HAMLYN ORCHIDS
HYBRIDIZERS AND
GROWERS OF FINE ORCHIDS
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| Brassavola Broughtonia species Broughtonia hybrids Cattleya Dendrobium Epidendrum Oncidinae Miscellaneous Schomburgkia Vandaceous 2009 -2010 FlaskList Ordering Information GROWING
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Providing proper light for ones
plants is one of the main hurdles to be overcome by the new orchid grower.
When proper lighting is provided orchid growing in the tropics becomes a
very easy task. Poor lighting results in poor growth, poor flowering and
in many instances unhealthy and debilitated plants.
Light for orchids comes naturally from sunlight in nature, though it is possible to grow orchids under artificial lighting. Light is important in the process of photosynthesis where green plants containing chlorophyll utilise sunlight in converting the simple compounds that they absorb into complex carbohydrates, proteins etc., to facilitate their growth and devellopment. Most new orchid growers that we meet in Jamaica seem to think that orchids grow in the dark, wet areas of the forest at high elevation where it is cool. Consequently, many such persons get their first orchids, give them far too much shade and overwater them. Despite this many survive. Perhaps the most commonly heard comment is ' I bought an orchid last year and I has not bloomed again. What should I do with it?' In most instances the plant has been grown in insufficient light. Epiphytic orchids can be successfully grown in trees as long as proper care is taken in placing the orchids in the right environment. Plants that require high light levels are best grown in trees with small leaves and not having dense foliage. Citrus trees are ideal in this regard. Other suitable trees are Guava, and Calabash. In the tropics light is best controlled with shade cloth or with wooden slats. Each has it's advantages. Shade houses made with wooden slats breathe better and tend to be cooler that those made with shade cloth, an important consideration in the tropics. Shadehouses made from shade cloth are easier and cheaper to construct. If you are uncertain about the intensity of the light that your plants are receiving it is best to measure the light with a light meter. Failing this my recomendation is to use the shadow test. This test is fairly good for indicating if you have approximately 50% shade or less. It will therefore indicate whether or not you have too much shade but will not help if you have too little. (This test was develloped by some long gone orchid grower and we make no claim to it.) Stand in the area where you plan on growing the orchid plants holding one hand about one foot above the other so that the light from the sun casts a shadow on the bottom hand. A sharp shadow indicates that there is enough light. A poor or fuzzy shadow indicates inadequete light. No shadow indicates very poor light.
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