How to Grow Them: Give moth orchids (Phalaenopsis selections) a spot in low, medium, or bright light and water weekly or every other week. Promote more and larger blooms by feeding moth orchids monthly with a fertilizer formulated for orchids. The plants do best in temperatures from 50 to 75 F. Test Garden Tip: A drop in temperatures at night (usually by 10 to 15 F) helps encourage them to bloom. Try moving them to a cooler area of your home each night, like a basement. How to Grow Them: Dendrobium orchids prefer a spot in medium to bright light. Water them weekly or when the roots feel dry to the touch. Fertilize them monthly with a plant food formulated for orchids. They do best in temperatures from 50 to 70 F. Test Garden Tip: Hundreds of varieties are available; the most common types keep their foliage all year and bloom on new stems. How to Grow Them: Oncidiums do best in medium to bright light. Water weekly and feed them monthly in spring and summer with orchid fertilizer ($7, Walmart). They prefer temperatures from 50 to 75 F. Test Garden Tip: Some oncidium orchids are wonderfully fragrant, adding an even more delightful note to your indoor garden. How to Grow Them: Cymbidium orchids flower best if given a spot in bright light. In fact, you can even bring them outdoors to a shady spot for the summer. Water them weekly to keep them from drying out. Get them to bloom best by fertilizing them monthly in spring and summer. It does best in temperatures from 50 to 70 F. Test Garden Tip: Cymbidium orchids flower best if given cool temperatures under 50 F for several weeks, which is why they usually in bloom in winter. How to Grow Them: Lady’s slipper orchids (Paphiopedilium) grow well in low, medium, or bright light. Water about once a week, and feed them monthly in spring and summer with an orchid fertilizer. They will do best in temperatures from 50 to 70 F. Test Garden Tip: Watch out for multi-floral varieties that produce several flowers per stem. They’ll give you a bigger display for a longer period of time. How to Grow Them: Cattleya orchids do best in medium or bright, but indirect light. Water them once every week or two, and feed them monthly in spring and summer with an orchid fertilizer to get the biggest blooms. They do best in temperatures from 50 to 70 F. Test Garden Tip: Cattleya orchids can bloom twice a year and the flowers last for weeks. Make sure they get plenty of light so they rebloom quickly. How to Grow Them: Jewel orchid (Ludisia discolor) does best in low to medium light. Give it a drink once every week or two. If you want, feed it with an orchid fertilizer once a month. It does best in temperatures from 55 to 80 F. Test Garden Tip: Give jewel orchids plenty of humidity to keep their gorgeous leaves from developing brown, crispy edges. How to Grow Them: Clamshell orchid (Encyclia cochleata) grows best in low to bright light. Water once every week or two so the orchid mix just dries between waterings. Encourage more blooms by giving it orchid fertilizer once a month or so. It does best in temperatures from 60 to 80 F. How to Grow Them: Nun’s orchid (Phaius tankervilleae) thrives in medium to bright light. Water it weekly from spring to fall; water every other week or so in winter. Encourage better blooming by feeding it weekly in spring and summer with an orchid fertilizer. It does best in temperatures from 60 to 80 F. Test Garden Tip: Make sure this orchid doesn’t dry out and the air doesn’t get too dry. Otherwise the magnificent foliage may develop brown edges. How to Grow Them: Odontoglossums (often called odonts) thrive in medium or bright light. Water them once a week or once every other week, and feed them once a month in spring and summer with an orchid fertilizer. They do best in temperatures from 50 to 70 F. Test Garden Tip: Many odonts are very easy to grow, but others are quite challenging. Check into a variety’s ease of care before taking it home. How to Grow Them: ‘Sharry Baby’ thrives in intermediate light, temperature, and moisture. An east window or slightly shaded south window will provide just the right amount of light. Let the surface the growing media (usually moss or bark) just barely dry out before watering. Test Garden Tip: If you are comfortable with the indoor temperature, ‘Sharry Baby’ will thrive. Use your comfort as an indicator of the right temperature for your orchid. How to Grow Them: Lady of the night grows well in a container when provided with bright light and moderate daytime temperatures. Allow the soil to dry out slightly before watering. Before plants bloom in late fall or winter, encourage flowering by not watering plants for a couple of weeks. Test Garden Tip: Lady of the night orchid flowers best when it grows in a location that has cool nighttime temperatures. A location that is 10 F cooler at night than the daytime temperature is ideal. How to Grow Them: Slipper orchids grow well in low light. An east window is ideal. West or south windows can be used if they are shaded by a sheer curtain. ‘Rosy Dawn’, like most slipper orchids, grow best when their soil is kept evenly moist. Don’t let these orchids dry out between waterings. Check the soil every other day or so and water plants when soil just begins to feel slightly dry to the touch. Test Garden Tip: You can tell by the leaves if your orchid is getting too much light. A reddish tinge on the edges means you need to move the plant to a location with less sunlight. How to Grow Them: Phalaenopsis hieroglyphica orchids grow well in warm conditions (they thrive in rooms that are 70 to 85°F) and low light. An east-facing window is perfect for this orchid. Phalaenopsis orchids also love humidity. Increase the humidity around your plants by setting them on low dishes filled with small stones. Fill the dish with water until just below the top of the stones. Set the orchid on top of the stones. Test Garden Tip: Use room temperature water when watering. How to Grow Them: Phalaenopsis gigantea grows best in low light. Place it in an east or north-facing window. Consistently moist but not wet soil is preferred. When watering this orchid, take care not to get the water between the long leaves or they may rot. Phalaenopsis gigantea thrives in consistently warm temperatures. Test Garden Tip: Pale, silvery green leaves are typical for Phalaenopsis gigantea.
