Orchid Farm Facts

February 17th, 2012

There are orchid farm facts a person should know when beginning an orchid farm. Orchid cultivation has been around since Ancient times The Ancient Greeks were the first to cultivate orchids and promote orchid farming. Orchids are well loved all over the world for their beauty and exotic nature, and many people have orchids in their home for an added sense of balance and delicacy to their environment.

orchid farm

Orchid farming, however, takes time and diligence. When first beginning an orchid farm, ti can take up to four years for your orchids to get their first blooms. This is a long time to go without a profit, so be prepared to invest a lot of time and energy into your orchid farm.

Also, choosing the right orchids is important. Some people specialize in the exotic and hard to find orchids. These are highly profitable and very coveted orchids. There are drawbacks to this, however. Exotic forms of orchids may have special legal rights and necessary licensure before being cultivated. Also, of there is a potential loss in the orchid crops, the results could be devastating financially.

Orchid farming can also specialize in more common orchids. By specializing in the average and easy to obtain variety, you might find the plants to be less profitable. However, they are usually heartier and able to overcome pests and bad weather better than the exotic variety. 

Find out all that you can about your orchids before beginning your farm. Make sure you have the necessary financial means and all legalities squared away. Purchase your beginner plants from reputable sources and take care of them fully for their best growth.

Also, orchid farms can be for specialty niches and marketing your farm will be necessary. Take the time to have a good slogan and business cards. Once you have orchids available for sale, make sure o get the word out to places that sale orchids or create an online store. You can have magazines showing pictures of your orchids or online catalogs. 

Learn to care for your orchids properly. Feed them and give them the right air circulation and sunlight or shade as necessary. Purchase orchid food and to give in order to increase their blooms and make them more profitable. There are many botany courses or orchid books which can assist you in caring for your plants as you wait for them to grow. Many books are also great resources for orchid farm facts.

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Caring For Orchids From Small Plants

February 2nd, 2012

From a design point of view, caring for orchids comes out as an easy way to add a touch of beauty to your home. You can get a new plant to grow or you can take a shoot off of a plant that you already have. You will need to pot or repot the shoot in an appropriate container. It will have to be watered on a regular basis, which is every five to twelve days. It will need sunlight and fertilizer. The type of orchid that you have will determine what the care instructions will involve. You will also have to keep an eye out for any pests that will attack your orchid.

caring for orchids

If you repot your orchid, then it will be able to remain in that pot for up to two years. You should repot your orchid every two years after that as it grows. Failure to repot every two years will result in an orchid whose roots have significantly outgrown its pot. To pot or repot an orchid, remove any roots that are spongy. They may be darker than the other roots. Or they can be dry. To know if you need to remove the root, look for a visible fiber that is in the root. The dark, squishy roots and the dry roots with fibers are all dead roots. After they have been removed, transfer the plant to a new pot. Place it in the center, roots and all. There’s no need to add anything to the pot before you put the orchid in. Cover the newly moved plant with damp bark. Make sure that the bark does not cover up any leaves. You will begin watering and fertilizing the plant as usual after it has been in its new home for a week.

The watering schedule for each type of orchid is different. You need to know what kind of orchid you have to be able to determine how often it should be watered. You should also be aware that orchids will need more water in warm weather and less water in cold weather. Fertilizing is vital to the survival of your orchid. Like watering, the fertilizer amount and frequency needed is decided by the species of orchid you have. If you over fertilize, you will kill the roots. If you under fertilize, the plant will not thrive. The fertilizer should be made for orchids with a combination of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium. A young orchid needs a higher ratio of nitrogen. Your plant will also need more nitrogen in the fertilizer if you are growing it in bark.

Lastly, protect your new plant from pests. Snails and slugs love to burrow down in the pot and eat the roots of a new plant. They will also enjoy new roots on a more mature plant. You will probably see evidence of them chewing on leaves and stems. They will only surface at night to do this. Other signs of pests may be chewed up blooms or flowers, brown or black spots on leaves and stems, and white foam on the leaves and stems. If you suspect that you have pests attacking your orchid, look for pest killers at a nursery. Try to figure out exactly what kind of pest you have so that you know what pesticide you need. Orchids can be an attractive accent in your home. Caring for orchids from a small plant does not require a lot of your time, and it is a rewarding experience.

