How to Care for a Growing Orchid

Set your orchid in the gravel-filled tray. Your growing orchid will most likely be in a pot but may be growing in bark, coarse fibers, perlite or other soil-free medium. Most orchids do not grow in soil, so it is important that the substance it is growing in be very porous and light.

Place the tray with the orchid in a brightly lit window. Orchids need a great deal of light in order to develop properly. According to the American Orchid Society, insufficient light is the No. 1 cause of orchids that fail to develop flowers.

Add water to the tray to provide humidity for the orchid. Orchids require a high level of humidity, about 50 to 60 percent, but cannot tolerate soggy roots. Water the orchid itself just as it begins to dry out to avoid waterlogging it. Spray a fine mist on the orchid every morning. This helps keep it damp and encourages it to grow.

Set and maintain the temperature around the orchid between 70 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit in the daytime and about 55 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit at night. The plants survive outside of this range, but do best at these temperatures.

Fertilize your orchid once a week. Water the plant well before you add fertilizer. You can use any good plant fertilizer, but mix and use it at half strength to protect the orchid roots.

Place a fan in the room where the orchid is growing, and keep the air circulating at all times. Point the fan away from the flowers or use a ceiling fan set to low. Orchids must have good air circulation or disease can quickly become a problem.