How to Give Orchids Sunlight? Master These Care Tips

Orchids are seen as the epitome of elegance and beauty, so many people initially assume that orchids are shade-loving. In fact, orchids are also common flowering plants that likewise need the "nourishment" of light, and generally they need a certain amount of direct sunlight to help them bloom. If an orchid is grown in a diffused-light environment, its leaves will be relatively thin and soft, the plant will tend to topple over, and it will be reluctant to bloom.

Clearly, when growing orchids, how to give them sunlight is a skilled task; effective light can promote photosynthesis in orchids, manufacturing the nutrients the plant needs. In nature, terrestrial orchids generally grow under trees, and in spring before the trees have put out new buds, they usually receive full sun. If terrestrial orchids are like this, then home-grown orchids should certainly be given appropriate sun and light. The following tips are worth mastering well.

1. Choosing the Time

Generally, you can choose to give orchids sunlight before 10 a.m. and after 4 p.m., when the temperature is not as hot as at noon and the ultraviolet rays are slightly weaker, so the leaves are less likely to get sunburned. In the scorching summer, you must provide appropriate shade for orchids at these times; of course, this does not mean that orchids do not need sunlight just because summer temperatures are high. Orchids mostly undergo flower bud differentiation in summer, and insufficient light is also unfavorable for orchids to form buds.

2. Autumn and Winter

After the leaves fall in autumn and before new buds sprout the following spring, that is, around March, terrestrial orchids are all exposed to ample direct sunlight. At this time the temperature is relatively low, so even heavy sunlight does no harm. Therefore, orchids grown at home can also be given more sunlight at this time, which is beneficial for their blooming.

At other times of the year, you can set up a shade net for orchids to prevent scorching sun exposure. Apart from morning or evening light, exposure to the blazing sun at noon is prohibited.

3. Newly Potted Orchids

If it is a newly purchased orchid that has just been potted, or one that has just been repotted and is in the recovery period, be sure not to give it sunlight; wait until its root system has grown well and it can grow new buds, then give it sunlight.

In the usual process of growing orchids, if an orchid gets insufficient light, it will desperately grow stems and leaves that are soft and long and prone to toppling over, and the leaves will be relatively pale and it will be reluctant to bloom. Moreover, poor growth makes it prone to a decline in resistance and rather slow growth. Therefore, learning how to give sunlight is very important.