Selecting the Best Orchids for Your Home

Selecting the Best Orchids for Your Home

 Many orchid enthusiasts (at least in the beginning) just go out and buy orchids, without really knowing what they should be looking for in the plants. Orchids, like good wine, are very different from each other. A lot of factors affect orchids, like the region from where the plants came from, the maintenance techniques of the
supplier, grower, etc.

Here are our top tips for improving your chances of bringing home a real winner during your orchid shopping trip:

1.Check how firmly the roots have attached to the orchid media. Healthy orchids are firmly attached - damaged or weak orchids have poor anchorage. Also check the roots for any signs of rotting.

2.Inspect the roots next. You need to make sure that the roots are not rotting from fungal or bacterial infestation. Malformed roots may also mean that the orchid may be suffering from a viral condition. If there are some broken roots that is fine, as long as the majority of the root network is healthy and intact.

3.Check the leaves. The leaves should be beautifully formed and uniformly shaped. Malformed leaves may also mean that the orchid has caught a plant virus. In such cases, do not buy the orchid since most viral conditions of orchids are incurable. The leaves should also be green and not bluish or yellowish.

4.Inspect the pseudo bulbs of the orchid. Pseudo bulbs areactually newly formed buds that will later blossom flowers. The bulbs should be plump and healthy-looking, with a good
color. In our next lesson, I'll be talking about after purchasing your orchid how to keep it safe during the trip home. To read more information click here

Until then, enjoy your orchids!