Stream Corner

Some growers delight in the very tiny miniature orchids, which can be grown in pots as small as 3cm in diameter. These little gems of the orchid world have a great following, and can be every bit as enjoyable to grow as the larger, showier kinds. However, their small size can create problems of keeping them wet enough and preventing rapid drying out, particularly in the summer.

One successful method of growing miniature orchids is to enclose them in a growing case. An old aquarium used for tropical fish is ideal, and these can often be picked up very cheaply if they are no longer watertight. First establish whether or not there are any leaks around the base; if there are, fit a humidity tray into the base.

The exceptions are the coolgrowing varieties among the pleiones. These plants always do better in a cooler environment for the summer, and any spotting of their foliage usually comes late, at the season's end, just before the leaves turn brown and are shed.

During the summer, the aquarium can be left open at the top; close it down only when warmth needs to be conserved. By setting up a horticultural fluorescent light tube above the plants, it is possible to place the aquarium in an unlit corner that would otherwise be unsuitable for growing orchids. This idea can be adapted to a smaller or larger degree.

Cattleyas retain their leaves for a number of years, and if they are spoilt at an early age, you have to live with a disfigured plant for a long time. Although they like the warmth, cattleyas can easily be burnt by direct sun, and for this reason are better protected from the vagaries of a temperate summer. In tropical regions, however, these orchids will excel under shade cloth, which gives them a constant supply of fresh air without exposure to direct sun. The hard-leafed encyclias and a number of Oncidium species, which include the tough, mule-eared species such as Oncidium splendidum, will take more light than most. The response of their foliage to any extra sunlight is a reddening of the leaves.

Those orchids termed warm-growing include the shade-loving phalaenopsis and a number of the paphiopedilums. Generally, none of these is suitable for outdoor growing, except in the tropics. The temperatures at night are too cold for much of the summer, and the lush foliage of phalaenopsis will suffer from the elements, causing premature leafloss and the death of the plant in extreme cases. The paphiopedilums are altogether too soft-leafed to cope with outdoor conditions, and it becomes impossible to keep the centre of their growths from filling with water when it rains. In a short time this can result in rot to the centre of the growth.

These orchids are not suited to a temperate climate, even in summer. In a mixed collection of various orchids, it can be trial and error that decides those plants that will benefit from summering outdoors. Do not attempt to take outside very young plants, or those growing in particularly small pots. Exposed to the elements, small pots are extremely difficult to keep wet, and at best will be wet one day and dry the next. It becomes impossible to retain an even level of moisture at the roots, which is conducive to all good orchid growing. Small pots are also in danger of being blown over by the wind or even trampled by pets.

An indoor case can be a simple design fitted into an existing windowsill, or it can be quite an elaborate affair, with built-in ventilation from fans, and some lighting to stimulate the plants in winter. This can be placed almost anywhere in the home to provide an eye-catching display, with something of interest always flowering in the case. The larger the case, the greater the number and the size of plants that can be grown.