You'd love to get an orchid plant, or already have an one in your home, and now you want to provide the best care for your orchid. Worried about orchid growing regarding the correct room temperature, humidity requirements and watering? This hubpage will help you answer your orchid growing questions.

Growing orchids is a relaxing and rewarding hobby. Gardeners that want to try orchid growing for the first time should buy one of the more easy to grow orchids, such as Cymbidium or Phalaenopsis. You could buy your orchid plant at the local garden center, or even online. If you are selecting an orchid plant at a garden store, check that the plant has strong leaves and roots, has healthy flower buds and no signs of insect pests. If you decide to buy online, always check for reviews on the supplier and ask that the plant is sent to you in full bloom so that you can have a flowering orchid in you orchid home garden.

Now that you have brought the orchid plant home, you'll need to consider the following conditions: watering, lighting, humidity, temperature and nutrients. Generally, orchid plants require periodic watering (approximately once a week) as their root system is designed to store water. When watering the plant, water in the morning rather than at night. Most orchids prefer medium, indirect light. As most homes have low humidity, the orchid plant container ought to be placed on a humidity tray. This can simply be a tray filled with pebbles and half-filled with water. The day and night temperature difference is particularly important for the orchid plant to bloom. There are many commercial orchid fertilizers available and you need to choose the correct one for the growth phase and the flowering phase.

Cymbidium orchids flower between November and May and while the flower spikes are forming, nighttime temperatures need to be below 60 degrees F. Developing spikes should be supported by a cane and after the bloom has ended, should be cut down to about two inches. Use a potting mix, which has been developed for orchids, and repot the plant after flowering has ended. During the growing season, liquid feed the plant moderately. For example, add a weak plant liquid feed with every third or fourth watering. Phalaenopsis orchids prefer bright light, but not direct sunlight. Flowering can last for three months, which makes these orchids so popular. Phalaenopsis orchids prefer to be almost dry before being watered again. You can mist their leaves, but do not get water on the flowers.

Orchid growing is so rewarding and the beginner should not be deterred by the amount of information he, or she, needs to be successful. Many orchid gardeners use the Orchid Care Expert guide for step-by-step instructions on orchid growing and orchid care.

Learn How To Care For and Grow Amazing Orchids Using Easy To Follow, Step-By-Step Techniques

• Find out how much light your type of orchid needs.
• Does your Cattleya need to be watered at different intervals to your Epidendrum? It certainly does...
• Follow the 7 step procedure for producing hybrids.
• Find out how the use of bamboo skewers can solve your watering problems.
• Are you using fertilizer on your orchids? Learn to use it in the correct frequency.
• Find out how to care for your orchid throughout the year with the Taking Care of Your Orchids For Every Season chapter.
• Hot tips for buying the right orchid.
• Learn about growing orchids in a hydroponic garden.
• Recommendations on which orchids are suitable for experts or which can be grown by beginners.
• Hot tips for growing virus free orchids.

For more information on this unique orchid care guide, visit the Orchid Care Expert.

For the newbie orchid grower, starting off with younger orchid plants is a great way to learn how to care for them as you watch them grow and blossom. When getting a young orchid plant for the first time, try and find out as much about it as possible. Knowing what species it is is very important, as is the sort of environment it is found in the wild. From here you'll have a better idea what watering, temperature, light and humidity requirements it needs.

Make a list of supplies you may need for your young orchid plant. This should include the correct potting mix and a specialized orchid fertilizer. Keep a plant pesticide and fungicide handy in case your plant suddenly gets attacked by something. Orchids generally need repotting once a year so there is no hurry to get another pot just yet. A water sprayer is handy as it is easier to control the quantity of water you give your plant.

It is essential that you get the potting mix right. Most orchids do not grow in the standard garden soil or garden plant potting mixes. There are species of orchid that prefer a bark potting mix and others that prefer a sand mix. Always leave the young orchid plant in the potting mix that you received it in. Don't repot the plant until it has grown to a size where it has overgrown the existing pot. When you do repot, select a pot size slightly bigger as orchids do not like being transferred to containers that are much larger then the one they are in.

Often young orchid plants are kept in potting media that appears quite dry. This is done on purpose to prevent fungal infections. Orchid roots rot very easily if they are over watered. It is much better to gradually water the plant over time, rather than do a sudden soak if the potting medium is very dry. Because young orchid plants are not yet flowering, they require different light intensities to those needed by mature orchids. If the lighting is too low, the leaves will start to turn a dark green color. Gradually increase the light by changing the plant's position and when the leaves appear a healthy light green color then that should be fine.