How to Grow Container Orchids

Choose a large orchid that grows well indoors. A nursery expert should be able to suggest satisfactory varieties.

Grow your orchid in a clay pot that drains into a saucer. Mix four parts redwood chips and one part crumbled coarse grade charcoal.

Remove the orchid from its original container. Gently loosen the roots with your hands and remove as much of the original potting medium as possible. Cut off any dead or damaged roots with a sharp knife.

Place three or four stones in the bottom of a new clay pot. Lay the roots of the orchid into the pot and let them fall in their natural direction. Cover the roots with at least several inches of fir bark potting mix and press it down tightly with your hands.

Stake the orchid with a piece of thin bamboo and two bread ties. Push the bamboo into the soil, avoiding the orchid roots. Clamp the orchid stem to the bamboo with the ties but do not twist them tightly.

Place the orchid near a window where it will get plenty of light but will not burn. Give the orchid 1 inch of warm water; water the orchid only when this inch becomes dry, since orchids are easily drowned. Sprinkle the soil with orchid plant food every two weeks during the initial growing cycle and stop when the orchid stops growing.