Orchid care, cutting a spike to encourage more blooms

Video below on how to cut a Phalaenopsis spike properly.

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Consider growing rare orchids for profit

Large commercial orchid growers usually grow the common easy to find orchid types. That leaves the rare orchid market wide open. Consider growing those hard to find orchids instead of the common Cattleyas or Phalaenopsis. So where do you find them? That part is simple just



go to the tab above called "Orchid Plants for sale". The page has a live feed of what orchid plants are selling on eBay right at this moment. Listed among them are several rare specimens. Finding something rarer than normal should be fairly easy.

What you need to look for is color, shape and size of the flowers. If the plant is shown in bloom you need to look for flowers that are constant. They must all look alike otherwise you cannot count on what the plant will produce each time it blooms so you can't guarantee a flower shape or color to your customers.

Keep in mind that rarer orchids are often trickier to grow so don't attempt them unless you are fairly experienced and successful at growing orchids to blooming stage already.

Preventing rot and fungus in the orchid

Orchid growing during the winter months has its drawbacks. One of them is the problem of rot and mold. Both are caused by cooler temperatures and allowing water to pool around the plant for long periods of time. During the warmer months that water has a chance to evaporate before problems cause damage to the plants but in the winter

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cooler temperatures must be watched. You will want to water your orchids early in the day to allow as much of the water to evaporate before nightfall. Water will accumulate in the axis of the leaves and cause rotting of entire stems.

The best long term solution is to allow a longer period of time between waterings than during the warmer months. Let the plants dry out more during the cooler months and keep the air circulating around the plants, as it is done in their native habitat.

By following my advice you should have lower instances of rot or fungus problems with your orchids this winter.

Basic orchid care - a short video

The video below shows the care of the moth orchid which makes a great cut flower as well as a nice house plant. I have found that the moth orchid is just about the easiest orchid to grow.