The Encyclopedia Brittanica describes an epiphyte
(pronounced: "ep-uh-fight") as a type of plant that lives on another
plant or object just for support. Some common types of epiphytes are orchids, air plants, mosses such as Spanish moss, ferns like Staghorn and Birds Nest ferns, bromeliads, hoyas and others. For this post, we'll focus on orchids.
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an example of an epiphyte orchid attached to a tree in its natural habitat |
Epiphytic (pronounced: "ep-eh-fit-ic") orchids are fascinating plants that grow on other plants, usually trees, without taking nutrients from their hosts. Instead, they absorb moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, and debris around them. This unique lifestyle allows them to thrive in environments where soil is scarce or poor in nutrients. Most epiphytic orchids are characterized by
having distinctive, fleshy stems called pseudobulbs, which enable
them to survive periods of drought. Think
of pseudobulbs as being the humps on camels.
Camels store water in their humps to get them through long periods
without water. Pseudobulbs store water
and nutrients to support the rest of the plant.
Epiphytic orchid leaves are usually robust and leathery which helps
reduce water loss and be able to withstand harsher weather conditions. These orchids have adapted to their aerial lifestyle with specialized roots that can cling to surfaces and absorb water efficiently. Their roots are often covered in a spongy tissue called velamen, which helps them retain moisture. However, they can occasionally pose a threat to trees, as the combined
weight of the orchids, mosses, and damp organic material can result in branches
breaking and falling.
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Botanical drawing of a Zygopetalum orchid with its pseudobulbs
Warner R Williams - 1877 |
About 70% (around 18,000 species) of all orchids are
epiphytes, which are plants that grow on other plants. These epiphytic orchids primarily
live in tropical and subtropical regions, where the length of daylight and
sun positioning remain fairly constant throughout the year, and
temperatures are generally stable and above freezing. While epiphytic orchids can attach to various
parts of a tree, most species prefer the inner branches and limbs of large,
mature trees, typically found midway up in lightly shaded areas. Certain types of trees are more likely to
host orchids; for instance, rough-barked trees that retain moisture in their
crevices are more favorable for orchid growth compared to smooth-barked
varieties. However, for some epiphytes, the quality of
the bark is less significant as long as there is a buildup of organic matter.
Epiphytic orchids are known for their stunning and diverse flowers, which come in a wide range of shapes, sizes, and colors. Some popular examples include the Phalaenopsis (moth orchid), Cattleya, and Dendrobium species.
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| A botanical drawing of a Phalaenopsis orchid by J Nugent Fitch - 1882 |
Phalaenopsis orchids (your most common orchid found in the grocery or home improvement store) grow in a monopodial (*1) style and don’t have pseudobulbs. Out of the approximately 70 species in the Phalaenopsis genus, many are commonly known as ‘moth orchids.’ While some plants are mainly pollinated by moths, the term ‘moth orchid’ actually comes from the way their broad, flat petals look like a moth in flight, rather than the insects that pollinate them.
So how do we bring the beauty of epiphytic orchids into our homes?
Considering epiphytes grow on trees, how to we give the plant what it needs to grow in our homes? Most of us don't have the exact environment that epiphytes need to grow. When it comes to epiphytic orchids, they are pretty easy to take care of as a house plant. Bonus points if you live in a climate where it stays 70° and over year 'round. To keep an epiphytic orchid happy in our homes, all we really need to give them is a good potting media, light, water, ambient temperature and fertilizer.
Let's break it down by requirements/needs:
Light: Epiphytic orchids thrive in bright, indirect light. Place them near a window with filtered sunlight or use sheer curtains to diffuse the light. If you don't have a window that provides adequate sunlight, you can use grow lights. In my current setup, I am using mostly
Barrina T5 grow lights, with a few other types of grow lights that are on flexible arms. The way our house is positioned, we don't get a lot of natural light on a daily basis that would give my orchids what they need.
Humidity: These orchids love humidity. Aim for a humidity level of 50-70%. You can use a humidity tray, mist the plants regularly, or use a humidifier. Giving our epiphytic orchids the humidity they need can be tricky, especially in a super dry home. Here, we have a wood stove in our basement that we run during the colder months to supplement our heat, so our house is on the drier side. Since most of my orchids are now in a grow cabinet, I can manage the humidity better. Before I got my grow cabinets, the way I helped give my orchids the humidity they needed was to lightly mist them a couple times a week with filtered water from the fridge that was room at temperature. All of my orchids are in pots with holes for ventilation. Before I had my grow cabinets, I had purchased pots that were slightly bigger than the orchid pots. In the bottom of the pots, they had a little raised ridge that kept the inner pot off the bottom of the other pot. I added water to the bottom of the pot to make a different version of a humidity tray and that seemed to help. When you mist your orchids, make sure there isn't any "standing water" in the crevices of the leaves as it could cause what's called crown rot and you don't want that for your plant.
