If you have been following me for a while, you know that I love any reason to get out and visit the Central Coast or to look at any type of pretty flower! This time, I was able to go and visit Cal Coast Orchids, which is a family-owned greenhouse operation that specializes in growing Phalaenopsis orchids in Los Osos, California.
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How Cal Coast Orchids Grows Orchids Differently
Although I am a huge orchid fan, I am no expert when it comes to growing or caring for them! I will say, though, that there were some distinct differences I noticed upon walking into their greenhouse that I am not used to seeing with other orchids. Some examples include:
- Growing Medium – The orchids are grown in bark, instead of the more commonly used peat moss (a growing medium that can easily be imported). They use bark because that is how orchids grow in nature – on trees and not in the ground. This does add a higher cost to the operation because bark cannot be imported due to any potential diseases that may enter with the bark from other countries. Using bark as a growing medium does result in needing to water the orchids more (although it still only averages around once every three weeks).
- Clear Containers – These are helpful to show when the orchids need to be watered, and to make sure you are not over-watering them. They are also used by the grower because orchid roots are where photosynthesis occurs (as these are epiphytic/lithophyticorchids and not terrestrial orchids), so the clear containers provide the necessary sunlight to perform this function. They use both the cups and the sleeves to prevent the air roots (those up near the leaves that do not grow into the bark) from growing into their neighbor, which reduces overlapping plants and promotes even watering among all of the plants to allow for consistent growth. The sleeves are removed and recycled when the plants are sold. (They do not reuse them because of the possibility of spreading disease among their plants is a lot more costly than not reusing the sleeves.)
Another main difference between them and other growers (which is not evident by looking around) is that they take approximately 22 weeks to produce their plants, where the competition will use light and heat to stress the plants to get them to the market within 16-18 weeks.
Orchid Growing Environment
Everything in the greenhouse is controlled by a computer. There is a Priva machine that measures the temperature, humidity and light throughout the greenhouse and adjusts the settings accordingly. Some examples include opening or closing the curtains and/or windows located on the roof of the greenhouse to regulate light and temperature, and having a high-pressure mist system go off to regulate the humidity. These controls are really important to have in place because the orchid plants can be ruined within minutes. One example given was that of sunburn on the leaves. When the lighting is wrong, sunburn can occur on the leaves within three minutes and your entire crop can be ruined instantaneously.
How to Know When Orchids Need to be Watered?
Orchid roots will visibly tell you when they need to be watered (which is what is great about the use of the clear containers!). The two different colors the roots give off are grey or green.
- If the roots are grey, they need to be watered.
- If the roots are green, they do not need to be watered.
When the plants are watered, all of the roots will turn green (see picture on the right below) and then as the water depletes, all of the roots will slowly turn grey. The picture example on the left shows partially grey and partially green roots, so the plant is not ready to be watered yet but it is getting there.
The Different Types of Orchid Roots
There are two different types of orchid roots, those that grow down into the pots and aerial roots that grow up and out.
- Pot Roots – These roots grown down into the growing medium and, in the case of this growing operation, uptake nutrients from the bark.
- Aerial roots – The aerial roots act as though they are the “arms” of the orchid, and in nature, they would use these roots to grab on to other things, such as a tree (which is why the additional sleeves are used on the clear containers). When these roots are opened up, there is a rope on the inside that gets thinner and thinner as you move towards the end of the root. Since I am not familiar with seeing these roots when looking at orchids, I thought it was a sign of poor plant health. However, it is natural for these to grow, but most retailers remove them. It is not ideal for these roots to be removed, but you can do it since these plants do not need to survive in nature. This operation sends out the orchids with these roots still intact. (You can see an example of this in the picture below to the far right.)
Staking Orchids
Two stakes per plant are used to support the plant as it grows. Orchids naturally grow towards the light, but once the flowers open up, the end of the branches are too heavy with the open flowers and cannot support themselves so the stake is placed there to provide support. The two stakes are added to each pot once the buds get a little bit bigger than pea-sized (well before the flowers bloom), and they are attached to each stem right above the first flower for maximum support. These stakes stay on the plants throughout shipment.
This operation has also started doing trials with circle and heart shaping, which you will commonly see on display.
How to Get Orchids to Last Longer!
This all starts with the initial flower that you purchase. If it is grown properly, your success rate will be a lot higher. Proper watering, positioning throughout the house and tending to the plant over time are important if you are planning on keeping it for longer than the plant’s original flower blooms. Cal Coast Orchids has an extensive list on how to water your plants, how to know when to water your plants, how to position your orchids in the house and much more that you can find on their website.
If you buy orchids with a flower or two open, you should have an approximate shelf-life of 4-months before all of the flowers drop off. However, if you keep and care for the plant, then it will re-bloom within 3-4 months. The conditions in a household (e.g., light, temperature, humidity) stress the plants and encourage flowering. Orchids can last for up to 5-6 years in the household environment, while re-blooming around every 6 months.
When do Orchids Need to be Re-Potted?
The answer to this is probably not what you were expecting to hear. Orchids do not need to be re-potted until the entire root ball consists of roots. This will not occur until years after the original planting.
I would like to thank Cal Coast Orchids for the tour and for letting me share the gathered content!