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Orchid Farm Tourism In Thailand

January 18th, 2012

Visiting an orchid farm is a popular thing to do while traveling in some countries. Thailand is home to many orchid farms that are open to the public. Most display some rare species of orchids, along with some more common varieties. Several orchid farms have even created new varieties of orchids that are exclusive to their location. Orchid farms ship their orchids all over the world. They end up in garden centers and florist shops, among other places.

orchid farm

Nakhon Pathom is a centrally located province in Thailand. There are many orchards that can be seen while journeying along the Nakhon Chaisi River. There are even cruises available in the Samphran District Office that will take you on the Chinda Canal and Bangchang Canal to see some of the orchid farms. Bangkok Orchid Farm is located in the Amphoe Samphran, which is also in Nakhon Pathom. Amphoe Kathum Baen and Amphoe Ban Phaeo in Thailand have an Orchid and Flower Garden Tour that allows the locals to showcase their orchards, vegetable plantations, orchid farms and coconut groves. Amphoe Kathum Baen is well known for its orchid farms, which follow Setthakit Road.

The Udorn Sunshine Orchid, also known as Miss Udorn Sunshine, is a very fragrant orchid species. It was created in Thailand on the Udorn Sunshine Orchid Farm, hence the name. The Vanda orchid was cross bred with the Josephine Van Berrow orchid to produce the Udorn Sunshine Orchid. In 1988, the Udorn Sunshine Orchid Farm sent into the World Orchid Society in the United Kingdom to have the orchid copyrighted with the rights belonging to their farm exclusively.

When visiting Pattaya in Thailand, journey outside of the city. The Nong Nooch Tropical Botanical Garden houses an orchid nursery with a show. A cultural event, the show features well trained chimpanzees and elephants that perform for visitors to the gardens. Another attraction near Pattaya for orchid lovers is the Siriporn Orchid Farm. Thailand is home to many beautiful and exotic species of orchids. Since orchids generally grow well in tropical environments, Thailand provides an ideal setting for the blooms to flourish. Orchid farms account for part of the country’s main economical support each year. It is well worth visiting a few of these orchid farms while in Thailand. Since orchid farming is so important to the agricultural and tourism economies, there are many more orchid farms not listed here. Regardless of where you are staying when you visit Thailand, there’s sure to be an orchid farm within traveling distance for a nice day trip of sightseeing.

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Vanilla Orchid Food

January 3rd, 2012

When you think of the plant, you don’t think of it as producing orchid food for human consumption. You probably didn’t even know that one of the most popular flavorings in your spice cabinet came from an orchid. Or perhaps it’s your favorite candle or potpourri scent. Be that as it may, vanilla is one of the most popular flavorings the world over and it comes from an orchid. Of course, you can’t simply buy an orchid and hope that it will provide you with all the vanilla that you want for your holiday baking or aromatherapy treatments. Only orchids within the genus Vanilla are capable of producing the all important vanilla bean, from which the flavoring is derived.

orchid food

Mexico once held the monopoly on the world’s vanilla bean production because the plant had to be pollinated by a specific kind of bee that only existed in Mexico. The plant only grew in Mexico at the time. Many tried transplanting in their own countries. The plant would grow, but it would not flower. Then they tried taking some of the bees with them, but that didn’t work either. It wasn’t until 1841, 300 years after vanilla was introduced to Europe, that a solution was found. Edmond Albius was a 12 year old slave on a French colony. He discovered that by using a bamboo shoot to open the flower, the pollen could then be transferred with his thumb. Hand pollination using this method was the only successful way of obtaining vanilla beans from vanilla orchids grown outside of Mexico. This is why true vanilla is so expensive, even today. The flower only blooms for 24 hours. In that time period, it must be pollinated by hand or no bean is produced. Farms that grow the vanilla orchids must be vigilant to catch as many of the blooms as possible.

