NWOS & Education

Where do orchids come from? Seeds of course! As silly as it seems, that wasn’t known until around 1800. As they are very dust-like, it was speculated that they came from birds, goats, and even cadavers somehow in a magical way. Even after they were able to conclude that seeds were…

As summer is slowly arriving, our orchids are putting on their new growth as the temps are rising and occasionally the sun peaks through the grayness. Along with this welcomed event come new diseases and pests.

Where do orchids come from? Your local Trader Joe’s, Costco maybe even a Lowe’s? That is where many of us first ran into them in our daily lives. May of these are the products of an a floral empire running vast cloning labs. But before they were clones, the plants…

Sometimes there comes a time in a hobbyist’s career that they decide to build a greenhouse to house their ever expanding collection of orchids. Here is a presentation of my journey in building a greenhouse for my collection.

Sometimes despite all of our efforts we run into a problem with our orchids that we can’t solve. Asking our orchid community for advice is often a help, one of the other community members has likely seen the issue before and will have a helpful solution.

Growing orchids mounted may be referred to as growing on plaques, mounts, slabs, and rafts. It isn’t complicated and one of the easiest ways of growing. Like all orchids, timing is important as you want to do any readjustments of the plant when the new roots are starting…

Growing orchids from seed may seem daunting, but this workshop was given to show that it is quite achievable in a home setting without elaborate or expensive equipment. All the items used were easily obtained. And while some seeds such as Paphiopedilum may take years to bloom,…

It seems like such a simple question. Yet more orchids are killed by improper watering than any other reason. If you research your particular orchid online, you may find a variety of answers to that question. Why is this so?

For those wishing to expand their lighting set up, and not finding a configuration that fits their layout, you might wish to consider making your own LED light system. I will cover all the basics, but understand there are details omitted. If you wish to know more, please feel free…

You’ve got this new plant from the raffle table, plant auction, another grower, etc. Now you are anxiously ready to start its new home with your plant. But WAIT! Now is the time to consider what you are bringing along with your new find. Bugs? Fungus? Bacteria?

Red Spider Mite: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/user:Trancelius They are ubiquitous. They float on air currents and move readily between all kinds of plants including orchids. Sometimes we are tipped off to their presence by webs. Other times we see damage on leaves. We call them spider mites but those found on our orchids…

Water Soluble Fertilizer I started writing this article in response to the questions I get from newer growers when they go to buy supplies and see fertilizers touted as great for orchids. They find bloom boosters and specialized “formulas” for each type of orchid with specific months to be fertilizing….