Do orchids do well in an office? Yes , they do. Orchids are gentle delicate plants and the magnificent looks of the plants are the highlight of these plants. Orchid foliage would be dark green in color. Further they would carry showy blooms as well.
The spectacular flowers and their sweet fragrance are two reasons as to why you should have these plants at the office. Usually, the orchids are hardy in USDA hardiness zones 6 through 9 and those conditions would suit them the best. Having said that, they would also grow well indoors as well. However, when you cultivate them, you need to make sure that you mimic the same conditions they get in their natural habitats.
How do you keep an orchid alive in an office?
Sunlight requirement
Orchids need to have sufficient sunlight to grow to their best potential irrespective of the place you grow. So, when you keep them in the office, be mindful of this fact and grow them in a suitable place where they can gain sufficient sunlight Ideally it needs to be bright indirect sunlight.
So, considering that your office space is more like a cubicle where there are no windows, I do not recommend the orchids for you. With that being said, orchids would thrive well under artificial light as well. In fact, you need to consider placing artificial lights if they have a scarcity for natural sunlight.
Fluorescent flight would be a great pick here. Orchids such as phalaenopsis or paphiopedilum would thrive well with artificial lights. However, Vandas and cymbidiums would prefer to have natural sunlight as much as they can.In addition to that, orchids require high humidity levels also to flourish
Temperature requirement
In addition to the sunlight requirement, you need to mainly concern yourself with the temperature requirement of the orchids when you try to make them survive in your office space. Different orchid varieties have different requirements in terms of temperature. Exposing them for proper temperature is quite important as it will have a greater impact in making them bloom.
However, in general context, orchids would prefer to have a temperature around 50 degrees Fahrenheit to 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Further it would be better if you could expose them to a 10 degrees Fahrenheit drop in temperature at night , especially when you try to make them flower. Bear in mind that it is important for the orchids to have slight fluctuations in temperatures for the flowering activity.
I recommend placing your precious orchids right next to a bright sunny window as then they will be able to have a slight drop in temperature. With that being said, if you grow them along with artificial light, your plants will be able to have a drop in temperature naturally once you turn off the lights.
Watering requirement
Orchids are somewhat picky when it comes to watering. Further you need to adjust watering them depending on several factors such as orchid species, pot material, substrate , temperature level, humidity as well as on the lighting.
To elaborate further on this, if you have grown the plants in a porous pot, they would retain less moisture in the pots when you compare them with non-porous pots. There are orchid species which grow well in drought conditions while there could be some which are quite sensitive to watering. To elaborate further on this, there are orchids such as cattleyas, dendrobiums, and oncidiums which would thrive well with once-a-week watering.
However, if we consider orchids such as paphiopedilums, Miltonia, and Phragmipedium, they would prefer to have watering once every four to five days. However, irrespective of the water requirement of these plants, you need to always go ahead with the water at room temperature. If you end up using much colder water, it would be unhealthy for the plants.
Further you need to water the plants only if they are dry. That way you can guarantee that you do not create any waterlogged condition in the soil mix. Refrain from over watering as it would bring an unhealthy impact on the plants. You simply have to check whether the soil is dry and then consider adding some water.
Moreover, your pot needs to have sufficient draining as well. if you mistakenly end up wetting the plant crown, you need to immediately dry it using a piece of cloth. What I would suggest you do is to water the plants in the morning so that it has sufficient time to evaporate water. It would avoid the plant staying wet and consequently it would create less potential for fungal and bacterial infections.
Fertilizer requirement
It is important that you provide some plant food so that it would help them to grow vigorously. Besides, it is important for the flower blossoming activity as well. Just like in watering, different orchids would have different fertilizer requirements. However , I recommend feeding them once every two weeks in spring and summer as during that period they would be growing well.
On the other hand, you can feed them once every month during fall and winter. That said, many people opt to skip feeding them at all during fall and winter. A half strength fertilizer of 30-10-10 would work well with these plants when they are in the active growing phase. However, when they approach the blooming season, it is best to use a 20-20-20 fertilizer.
Chances are that you may sometimes forget to feed them once or twice when you are at the office. In that case, it would be best to have a schedule and then feed them. Do not apply fertilizers in excess as it would be unhealthy on the plants. Further chances are that it may even kill the plants. However, in case you accidentally over feed them. you can simply flush with water.
Soil Mix
I recommend going ahead with a porous soil mix which has excellent drainage to grow the orchids. Further it has to be slow decomposing as well. If your orchid is somewhat large, a coarse potting medium would be ideal. On the other hand, if you have a terrestrial orchid, you need to select a denser growing medium which has sand and sphagnum moss included.
Further you can easily acquire orchid potting mixes from garden stores as well. A perfect soil mix for orchids would be a mix of coarse bark chunks perlite and peat. You may also use sphagnum moss and horticultural charcoal also for this purpose.
Other facts
You need to expose them to proper humidity levels to make the orchids thrive well in the office space. So, if your office space doesn’t have sufficient humidity levels, you could consider placing humidifiers. Additionally , they need to have a good aeration as well. Be mindful of these factors when you try to make them survive in the office space.
Are orchids easy to maintain indoors?
It is easy to maintain the orchids when you grow them indoors. However, you need to first educate yourself on how to grow them properly and on the right care tips you need to practice as well. Once you get hold of this information, growing them indoors is not a massive task. Once you provide the right growing conditions for them , they would make excellent indoor plants.
Where is the best place to put an orchid?
Place them in a spot where they can gain sufficient sunlight. You might opt to place them on the desk, but if that place doesn’t receive sufficient sunlight, it would not be the place. Since they prefer to have bright indirect sunlight, it is best to locate them near a bright sunny windowsill.
On the other hand, if your office doesn’t have windows, I recommend refrain from growing the plants. There are species such as Phalaenopsis or Paphiopedilum which would perform well in growing lights while the species such as vandas and cymbidium would prefer to have natural sunlight as much as they can.
So be mindful of the right orchid before you start growing them indoors. Considering all these facts, I suggest the best place to locate the orchids would be a bright sunny windowsill.
Benefits of having orchids in office
Orchids are such spectacular plants which anybody wants to have. They’re aesthetically beautiful plants and the blooms of the orchids make them look even more beautiful and attractive. They would soothe you mentally as well. In addition to that they would improve the air quality.
Consequently , it would stimulate the immune system and make you healthy as well. Orchids are mood enhancers which will cheer you up at any time. Since you need to spend almost eight hours in the office, how lovely It would be to spot a shiny glowing orchid In Front of you. It will brighten up your room and make the office space look prettier.
Conclusion
To sum up, nobody would hesitate to have these aesthetically pleasant looking fragrant plants in your offices. These plants are useful in so many aspects. Besides, it would grace the entire workstation set up as well. However, you need to be mindful of the care treatments you need to provide them and as long as you do it to the perfection they will thrive well in your office.
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