GROWING TIPS
Flowering Plants
As our Tropicools™ have an extended flowering period, or any of your flowering orchid plants you will no doubt want to bring them inside to grace your dining table or decorate your lounge room.
To obtain maximum flower life, this is what we suggest….
Use two plastic saucers, one the same size as the base of the pot containing the plant and one with the same side height but about 2 inches larger in diameter.
Place the smaller saucer upside down in the centre of the larger saucer and fill to the outer area with 20mm pebbles.
The plant can then be placed on the upturned saucer allowing water to drain completely through the bark and collect in the large saucer ensuring that the base of the pot is not in contact with any water.
This creates humidity by the rising evaporated water, and given that most orchids are epiphytic, this should be sufficient to keep the plant happy. For plants indoors you will probably have to water once a week or when all the water has evaporated.
During the winter, fires and heaters dry the atmosphere, which isn’t conducive to prolonged flower life, so we recommend a maximum of five days for a plant to be in this environment.
Try to put the plant in a room with good natural light but out of direct sunlight.
When taking plants back outside, wipe down leaves with a damp cloth or paper towel allowing them to breath and take in moisture.
In the Shade House
 
Fertiliser & Medium
Avoid high Nitrogen fertiliser like the plague - it leads to soft, fungi prone growth and few flowers. We
use a low nitrogen, low phosphorus and high potassium fertiliser or what is
known as a Blossom Booster obtainable from most nurseries at a rate of one gram
a litre, ONCE A MONTH. So as a reminder of that , when you change your Calendar
feed your orchids.
To get optimum results when using Pine bark mixes, it is a good idea to give your plants a drink of lime-water in early autumn and again in early spring. We use micro-fine lime ( F70 Superfine Limestone) at a rate of one gram per litre. We also use and recommend Orchid Care Services treated pine bark. For seedlings, 6 parts fine, two medium, and 1 part 10mm river pebbles. Dendrobiums and Sarcochilus up to 140mm pots, 6 parts medium, two parts fine and one part 10mm river pebbles, speciosum up to 140 – 180mm pots 6 parts medium, two parts coarse and one part 20mm river pebbles. If Orchid Care Services bark is not available we suggest
BERESFORD PARK – Bromeliad and Orchid Mix just add the appropriate quantity of
pebbles.
For larger speciosum 6 parts coarse, two parts medium and one of 20mm river pebbles. Before potting (using dry mix) sieve the mix to remove all ‘fines’, put the fines on the garden or into your cymbidium mix, if you grow them.
When deflasking we add a capful of Envy (Stress-guard) to the water, soak the seedlings for 15-20 minutes in this solution, shake all the agar off the roots, in the water, then lay them on some damp newspaper. After potting we sprinkle a mix of sel-grit and canunda shell (50/50) over each pot; this is for lime and calcium supplement. Now totally drench the plant to get rid of any missed ‘fines’, and thoroughly soak the bark to encourage the roots to grow into a nice new moist environment. This rewetting the bark process could take up to 15 minutes, depending on the quantity of plants. Do not let the bark dry out in the early stages of the plants’ potting into its new mix. We suggest that where we have made note of the fact a plant should be given a rest or grown in an intermediate house, that is WHERE AND HOW we grow them, OR what the breeders of the crosses do and recommend, your final choice.
As far as pots go, natives need good drainage & we recommend the use of the squat pots.
The micro fine lime, sel-grit & canunda shell mixes, bark, and orchid food are available from us.
For more information go to the products page.
Air movement
Air movement is another very important requirement of this type of plant, as it is with all natives, and shouldn’t be neglected. Hanging this plant, as we do with our best, is the easiest way to ensure good air movement. It also helps to dry the plants out quicker between watering and makes it harder for the bugs to eat them. Mind you, orchid-chewing bugs can walk on water, and read tags, and have an overwhelming urge to eat your best plants first!Sunlight
This is one of the main factors in flowering your native orchids and in fact probably the key factor, as it is for probably 99% of the world's orchids. Here in the Southern Hemisphere the ideal position for your orchid collection is to ensure it receives morning sun (north, northeast). In the northern hemisphere this would be the opposite (south, southwest). This allows the bulbs to warm gently as the sun rises which is conducive to better flowering & an overall healthier looking plant.
Shade cloth can be introduced to cut back on the hot afternoon sun, 60% is around the level you need depending on how open the area is that you have your orchids placed. Sarcochilus can tolerate a darker environment, so observe the colour & appearance of their leaves. If they are turning a little yellow or shrivelling, it could mean a combination of excess light & insufficient water.Water
Summer is the main problem time. In Summer water during extremely hot weather when the plants need it. Water very early in the morning so that the water can dry from the plant before the intense heat of the day kicks in. If there is no indication that the high temperatures are going to end, water very late in the afternoon or early evening when the sun has gone off your plants. Make sure you saturate the bark mix as well as watering the foliage.
Winter is another story. Being epiphytic, most orchids live on moisture in the air. As a general rule of thumb, water if they need it. During last winter the nursery plants were not watered as such, merely the floor under the benches received 3 or 4 drenchings. Thus when the water evaporates the plants take up the rising moisture. Never water at night in the winter, cold & wet is not a good combination to encourage healthy plants.
These general rules apply to the greater percentage of orchids, both species & hybrids.
We hope this information is helpful to you in your growing of Tropicools™ & native hybrids as well as your native species. | 
