7 must have Orchid Essentials

Prepare yourself before you get your precious orchids home.

You might be a beginner or an advanced grower, these seven things are a must have in order to take good care of your orchids. Some of these items could already be with you and some you may have to get.

1. Plant Nutrients/Fertilizer 

Most important of all 7 is plant nutrients. That is because, when we bring orchids  home, the only source of nutrients for orchids is the irrigation water and the growing environment. Fertilizing your orchid regularly provides it with the nutrients it needs for optimal health, immunity and vigorous blooming. Un-nurtured plants will be weak, less immune to pest and diseases, and wouldn’t give you a healthy or vigorous blooming plant. It is very important to use fertilizer. Read the following articles to learn more about plant nutrients and how to select the right one for your orchid. You can buy fertilizers here: Fertilizers

• Basics of Plant Nutrients
• How to choose the right fertilizer for my orchids?

2. Sprayer

Sprayer comes handy for spraying a fertilizer or pesticide or fungicide or bactericide. This is a must have for all orchid growers. 

You can Show here: Sprayers

3. Cutting Tool

When you are into plants, you are the surgeon and you will need a cutting tool. It is very important that you observe your plants often for any infections or diseases. If you find something abnormal, we suggest the first thing you do is cutting off the leaves or canes that is suspicious of any infections. This will prevent the spread of any disease further into other parts of the plants or to the other plants in the garden. 

You can find similar one here: Cutting Tools

4. Disinfectant

As mentioned above, we don't want any disease or infections to spread in the garden. So it is mandatory to sanitise your gardening tools after every cut or use. Isopropyl alcohol Or Hydrogen Peroxide can be used as a wipe (no soaking necessary), it is immediately effective. Hydrogen Peroxide 3% can be a good disinfectant for plants too, you may have to dilute it by 6ml/litre of water to spray on the plants and growing area.

5. Fungicide 

Just like any other living things, plants get diseases, they are prone to fungal diseases mostly when the climate is too humid. 

• Carbendazim+ Mancozeb  (SAAF, Tata Master) – Dosage 1g/L of Water OR
• Mancozeb + Metalaxyl (Ridomil Gold) – Dosage 1g/L of Water

6. Bactericide

7. Pesticide/Insecticide

The treatment for pest or insect infestation depends generally on the type of pest. However the following chemicals will take care of the most common pests on orchids.