There are four types of vanilla. Each is named according to where it’s grown. Bourbon vanilla is produced on several islands in the Indian Ocean. Mexican vanilla is produced in Mexico. Be mindful when shopping at markets in Mexico, however. Many will advertise vanilla that is not true vanilla. It may be some other type of plant. At least one of the vanilla plant substitutes is known to be harmful if consumed. Tahitian vanilla is produced in the French Polynesia. West Indian vanilla may come from the Caribbean, Central America or South America. French vanilla may be considered a type of vanilla. In reality, it is not. The phrase was derived from the French method of producing vanilla ice cream and has nothing to do with where the plant is grown. True vanilla is considered to be the second most costly spice in the world. It is exceeded only by saffron. Its versatility and fragrance makes vanilla orchid food one of the best discoveries of the human race.  

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Building An Orchid Farm In Artificial Conditions

December 24th, 2011

Having an orchid farm can provide many benefits and satisfactions, but can be a big problem if the weather conditions aren’t ideal for growing orchids. Temperatures, humidity, air movement, and water are just a few. If you are in a zone where it rarely rains it won’t be such a big problem because you can water the orchids, but if you live in a zone where it rains abundantly it can cause serious headaches because orchids can be very sensitive to large quantities of water. Also if your orchid farm is in a zone with very cold winters again it will be problematic. The idea is that if the meteorological conditions aren’t near the ones with which the orchid is used to in the wild, then your orchid farm will have a lot to suffer. In this case you can seriously take in consideration building the orchid farm as a greenhouse, where you can have control over temperature, humidity, water and even air movement. Not all orchid species are used to the same conditions, so if you want to grow different orchid types you should go for some that have the same kind of requirements.

orchid farm

There are two main orchid types: epiphytic and terrestrial. Epiphytic orchids grow on other plants or trees. Normally this isn’t done in a greenhouse because it gets very complicated trying to grow two plants at the same time. So you should use a substitute, such as a branch from another plant on which you will have to anchor the orchid. The orchids will adapt just fine to this. In nature an epiphytic orchid would take all its nutriments from rotten leaves, bird droppings or dust. In a greenhouse it won’t have access to this so you will have to buy orchid food. Terrestrial orchids can be grown in pots or you can build an orchid bed. In both cases be sure to not use garden soil. Use instead terrestrial orchid mix.

Orchids like sunlight but in the same time they need shade for protection, not liking direct sunlight. In natural conditions orchids are protected by trees, but here it is not the case so you will have to improvise with shade cloth. The best solution here would be to cover the greenhouse roof with polycarbonate material. It will act as a sunglass for the orchids, offering the perfect solution for this kind of problem.

For the rest there are all kinds of solutions for heating the greenhouse, or for providing the right irrigation system. We won’t go in details here. Don’t forget though to have powerful fans as orchids enjoy a lot of wind. So an orchid farm in a greenhouse could prove to be a reliable solution.

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How To Correctly Choose Orchid Food

December 9th, 2011

Orchid food refers to the type of fertilizer an orchid needs to grow in conditions near the natural ones. The fertilizer can be divided in 2 main categories: bulky organic fertilizer and chemical fertilizer, known also as inorganic fertilizer.

orchid food

Chemical fertilizer has the advantage of being less bulky and easier to transport from the soil into the plants itself, because they get to be available to the plant relatively quickly when incorporated as part of the plant-food constituents. Meanwhile, the organic fertilizer requires a break-down process to release the nutrients to the plants. Because of this process, the nutrients provide slower releases and the potting material breaks down quickly, which requires repotting more frequently. Also the organic fertilizer has the disadvantage of being more expensive and needed in higher quantities because it is less concentrated then the chemical fertilizer. On the other hand an orchid will be healthier and more vigorous if you use organic fertilizer on it and this will highly compensate for all the disadvantages. Cow manure, fish emulsion, bone meal or chicken droppings are recommended organic fertilizers. You must put them in water and let them one day to dissolve before using them.

