The orchid family includes more than 22,000 species and over 880 distinct genera. The orchid family is the largest and most diversified of all flowering plant families, and these numbers are increasing each. The majority of orchids are tropical plants that cling to trees as “air plants” or epiphytes. Some orchids grow on or amid rocks as lithophytes, or “rock plants.” Terrestrial orchids, which make up the remainder, thrive on the loamy debris of the jungle floor. It can be difficult to provide basic recommendations for orchid care with a plant family this diverse. However, there are just a few dozen commonly produced species, and even fewer are offered at a nearby nursery. Our page on orchid identification gives a brief overview of many of the common varieties. It’s likely that the plants you find at nurseries, florists, big-box hardware stores, and grocery stores are hybrids. These hybrids were developed by mating various species, and occasionally genera, in order to breed out many of the difficult care requirements of pure orchid species while introducing desired traits including color, aroma, blossom size, and ease of care. If you spend a little time learning about their fundamental requirements, today’s hybrid orchids make for very rewarding indoor plants.
Are orchids able to live in the air?
We rejoice in the warmth and rebirth of the season as spring progresses and summer draws near. If you own an orchid, though, you should be mindful that warmer air may bring unseen dangers to your prized plant.
Here, we go through four potential hazards to springtime orchids and how to safeguard your plant.
Windows: Silent, but Deadly
On the first warm spring day, what is one of the first things you do? Unlock a window! It feels good to throw open a few windows and let some fresh air in after a long, chilly winter spent indoors. Air might be beneficial for your orchid as long as it isn’t too dry. Your plant won’t thrive if the air is too hot, too dry, or both; orchids need moisture and humidity to survive.
Don’t place your orchid close to an open window if you live in a desert or a region with dry heat.
Use Caution with Cool Breezes
The ideal daytime temperature for orchid health is between 65 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit; nevertheless, temperatures that exceed 80 degrees are sometimes experienced early in the season. And when they do, you turn on the air conditioner, just like many other people. Although this is excellent for keeping you and your family cool, it may be harmful to your orchid. Air that is too cold will shock your plant, which could lead to “bud blast,” or early bud fall.
Keep your orchid well away from air conditioner vents and direct air flow. Your flower should be placed in a space that is regularly between 65 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and 55 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit at night.
A Fan is Not an Orchid’s Friend
Quick and easy cooling down is possible with a fan. This is why, especially at night, people frequently run their ceiling fans at a high setting or position fans in their windows. Orchids thrive in temperatures between 55 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit at night, but under a fan’s direct line of sight, the temperature may fall significantly lower.
Tip: Keep your orchid away from the direct path of air if you use a fan to cool down your home.
Too Much Humidity can Harm
Although orchids enjoy dampness, too much of it can be harmful. You must keep an eye on the humidity levels in your orchid if you reside in a region with high humidity. When humidity levels are between 55 and 75 percent, phalaenopsis orchids flourish; however, excessive moisture promotes bacterial and fungal growth, which can result in orchid illnesses. A bad smell emanating from your plant is a sure sign that there is too much moisture present.
Advice: Dry out your plant at night by putting it in a low moisture region of your home if you expose it to a lot of humidity during the day. Apply a natural fungicide to your plant if it has a bacterial infection.
Enjoy the warm weather in spring and summer, but keep in mind these safety measures to help protect your plant.
To keep your plant in peak condition, do you need any additional orchid care advice? To obtain the answers you need, visit our FAQs page.
Are orchids liked by air plants?
Tillandsias, often known as air plants, are a common and simple to grow plant. They’ve become incredibly popular and are frequently utilized in homes and workplaces. They naturally grow on another host, tree, or item and are considered an epiphyte, along with orchids and bromeliads, without taking nutrition from its host. They need water, light, and nutrients but no soil to flourish. Through microscopic capillaries on their leaves known as trichomes, air plants can absorb moisture and nutrients from the atmosphere. What a cool thing!
Despite being incredibly easy to maintain, air plants nevertheless require some care in order to flourish. Tillandsias can live for several years with proper care and give birth to “pups” (baby air plants) for added enjoyment. We’ve provided highly detailed care advice that is supposed to be helpful. We merely want to arm you with the knowledge you need to take excellent care of your tillandsias. Keep in mind that air plants are quite simple to maintain.
Light
- Any plant needs light to survive, but fortunately, air plants may survive with filter sunlight or even artificial light.
- Place your air plant between three and five feet from a window or close to a source of artificial light.
- An air plant should not receive too much sunshine, even inside. Choose a spot that is only somewhat shaded if you are growing outside. Few plants can withstand full-day sun.
Watering
- The most crucial thing to keep in mind is that each air plant will need a different amount of water depending on its variety, size, and environment of growth. These are recommendations, not unalterable laws.
- Watering air plants at least once a week is beneficial when growing them inside. The location’s humidity affects frequency. In comparison to a plant grown in a more humid environment, an air plant grown close to a heater will dry up considerably more quickly and require more frequent watering.
- Place your air plant face down in water, in a container or in your sink, and let it soak there for 10 to 20 minutes to hydrate it. Alternately, you might repeatedly submerge plants in water. To avoid rotting or damage, gently shake off extra water after soaking.
- Water should ideally be applied early in the day so that moisture can evaporate. After four hours, they should be dry enough to be put back in a container or on display.
- While spraying your tillandsia sometimes can be helpful, it is not always advised.
- Use a houseplant or orchid fertilizer with a low copper content if you want to feed your air plant because they are extremely sensitive to copper. Don’t fertilize your plant too frequently because it’s quite easy to overfeed it; diluting your fertilizer can help.
- You can soak your air plants in water (in a bowl or sink) for several hours or overnight if they ever appear “thirsty” or like they are having trouble. This frequently aids in reviving your tillandsia.
