The parts appear unhealthy, diseased, or broken. You need to cut these parts out to avoid the diseases from spreading. Besides, these damaged parts tend to attract pests.
Prune Overgrown Orchids
You need to look for the big and heavy parts. This is to ensure your orchids grow healthier. Ensure you only cut overgrown orchids when they are healthy.
Leaf Pruning
This is to keep your orchid in the right condition. If you find the leaves have become black, cut them off. The darkening of the leaves might be caused by bacteria or fungi. And if the leaves are left on your orchid, the bacteria spreads.
Conclusion
Proper care and a healthy environment are essential for the growing orchids. To grow them in your green or shade houses better, provide them with enough water and sunlight to make them healthy.
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