CHENNAI: Five years ago, nostalgia and love for delicate flowers led Chinthu Vivek to revamp her garden when she arrived at her marital home in Ernakulam. Today, she is the proud owner of around 1,500 orchid plants. According to her, back home, her mother had a lot of flowers in her garden. “After I got married and shifted to my husband’s house, finding the garden devoid of flowering plants made me crave for the colourful flora that I was used to. I wanted flowers that would not wilt soon,” she said, adding, “That is the reason I chose orchids, since their flowers last longer.”
Another factor that made orchids her choice was the ease in handling the cultivation process. “The plants do not need soil and the amount of water needed too is less. Also, the fact that they can be placed anywhere made orchids the best option,” she said.
Chinthu’s garden has more than 250 varieties of orchids from both within and outside the country. “Nearly all orchids in my collection are imported. The indaigenous ones are only five per cent of the total number but they are easy to grow in Kerala,” said Chinthu, who has a doctorate in biotechnology. For her, gardening is a very relaxing hobby. “I spend around two to three hours in my garden every day,” said Chinthu, who also helps run her family’s seafood business — Geo Sea Food.
“The humidity and weather conditions are apt for these plants, which are normally found in the rain forests. Since these plants take up very little space, growing orchids as a hobby is very convenient for those living in the cities,” she said. Some of the exotic varieties in Chinthu’s garden include bulbophyllums, encyclias, grammatophyllum, catasettums, angeacum, coelogyne, stanhopeas and gongoras.
Tips to grow orchids
Care for indoor orchid plants is easy once you learn how to grow them properly. These interesting flowers can be found in a range of colours and sizes. They make for excellent accent planting in nearly any home décor. Orchids require little care once all their basic needs such as light, temperature, and humidity are met.
Most orchids require moist, well-drained conditions. Several types of growing media can be used with orchid plants — redwood or fir bark, sphagnum peat moss, rocks, cork, charcoal, sand, potting soil, etc.
A basic mix for growing orchids consists of coarse perlite, fir bark, and sphagnum moss.
Shallow planting
Place orchids beside an east-south-facing window or room. These plants prefer bright, indirect light. Insufficient light results in poor flowering. However, too much light can lead to leaf scorch. Temperature is also important for indoor orchid care. While the plants tolerate cooler or warmer temperatures throughout their normal growing season, they need to be about 15 degrees cooler at night than during the day to bloom sufficiently.