- Rainwater or pond water work best for watering tillandsia. Never use distilled or artificially softened water to water your plants.
- Dehydrated plants’ leaves are closed and coiled, while healthy air plants have wide, open leaves.
- An air plant’s flower or blossom should never be submerged because doing so can cause rotting.
Environment
- Your air plants will thrive in a bathroom or kitchen window, where the steam and moisture will make them extremely content.
- The growth and water requirements of air plants can be impacted by temperature. Between 10 and 32 degrees Celsius, air plants thrive (50F-90F). Since tillandsia are extremely sensitive to cold, freezing temperatures are one thing they do not enjoy.
- It makes sense that air plants need clean, healthy air to grow. They require considerable air movement after watering so that they can dry out in 4 hours.
- Although it is fairly common to place tillandsia in containers or terrariums and they have thrived there, it is not advised that they be completely enclosed in them. No air circulation means your plant won’t have any moisture or nutrients.
- Keep your plants away from heater and air conditioner vents so they don’t dry out too quickly and require additional watering.
Other Tips
- Do not ever submerge an air plant in soil. They don’t need soil because it will just make them decay.
- In addition to gaining new leaves, your air plant will also shed some. You can use scissors to clip off any brown or dead leaves for aesthetic purposes. Cut at a sharp angle so that the leaves still have a natural appearance to “conceal” this trimming.
- Although they are not necessary and just serve to anchor the plant to a host, roots may already be present or continue to grow. Depending on your preference, you can either leave the roots on or chop them off.
- You can use E3000 super glue (other glues can come loose over time/when wet or harm your plant) or string to secure your air plant in place on decorative “hosts.” With your air plant, stay away from pressure-treated wood and copper.
- As air plants develop, they can produce both blooms and pups, which are their young. Pups can either be removed when they are 1/3 the size of the mother plant or left on the mother plant to form a “clump” that hangs in a longer string.
Is the orchid a houseplant?
Although wild, delicate, and exotic, orchids also grow remarkably well inside. In fact, they are currently among the most widely used houseplants in Britain.
Do orchids prefer humid air?
Almost all orchid species thrive in a humidity range of 40% to 70%. Even plants like Zelenkoa (Oncidium onusta), which are suited to growing in very arid environments, are subjected to times when the humidity is in this range.
Are orchids soil-required?
Without soil, orchids can and do grow. To germinate, they require a little bit of soil, but as they grow older, they require less and less dirt. Air plants are what orchids are in their natural habitat. As a result, they commonly grow on tree limbs, root in very little soil, and obtain the majority of their nutrition from the atmosphere. Because of their innate desire to absorb water, orchids adore dampness so much.
However, not all orchids enjoy air to the same extent. Varieties that have been domesticated to grow in soil and are remote from their wild progenitors may find it more difficult to adapt to a life without soil. But don’t give up! With a little perseverance, any orchid can be cultivated in water.
You’re all set to wow your loved ones with a stunning setup that requires little upkeep! Watch out for root rot, check the quality of your water, and add a little ornamental flare. Your home will be spiced up, and your plant will be content.
Where should air plants be placed?
All air plants are native to tropical regions where freezing temperatures never occur. It’s crucial to keep them at a reasonable temperature without a sweater, right? typically from the 1960s or earlier. Keep them away from windows that are cold in the winter and air conditioner vents.
At least a few hours of bright, indirect sun each day are necessary for air plants to thrive. The optimal placement is between one and three feet from an east or west-facing window, or around two feet from a source of artificial light. They can be exposed to hotter, more direct sun for longer periods of time if you maintain them well-hydrated. Avoid areas that are poorly lit.
How much time do air plants live?
Perennial plants are tillandsias, also referred to as air plants. According to the source, they have a lifespan of between two and five years, which indicates that they normally survive longer than two years.
The type of air plant and the growing conditions have an impact on how long they live, though. They reside in deserts, on various surfaces, and on tree branches in their natural habitat (other surfaces they can grow on).
Air plants only experience one flowering during their existence, which marks the culmination of their development and maturity.
Depending on the species, the flowers might remain in bloom for a number of months. However, the air plant will begin to die when the blossoms start to wilt and fade. Air plants develop pups or offsets before they die to carry on the same growth cycle.
Despite the mother plant dying, you can take the pups out and raise them separately. Separating the pups from the mother is referred to as “division is a method of air plant propagation.
As an alternative, you might leave those puppies grouped together ” (also known as “tillandsia balls).
Do my air plants need to be misted?
The final technique in our series on watering air plants is misting, which you can employ in between regular soaking or immersing. Read more in our earlier blog posts to learn more about the dunk method and soaking.
If you notice that your plant’s leaves are starting to seem a bit dry or if you live in a dry region with low air humidity, misting is an excellent approach to give it a little additional hydration. Misting is probably not enough water for your plant to grow, therefore you shouldn’t utilize this method as its only supply of water.
The T. tectorum, which has a lot of trichomes, is an exception to this rule and prefers misting to soaking or submerging. In a temperate area, you might only need to mist once a month with one of these guys, or once a week in a hotter environment.
In contrast to other plants with bigger leaves, plants with wispy leaves such the T. ionantha, T. andreana, or T. fuchsii v gracilis may require misting more regularly in addition to weekly watering.
- It’s easy to spritz plants; just use a spray bottle or hose attachment set to the “mist” setting. Make sure the entire plant gets soaked before misting. As previously mentioned, if this is their sole source of water, this is not the greatest approach for watering. If you mist your plants, remember to additionally soak or dip them once a week at the very least.
A useful generalization to remember is that a healthy air plant will have leaves that are wide open, whereas a dehydrated air plant would have leaves that curl inward. Bring on the mist if you see that your plant is starting to appear a touch dry between your regular waterings!