Tips and Tricks for Orchid Care

LECHUZA will help make your orchids thrive!

We’ll explain what to consider when caring for an orchid and how you can simply repot the plant in an appropriate LECHUZA planter. In addition, we’ll give you some professional tricks from our LECHUZA expert.

Orchidology – The Basics
Most orchids that you can buy in a shop are called epiphytes. In their natural habitat, you would typically find them on trees in the rainforest. This includes the genera Phalaenopsis, Cattleya, Oncidium, Dendrobium, and Miltonia. It is easy to decide what an orchid needs by considering its natural environment. They do not like soil, stagnant moisture, or too much fertilizer. In the end, this matches the nutrients they would find on a tree.

Please Note: Plant your orchid only in PON!

When repotting, free the root ball completely from pieces of wood and bark, so that the roots can breath freely in the substrate. LECHUZA-PON is made from pumice, zeolites, lava, and a fertilizer. It ensures optimal air circulation around the roots and stores water and nutrients!

Orchids like light
Not all of them can bear direct sunlight though. A window sill facing the east or west would be ideal.

Too much water is dangerous!
Orchids are prone to root rot. Being descendant from the rainforest, most orchids love high air humidity, but cannot bear stagnant moisture near their roots.

Fertilize Correctly
Because of the long lasting fertilizer contained in LECHUZA-PON, you don’t need to fertilize your plant for up to one year. After that, a standard fertilizer can be added to the water.

Expert Tips
We’ve asked our LECHUZA expert for some professional tips regarding orchid care:
LECHUZA is a system that simplifies watering – you can easily water a lot less than with regular planters. That’s how it works: fill the water directly into the water supply shaft. If there is no shaft available, pour carefully over the PON. Fill the water reservoir half way or completely, depending on the size and thirst of your orchid. The water from the reservoir is being transported up to the roots through the wick because of the capillarity of the PON and evaporation. When the water is completely used up, maintain a dry phase up to one week. The PON saves lots of water and gives it to the plant during this time. Should the leaves of the orchid become droopy in the meantime, just fill the water reservoir straight away.

Water
Less is more! With the support of the LECHUZA sub-irrigation-system the roots supply themselves without standing in water. Our expert suggests to mist some water over the orchid’s leaves. This imitates their natural habitat and creates a comfortable humidity level in the air around the tropical plant. Orchids prefer lime-free water (e.g. rain water).

Location
If you like to place your orchid in direct sunlight, you can acclimate it with some patience. Most orchids are raised in greenhouses and hardly exposed to any sunlight, which means that they have to become accustomed to direct sunlight slowly in order to avoid burns. Place your orchid in a sunny place only after it has spent some time in a half shade – this is how you will avoid the risk of damage.

Fertilizer
Orchids need – like any plant – nutrients in order to grow. As they are quite frugal, they are quickly being overfertilized. The LECHUZA fertilizer has the advantage, only to give as many nutrients as are needed. That’s how you make sure, that you do not overfertilize your orchid or even burn the leaves and roots.

Loss of blossoms?
It is completely normal for orchids to drop their petals now and then. This has nothing to do with a lack of ability to care for your plants. When the orchid has lost its blossom on a stipe and no more blooms are on their way, you should cut the stipe back, before it starts to get yellow. You have two possibilities:

(1) The fast way: Shorten about 1 centimeter over the second or third latent bud – this will cause a new sprout to grow quickly.

(2) The gardener’s way: Give your plant time to recover by cutting the sprout one centimeter above the first latent bud – the latent bud will evolve into a new sprout. If you use the second method, it will take longer for a new blossom to grow (up to half a year), but your orchid will thank you with brighter colors and a stronger bloom.

Step by Step: Orchid Planting Instructions

• • Our table planters are the perfect size for young orchids. Find the LECHUZA-PON substrate in a bag inside the planter liner. Fill the planter liner with PON, but leave room for the root ball.

• • Free the root ball carefully and completely from any wood or bark. Use the opportunity to cut off old/rotten portions of the roots.

• Place your plant with the root ball on the substrate layer. Fill the planter liner completely with LECHUZA-PON substrate. If possible, put the air roots also inside the planter.

By knocking slightly against the planter you can make sure that the orchid roots are surrounded by the granulate. Gently firm down the granulate with your fingers, so that the orchid has a stable foundation within the planter. Done!

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