Purple Orchid Plant : A Guide to Cultivating and Caring

A post frog loving orange plants, purple one, green one, vine.Orchids are among the oldest plants on Earth. Their grace and beauty underlie a sizeable and diverse family of blooms requiring special knowledge for cultivation. So why burrow deeper into the confusion? A purple orchid plant, with its dramatic color and elegant shape, is a graceful choice for cultivation. But, for improperly prepared beginners, these graceful flowers take special care to cultivate. With recent innovations, it is now easier and more enjoyable to grow and care for purple orchids. By learning about their origins, varieties, biology and maintenance, along with simple cultivation techniques, you can add style to your home décor and grow your own orchids. This guide is presented to lead into exotic territory when it comes to planting, taking care of and cultivating purple orchids.

 

Understanding the Purple Orchid: Origins and Varieties

The purple orchid is an alluring flower species; its purple hues symbolise glory, reverence and admiration, just like our official orchid, Vanda missinga. The orchid family is one of the biggest families of angiosperms, or flowering plants. There are more than 25,000 known orchid species and more than 100,000 hybrids. The purple orchids are categorised into a couple of the most familiar species and genera like Phalaenopsis, Cattleya and Dendrobium orchids.

Phalaenopsis Orchids

Among purple orchids, the ‘moth orchid’ Phalaenopsis is probably the most common variety. Often called the ‘moth orchid’ because of its fuzzy flower shape, this species has its origins in Southeast Asia, the Philippines and northern Australia. Long-blooming – in some cases, up to several months with the right care – and often featuring large, flat flowers perched upon a singular stalk, moth orchids can range in colour from light lavender to deep violet.

Cattleya Orchids

Cattleyas, sometimes called the ‘queen of orchids’, also make wonderful cut flowers; their fragrance is rivalled only by its beauty. Originally found in Central and South America, these orchids were traditionally used to make corsages, but are now popular thanks to their bright and unusual blooms. While there are many purple forms worth noting, the patterns on the ruffled petals, and the inky difference of how purple appears in the light, make these Cattleyas particularly desirable.

Dendrobium Orchids

Dendrobium orchids are another large and very variable group and are found in Asia, Australia and the Pacific Islands. The purple varieties of Dendrobium have tall, slender stems holding several blooms that dangle from the stem. These orchids are tougher, occupying a broader range of growing conditions, and are suited to the enthusiastic amateur.

The Symbolism and Significance of Purple Orchids

Purple orchids are not only pretty plants. They are loaded with symbolic meaning that varies from culture to culture. In China, an orchid was once considered a medicinal plant believed to enhance virility in men, or affect strength in women. In Victorian England, the heraldic orchid was a symbol of ‘richness, gentility and elegance’. In recent years, a purple orchid is chosen to represent admiration, respect and dignity.

The colour purple itself, in Western culture, has long been associated with royalty and a sense of nobility because the traditional dyes that produced purple pigments were – and still are – expensive to create. The purple orchid therefore can be seen as something associated with lavishness and nobility. The purple orchid is believed, within Feng Shui, to bring ‘chi’ or ‘qi’ (what many refer to as ‘life-force energy’) and is often cited as a form of feng shui amulet used in attempts to bring ‘prosperity and success to relationships’.

Cultivating Purple Orchids: Essential Care Tips

Raising her purple orchid requires a knowledge of its needs. Orchids have a reputation for being fussy but are actually quite hardy when the conditions are right.

Light Requirements

Orchids can be described as epiphytic plants, meaning that they grow on other plants such as trees in their natural habitat, and it is here that they thrive in the filtered light of the canopy. In order to successfully grow a purple Orchid indoors, it needs bright, indirect light; if positioned in direct sunlight for most of the day, the light will scorch the leaves, whereas if positioned in darkness, the plant will not bloom. East and west facing windows provide the best lighting for purple orchids. If exposure to natural light can not be afforded, grow lights provide supplementation.

Temperature and Humidity

Warm and stable temperature is important for purple orchid – in other words, purple orchid generally grows well at 65-75°F (18-24°C) during the day and a bit cooler at night. Sudden temperature change can cause a shock to your orchid, which can impair the plant from blooming. Regarding to humidity, any orchid will grow optimally in a humid environment. Humid air provides a good habitat for orchid to take moisture from the air through their leaves and roots. The general humidity in our living room is usually between 50-70%. If your room is dry (especially during winter), please try to use a humidifier or the orchid will do well on a humidity tray.

Watering and Feeding

Keeping an orchid well-watered is right out. They won’t survive if overwatered (they’re prone to root rot) and they will dry out if you water too little and too late. To get it right, aim to let the potting medium dry out a little between waterings. Our advice: water once a week, but learn your orchid by regularly lifting the pot to get a feel for when it’s just starting to dry out. Also, make sure to time watering so the orchid gets a nice drink but excess water has time to evaporate during the day. If you frequently water your plants in the evening, water orchids in the morning.

In terms of watering, orchids need to be fertilised once a month during the growing season (spring and summer) when they’re feeding and the temperature is higher, and every two weeks during the dormant season (fall and winter) when they’re not feeding and the temperature is lower. A balanced 20-20-20 orchid fertiliser diluted to half strength can be used for both periods.

Potting and Repotting

Orchids do not grow in soil, like most houseplants and even most other plants. Instead, they need a fresh potting medium every couple of years. That’s because the medium breaks down with time and no longer drains or allows for proper air flow. Bark, sphagnum moss or a blend of the two works well.

When repotted, use a container no larger than just a bit bigger than the ball of roots. Loosen the orchid from its pot, remove any dead or rotted roots, and adjust the plant so that its base rests just within the top of the new container and the medium. In spring, just before the new growth begins to emerge, it’s time to move the phalaenopsis. Repotting can be done only occasionally, as phal are bullied by the addition of new potting soil; they really don’t like it.

Pruning and Encouraging Blooms

Getting the Thai orchids to bloom is fairly easy, but the key to further blossoms, and to maintaining their vitality, lies in pruning. After the flowers have fallen, clip the leaf and bloom back to the node or russet swelling, just above the joint. Pruning lowers the leaves’ height for easier indoor display and may also prompt further blooms. For example, trimming the stem of a Phalaenopsis orchid just above the third joint from its base sometimes causes a secondary bloom. Cattleya (aka Cattleya hybrids, an American hybrid within the Cattleya genus) and Dendrobium (a genus of Asian, Australian and South Pacific orchids, hybridised versions of which are extremely popular in the US as floral gifts) require different pruning techniques.

Also you need to give the orchid a period of cooler nighttime temperatures especially in the fall, to set up the blooming cycle. Flower production also depends on giving the plant enough light.