HOW TO CARE FOR YOUR JEWEL ORCHIDS
Updated: May 22, 2022
Trying to figure out the best care for your new (or old) jewel orchids? Tired of googling and finding contradictory information? I feel your pain!
In all honestly, jewel orchids are really not hard to grow and maintain. Think about the environment these plants originate from - little understory plants that grow in the dappled shade of bigger shrubs and trees around them, in mostly tropical or subtropical climes and at different levels of elevation.
Lets break this down a bit, shall we?
“Understory plants” => growing close to the ground in moss and leaf litter which is generally damp and airy, with good nutrient value
“Dappled shade in nature” => a little direct light maybe but generally shady.
“Tropical and subtropical” => grows in a consistent high humidity
“Different levels of elevation” => wide range of temperatures due to weather patterns, fog, seasonality, or simply day-night differences
So what does this mean to the average houseplant enthusiast wanting to enjoy them in their home?
🪴 Airy and damp substrate or moss
🌥 Relatively low light of 50-80 umol is about right
💧 Humidity 70 -80%
🌡 16C to 28C is good, although 22C or thereabouts is ideal
I find that a good rule of thumb is, if you are comfortable in a room, your plants likely are too. Of course for short periods of time we can all deal with a little extra cold or a little extra heat, but generally we want to be in a comfortable temperature range. It's the same with water or light too. I really wouldn't want to be sitting all day with my feet in a puddle of cold water, would you?
So there you have it! Have you been giving your jewel orchids these optimal conditions? If not, what can you change now to help your little orchids thrive? :-)
Does this inspire you to try growing more jewel orchids? At Ugly Plantling we grow a variety of jewel orchids species and only bring to you those that we have successfully grown long term in the UK.