47 
September, 19 2 0 
GROWING YOUR OWN ORCHIDS 
A Seldom Understood Hobby Which Is Interesting, Easy and Not Too Ex¬ 
pensive—Cultural Requirements of Good Varieties 
ANNETTE CANNERT 
Orchid Houses 
The standard orchid house as perfected to¬ 
day is a moderately low span roofed house, 
preferably with southern exposure, and with 
natural earth as a base because of the moisture 
giving surface of soil. Ventilation is gener¬ 
ally accomplished through top ventilators op¬ 
erated by a mechanical device. These houses, 
when of small size, generally have a narrow 
platform or shelf on each side, and the regular 
greenhouse stage down the center. 
There are, of course, many varieties of 
showy orchids one sees today in the windows 
of florists that are better grown in cool tem¬ 
peratures. They require generally a medium 
temperature of 50° to 60° at night and 60° 
to 70° in the day, but are extremely hardy and 
will stand as low as 40° Fahr. in winter. 
With a little ingenuity, however, the amateur 
can adapt his own sun parlor to raising or¬ 
chids, and provided he can have a medium 
temperature of 60° during the day (the sun 
heat furnishes the additional heat) and 50° 
at night in the winter, many showy species of 
orchids can be successfully raised. Among 
these are the Odontoglossum, which is a spray 
at least three feet long, bearing as many as 
fifteen and more small orchids; the Oncidium, 
another species of spray 
orchid; the Cattleya, 
which is one of the 
species of lavender or¬ 
chids one sees in the 
windows of florists, and 
several other extremely 
decorative species. 
These are known as 
“cool-house” orchids, 
and can be obtained at 
very reasonable prices 
from almost any of the 
growers. 
Amateurs, if they are 
to meet with success, 
must not be so am¬ 
bitious as to attempt to 
grow other species of 
orchids requiring great¬ 
er heat than they can 
evenly supply, for 
while the cool-house 
species can stand a 
warmer temperature 
than is actually re¬ 
quired, the hot-house 
kind will not withstand 
the cooler temperature. 
Given an adaptable 
sun parlor or conserva¬ 
tory, the first question 
of importance is how 
to heat it evenly day 
and night, and what is 
the best heating system to use. 
A white oncidium 
growing in a hang¬ 
ing orchid pot with 
holes for air and 
drainage 
Heating Systems 
It is, of course, conceded that hot water is 
the only satisfactory method of artificial heat¬ 
ing for raising orchids—in fact, for all flow¬ 
ers—because of the gentle, evenly radiated 
heat laden with humidity. Every effort, there¬ 
fore, should be made by the amateur to have 
hot water. There are several types of low 
combustion boilers which can be installed 
without great difficulty and which would prove 
most satisfactory. Tests must be made of the 
temperature during the day and night before 
plants are set in. 
Where, on the other hand, steam heat or hot 
air must be used, there are several ingenious 
ways of overcoming the lack of moisture. One 
of these is by having a vessel filled with water 
at all times on the radiator; another, by grow¬ 
ing varieties of plants and ferns requiring 
large quantities of water. These tend to sat¬ 
urate the air with moisture. 
After having arranged for the heating, other 
things are necessary to make a sun parlor suit¬ 
able for raising orchids and generally adapt it 
for the accommodation of the plants. It is 
most important that means Ire provided for 
adequate ventilation; also shelves and plat¬ 
forms must be erected to hold plants, and vari¬ 
ous other details which naturally suggest 
themselves. 
Where the sun parlor or conservatory is 
small, ventilation takes care of itself—the 
small cracks in the woodwork of windows and 
(Continued on page 82) 
R aising orchids 
. has always been 
associated in the minds 
of amateurs with a 
great outlay of money, 
minute, constant care 
and only remote possi¬ 
bilities of success. Or¬ 
chids, therefore, though 
scarce and greatly ad¬ 
mired, have been left 
to the untiring efforts 
of the few men who 
give all their efforts to 
growing them success¬ 
fully. 
As a fact, however, 
growing orchids is 
really quite a simple 
feat, and one easily 
within reach of any 
amateur with a real 
love for flowers. Given 
a light and sunny po¬ 
sition with proper heat¬ 
ing, splendid results 
can be obtained with 
less care than is ordi¬ 
narily expended by the 
average person on rais¬ 
ing ferns or other 
plants in a sun parlor. 
When one remembers 
that orchids are purely 
parasites thriving in 
the moist climate of the tropics, growing and 
propagating in the mouldy bark of trees or 
other fibrous substance and seeking the sun to 
intensify their coloring, it can readily be seen 
that the closer one approaches the reproduc¬ 
tion of these very climatic conditions the bet¬ 
ter the results. 
It is necessary, naturally, that the amateur 
make himself as familiar as possible with the 
habits of orchids, recognizing those that thrive 
in warmer or cooler temperatures, those re¬ 
quiring greater or lesser quantities of water, 
and many other preferences which are of great 
help in growing them. Several books, the re¬ 
sult of years of experimenting by men who 
have made orchid growing their life study, 
will prove very helpful. But the most helpful 
and interesting assistance an amateur can get 
is a trip to some really good professional or¬ 
chid nurseries, such as those, for example, in 
Rutherford, New Jersey. 
A showy white or¬ 
chid that can be 
easily grown with 
cattleyas is Coelo- 
gyne cristata 
