Thailand Orchid Farm Industry

January 13th, 2012

The orchid farm industry in Thailand plays an important role in its economy. The country is full of orchid farms that produce many varieties of rare orchid species. They grow many of the more common orchids as well. The orchid farms are versatile because the orchids that they produce are shipped all over the world to florists, nurseries, garden centers and other distributors. They also provide a popular tourist attraction to anyone visiting the country. Some new breeds of orchids have been produced by these farms too.

orchid farm

The area around Pattaya contains many tourist sights, including the Siriporn Orchid Farm and the Nong Nooch Tropical Botanical Garden. The Nong Nooch Tropical Botanical Garden puts on an entertainment production in its orchid nursery. The show includes performances by trained chimpanzees and elephants. It is highly entertaining for visitors to the gardens. Or you might consider the Orchid and Flower Garden Tour in Amphoe Kathum Baen and Amphoe Ban Phaeo. It includes tours of the orchards, vegetable plantations, orchard farms and coconut groves that supply the main support for those areas. Amphoe Kathum Baen is the better known for its orchard farms. They are located along Setthakit Road.

One species of orchid that was created in Thailand is the Udorn Sunshine Orchid. Also called the Miss Udorn Sunshine, it was copyrighted by the World Orchid Society in the United Kingdom in 1988. The copyright belongs to the Udorn Sunshine Orchid Farm in Thailand. It is the product of crossing a vanda orchid with a Josephine Van Berrow orchid. Nakhon Pathom is another popular spot for orchid tourists. Bangkok Orchid Farm is in the Amphoe Samphran of the province. Nakhon Chaisi River provides a convenient trail for multiple orchid farms as well. For a truly unique experience, visit the Samphran District Office. There you can purchase a cruise that will travel down the Chinda Canal and the Bangchang Canal. Both run along several orchid farms.

Thailand is an important producer of orchids. The research and creation of new species brings beauty into the world. The conservation of the largest plant family is vital for the continued existence of orchids. There are many of the thousands of orchid species that are considered in danger of becoming extinct. Since their natural habitats are being destroyed by land development, maintaining the flowers on orchid farms has become more crucial. In addition, many families and individuals in Thailand are supported by the orchid farm industry.

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Caring For A Vanda Orchid

December 29th, 2011

Vanda orchid is one of the most grown orchids as house-plant in the world and also is one of the five most used orchids in horticulture, this mainly because of its beautiful and spectacular flowers and also for the ease of growing it in artificial conditions. Even so, you must know what the needs of a Vanda orchid are so it can grow properly. Light, water, humidity, air movement and fertilizer are the most important factors in correct Vanda orchid care.

vanda orchid

Vanda orchid comes from equatorial regions; therefore it is used to hot temperatures over 64°F (18°C) in daytime and about 10°F less at nighttime. If you can provide it this temperature all the time then it will be in active growth during the entire year. A Vanda orchid will handle short extreme temperature changes as long as they remain short.

vanda orchid will need copious sunlight as well, but in the same time has to be protected from intense midday sun. The plant should enjoy full sunlight in the morning and afternoon, staying in a more shaded location during midday. Yellow leaves are a sign of overexposure to light while dark green leaves are the result of insufficient sunlight. The leaves should be light green.

Also, in its natural conditions, the Vanda orchid is used to powerful air movement, so you will have to provide this as well. Of course I don’t think the wind blows thru your houses so you will need to improvise using a fan. If there are moments when the temperature goes under the recommended limit, then stop providing air movement until the temperatures goes back to normal values.

Vanda is one of the orchid species that likes a very high level of humidity, somewhere near 80%. On the other hand Vanda is sensitive to over-watering so it is a tricky balance. Don’t water the plant in the afternoon, don’t water it for 2-3 weeks after it blooms, and don’t water it until the potting medium completely dries.

Vanda plants are heavy feeders, so you will have to feed the plant on a weekly basis during its growth season.   Also it must be flushed thoroughly with plain water every week to remove built-up salts. It is recommended to use a Potassium Fertilizer for one month between September and October. This will help the roots to strengthen. From November to June feed the orchid once a month, that is kind of different from other orchid types that don’t need feeding at all during winter.