Watering: Water your orchids thoroughly, but allow the roots to dry out between waterings. Overwatering can lead to root rot. I generally water my orchids by soaking them in room temperature tap water for 30 minutes to an hour every other week. DO NOT WATER YOUR ORCHID WITH ICE CUBES!!! Your orchid is a tropical plant, watering your orchids with 3 ice cubes will shock your plant and it will not like it. I firmly believe that the floral industry put those watering cards on orchids so that your orchid will die, causing the consumer to purchase more orchids. If your house is drier, you can adjust your watering schedule to suit your plant’s needs. Sometimes this means watering once a week. Look at the roots on your orchid and it will let you know when it’s ready to be watered.
Orchid roots have a covering called velamen (vell-uh-men) which acts like a sponge, soaking up water. Velamen also protects the roots. Healthy orchid roots are firm to the touch and are white to green in color. Orchid roots will look green/bright green after they have watered and once they start to dry out, you will see the silver-ish white covering of velamen over the roots.
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healthy orchid roots, showing the velamen circled in red
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You don't want to base your watering schedule on the look of the roots alone. You'll want to feel the potting media to see if it’s still damp or not and use that as a sign, along with the roots. (See potting medium section below)
Air Circulation: Good air circulation is essential to prevent fungal infections. Use a fan to keep the air moving around your orchids. This can be something as simple as a ceiling fan running during the day.
Potting Medium: Use a well-draining potting mix, such as bark, sphagnum moss, or a commercial orchid mix. Avoid using regular potting soil, as it retains too much moisture. There are some really good commercial mixes out there that I use when I pot my epiphytic orchids. When I look for potting media, I like it to have a good mix of bark, charcoal, moss, leca and perlite. This potting mix, I can find at the local home improvement store, and it gives my orchids the growing media they need to thrive.
Better-Gro Special Orchid Mix - Premium Grade Orchid Bark Potting Mix There are other mixes out there, so it depends on your preference on brand and price point. The mix mentioned above provides adequate drainage, air flow and root ventilation. There are some orchids that can be planted in a potting soil mix, like your terrestrial orchids (jewel orchids for example) but epiphytic orchids would not do well in potting soil.
Fertilizing: Feed your orchids with a balanced orchid fertilizer every 2-4 weeks during the growing season. For me, I generally water every 2 weeks and fertilize once a month. If you have flower spikes or buds, you generally don't want to fertilize the plant during that time as it can cause them to lose their blooms early, so only fertilize when there aren't any buds present for best results. There are various types of fertilizers out on the market. I generally use a crystalized type that I dissolve in water when I soak my orchids.
Temperature: Maintain a temperature range of 60-80°F (15-27°C) during the day and slightly cooler at night. Avoid placing your orchids near drafts or heating vents. Remember, these are tropical plants, so too cold of a temperature can damage the orchid (remember the ice cube watering thing I mentioned above?). If your orchids are in a window sill, move them further back when it starts to get cold. If you have a window that gives bright indirect light, but gets cold when it gets dark, move your orchid to a different part of the room overnight so that the plant doesn't get too cold.
Repotting: The general rule for repotting orchids is to repot your orchids every 1-2 years to refresh the potting medium and provide more space for root growth. Over time, the potting media will break down and not hold as much moisture or nutrients for your orchid. By putting your orchid on a potting schedule, it will give it the optimal space and media that it needs to thrive. When I bring an orchid home, I wait until it has finished blooming before I repot. Repotting allows me to inspect the roots and trim away any roots that are mushy or dead and remove any peat plugs that may still be on the root ball of the orchid. Doing this gives me a baseline to go off of for the general health of the orchid. You can purchase orchid pots from your local home improvement store, or even online. I tend to gravitate towards the plastic pots with slots/holes in them to allow for air flow. While I do like the pretty clay pots, they are often times more expensive than the plastic ones, and when the roots grow through the holes in the clay pots, you almost always have to break the pretty pot or damage the roots of the orchid when you repot. Since the plastic pots are cheaper, this is a more economical way to repot your orchids. If the clay pot is bigger than the plastic pot, you can always set the plastic pot inside the pretty clay pot for display.
I know all of this information may seem like a lot, but it's not really a lot in the grand scheme of things, especially if you already have house plants.
I plan on making a post in the future to go into detail on how to inspect your orchids roots and know what to look for. I also plan to do a live stream or zoom meeting in the future on "what to do with the orchid you just brought home and how to take care of it" that gives a hands on approach with inspecting the plant and trimming roots, repotting, etc. In the meantime though, if you have any questions about how to take care of orchids, please don't hesitate to reach out. I'll be happy to walk you through and answer your questions you may have to get you going with orchids.
Thanks for reading my blog! If you'd like to get updates on when new blog posts get posted, be sure to hit the follow button in the right hand column.
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Phalaenopsis orchid, painted by Will J Bailey |
(*1) Monopoidal means "growing upward with a single main stem or axis that produces leaves and flowers. The word comes from the Greek words mono- meaning one, and poidal, meaning foot.
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