That love extends to the plants I grow indoors, mainly my orchids. I do not have as large of a collection as I once used to. When my daughter was born it became too hard to care for the large amount I had. The few I have left though I truly cherish. I especially love Lady Slipper Orchids (Paphiopedilum) and two of mine happen to be in bloom right now.
Paphiopedilum 'Maudiae'
I personally do not find orchids to be all that fussy. I water mine once a week (Wednesday is orchid day around here) and feed them with worm tea about twice a month. They absolutely love the worm tea! I do cut back on feeding during the winter months to about once a month or so. But during the growing months I am pretty strict with watering them with the worm tea every other week.
I do not know the name of this pretty Lady Slipper as she was only labeled "Paphiopedilum".
Another thing I do with my orchids that keeps them very happy is I fill a tray (found it at a thrift store!) with small stones that is then filled with water. I then place my orchids on top of the stones in the tray. This helps with supplying extra humidity around the plants. This is also what I do with African violets. The extra humidity becomes very important during the winter months when the heater is running.
I try to avoid the plant section of Trader Joe’s whenever I shop there as the orchids they sell are usually very reasonably priced and healthy. Thankfully I no longer live conveniently close to this fun store or my orchid collection would once again be too big for me to manage.
Caring for Paphiopedilums
- Temperature: should be kept between 55-80° F.
- Light: they can be grown in lower light intensities but a stronger light will produce more growth.
- Watering: should be frequent as Paphiopedilums like more moisture since they continue to grow all year.
- Other tips: good air circulation is important and Lady Slipper orchids do benefit from being repotted once a year.
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