Vanda orchids don’t enjoy being repotted but you will have to do this once every three years. Also chose a pot big enough to sustain another 3 years of growth, especially because Vanda orchid grows more laterally then vertically.

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Caring For Orchids Differences Between Species

December 14th, 2011

Caring for orchids is all about providing the plant the right combination of essential elements like temperature, light, water and food for copying the orchid’s natural environment. But there are over 25,000 orchid species, found on all continents except Antarctica, each used with all kinds of different conditions, so creating the right environment and caring correctly for orchids may be a little tricky.

caring for orchids

Light is essential for each orchid. In fact insufficient light is the most widely known cause for an orchid not blooming. There are orchid species that have their provenience from equatorial regions, like Vanda or Cattleya that are naturally used with a lot of sunlight. Even so, direct sunlight is not indicated, especially during midday. It is better to have the orchid plant positioned on a west-facing window. But there are orchid types that naturally live in forests and are used to a lot of shade. So for them to correctly adapt to artificial conditions, an east-facing window is indicated. Green orchid leaves will suggest that the plant doesn’t get enough light, while yellow leaves are a sign of over-exposure to sunlight. If you see brown patches on leaves you must reduce the sunlight.

You should also check what temperature is ideal for your type of orchid, as there are significant differences from one orchid type to another. Temperatures between 65°F(18°C) and 75°F(24°C) at daytime are perfect for a Cattleya orchid, 70°F (21°c)  and 85°F (30°C) for a Phalenopsis orchid while Masdevalias does not need temperatures higher than 70°F (21°C). At night the temperature should be about 10-15 °F lower than during daytime.

Watering is another essential factor in orchid caring. Make sure you water early in the day, once every 5-7 days depending on orchid type and climatic conditions, and that the water temperature is close to room temperature. You should never overwater the orchid; otherwise the leaves will get damaged and will become yellow. Many make this mistake, damage from overwatering being the most important cause in orchid diseases. Stop watering for a few weeks if this happens.

The orchid must have a humidity of 50-70%, but again, depending on temperature this can change. There are orchid types that live near the Equator like Vanda that needs 80% humidity. Because this level is higher than the one found in homes, you should consider using artificial methods to increase the humidity level.

Orchid food has also an important role in caring for orchids. You must provide your orchid nutriments that contain potassium, nitrogen and phosphorus.  Also at every 2 years the orchid must be repotted because the potting mix will start to decompose, compress, and become denser and the orchid roots will not have enough access to air.

 

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Building An Orchid Farm As A Greenhouse

November 29th, 2011

Having an orchid farm might be tricky because orchids are pretentious plants and if you don’t provide them with the ideal conditions, they might not grow properly. Deciding to build an orchid farm outdoors is risky because you will be at the mercy of nature. If it will rain to abundantly, the roots might suffocate or your terrestrial orchids might even drown, because they are kind of pretentious when it comes to their water needs.  Also orchids need the same temperature all over the year so if you live in a place where winter is much colder then summer, it will be a big problem. The perfect solution for handling places with inadequate weather is building your orchid farm in a greenhouse because you will have complete control on temperature, water, humidity or air ventilation.

orchid farm

There are two different orchid types that will need different ways of growing in your greenhouse. There are terrestrial orchids that grow in the ground, and in this case you will have to keep them in pots or you can build an orchid bed. No matter what you choose, you will have to use terrestrial orchid mix in favor of garden soil. The second orchid types are Epiphytic orchids that normally grow on trees or on other plants. It would be very difficult to grow other plants as well in your greenhouse just to provide support for the orchids, so a good solution is to use a piece of branch from another plant as support on which the orchid must be anchored. The good thing is that the orchid will easily adapt to this kind of situation.    

Orchids like a lot of sunlight, but don’t like to be directly exposed to it. They also like shade but again within certain limits. It is a tricky balance. In natural conditions the orchid plants are protected by trees but here you will have to artificially provide them some shade. An ideal solution is to cover the roof with polycarbonate material. Hopefully you don’t live in a place covered by clouds all year long because then you will also have to use artificial light. Of course your greenhouse will have to be equipped with heating system, irrigation system and powerful vents.

Another advantage in front of an outdoor orchid farm besides wheatear control is that you won’t have too much to deal with pests so having an orchid farm in a green house might be a good solution.

 

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