A fertilizer usually contains three principal chemicals: Nitrogen (N), Phosphorous (P) and Potassium (K). The nitrogen has a big role in leaf and stem growth, phosphorus in flower production while potassium helps in keeping a general good health. But there are also other important chemicals needed for the good health of the orchid. In fact orchids need 16 nutrients. Carbon, oxygen, hydrogen and magnesium are also required in orchid food because they have an important role in flower production while sulfur in combination with phosphorus and nitrogen will produce proteins. But Carbon, oxygen and hydrogen are found in water so you don’t need a fertilizer that contains these elements. So an ideal orchid fertilizer should contain nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and sulfur besides N-P-K. The other 8 secondary elements needed by an orchid are calcium, zinc, copper, boron, molybdenum, iron, manganese and chlorine.

The nitrogen should be in a 3-1-1 report with phosphorus and potassium for optimal results. This is because the bark is broken down by bacteria that use large amounts of nitrogen, leaving very little for the plant. Also the fertilizer should not have more than 20% nitrogen because it can end up as a pollutant. The supplementary calcium in the fertilizer should be up to 15% and the magnesium up to 8%.  The exact quantity of the other chemicals isn’t really important as long as they are present in the fertilizer.

On the orchid food label you will find all this details.  Every fertilizer producer is obliged by law to add these details on the label, so you should check it carefully before choosing from the stores the right orchid food.

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Step By Step In Repotting Orchids

November 24th, 2011

Repotting orchids is not very difficult, but it is slightly different from other plant types. First of all you must know that the perfect time for repotting is in late spring or early summer. If you don’t repot at the right time then the orchid won’t bloom in the next year. An orchid should be repotted once at 12-36 month intervals, depending on the species and needs of each individual plant. There are also orchid species that don’t need repotting.

repotting orchids

Before you start repotting you will need to prepare your work area. Wash your hands and wipe your work surface clean before you begin, as it might contain microbes that can damage your plant. Before you start you should check if you have everything needed. You must have a specialized orchid mix as orchid bark and sanitized cutting tools. Water the orchid abundantly with one day before removing it from its pot. This will make the roots pliable and easier to work with.

You also need a new pot big enough to sustain two years’ worth of growth, but also don’t use a pot bigger than the plant’s needs because it won’t allow the medium to dry enough between watering and in time will damage the plant. Also use a transparent pot because the orchid roots need a lot of light. If you want to use the same old pot then it is indicated to wash it thoroughly and soak it in a 10 percent solution of chlorine bleach for 30 minutes and then rinse it well. You can use plastic, clay or decorator pots but keep in mind that the type of pot will influence water frequency. Orchids in clay pots will need to be more frequency watered. Always select pots with drainage holes; orchid roots in contact with standing water will rot and die, killing the plant.

Now you are ready to repot the orchid. Turn the plant upside down and thump the sides and bottom of the pot to dislodge it. If the roots will stick to the pot then use the knife to loosen them. Don’t worry; the plant will be fine even if you damage some of the old roots. After you remove the plant try to check off as much of the old pot mixture and dead roots as possible. You can recognize a death root after its mushy and light brown color, while a healthy root is firm and white. Also you must remove the yellow leaves, rotting bulbs and the stems without flowers.

If your plant is very big, and has six or more good growths in the pot, you may divide it, but not in divisions less than three growths each. Before you repot the plant, place a generous layer of broken crocks or plastic foam peanuts in the bottom of the pot. This is needed because orchids need good drainage. Before you use the potting mix, wet it with boiling water, allow it to cool, and drain it. When you put the orchid in the pot, position the older pseudo bulbs on one side so that the new lead has space to extend.  

After repotting the orchid, keep it in a shaded location and water the plant twice a day until it becomes stable and the new growing roots are visible. So repotting orchids is not so hard after all.

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