Orchid growers will tell you that one of the best ways to learn is through experience. This can be quite costly though as orchids are quite expensive to buy and you don’t want a simple mistake to cause you to end up throwing your orchid away. Please bear in mind that each species has different requirements and that your environment will play a significant part in how your orchid grows.

Orchids can be kept both indoors and outdoors but you must remember that orchids generally thrive in warm temperatures. Having said that, there are orchids such as Cymbidium which prefer cooler conditions. They need a temperature of around 10 degrees Celsius (50 Fahrenheit) at night time and up to 24 degrees Celsius (75 degrees Fahrenheit) in the day. It is recommended that you don’t keep your orchid in your conservatory in long summer days as the extreme temperatures will be too much for your orchid. If you must keep your orchid in the conservatory then make sure there is enough shade.

It is important that your orchids get the right amount of sunlight. A lack of sunlight will result in the failure of your orchid to bloom. However, too much light, especially too much sunlight may result in your leaves burning. You can use the color of the leaves indicate whether your orchid is receiving too much light. A yellowish color on your leaves is a clear sign that your orchid is receiving too much light.

Think about the positions in and around your house where you keep your orchids. Because of their beauty, orchids are often kept on display in the main living area. How much natural light do these areas receive? Windowsills are a good place. Consider the directions that your windows are facing. North facing windows will be better for orchids which don’t require much sunlight. For orchids which require more sunlight then a south facing window will be better. Be careful of west facing window in the long summer evenings as sunburnt leaves are a real possibility.

If your geographical location means that you can’t provide enough natural light for your orchids then consider using artificial light. Allow your orchid some time to rest, don’t have the artificial lights on constantly.

Light is only one consideration when talking about orchid care but a very important one and shouldn’t be neglected.