Ground Orchid

Ground orchid, as the name signifies, is a perennial orchid variety that grows in soil. In contrary to this, the regular orchids are epiphytes, meaning they absorb water and nutrients from air. In short, ground orchids are more or less similar to terrestrial flowering herbs in growing habit, while their flowers and leaves resemble those plants belonging to the family Orchidaceae. They are best grown in containers for maintaining as houseplants, or you can also plant ground orchids in garden beds and borders.

The best part about ground orchid is its ability to bloom for an extended period, provided that the growth conditions are optimal. So, with these flowering plants in your garden, you will get to enjoy colorful blooms in all seasons. Ground orchid varieties are available in shades of white, peach, pink, purple, yellow and magenta. If you are willing to plant ground orchids, you can select from Chinese (Bletilla hyacinthina) or Malayan (Spathoglottis plicata) types. The latter species is more popular in the floral industry, mainly because of its cold hardy nature and long blooming period.

How to Care for Ground Orchids?

The best planting site is a full sunlit area in colder regions, while partial shade is ideal for warm climatic conditions. Accordingly, select a correct plantation site in your garden. For growing as a part of container gardening, selecting the location is not an issue. Anytime, you can place potted ground orchids in sunlight or shade. While planting them in garden soil, make sure you maintain a spacing of about 3 - 6 inch between two plants.

Soil Condition
While planting ground orchid in your flower garden, enrich the garden soil with a heavy dose of farmyard compost or organic fertilizer. Also, do not forget to supplement broken charcoal, rocks and bricks. Doing so will promote healthy growth and spreading of the root system. The ideal soil pH for growing ground orchids is mild acidic (pH 6.1) to neutral (pH 7.5).

Watering Frequency
During the growing season, regular watering is a must to induce maximum flower development. Nevertheless, allow the top soil layer to dry between two watering sessions otherwise, heavy watering will cause water logging of the soil. In the natural habitat, ground orchid varieties thrive well in high humidity and moist soil. So, you can adjust the soil and growth condition to mimic the natural habitat.

Adding Fertilizers
Ground orchids care requires less effort as compared to other types of orchids. As far as fertilization is concerned, supplement the soil with a slow release liquid fertilizer in appropriate dosage before the flower buds are developed. Also, do not forget to irrigate the plants on a regular basis after adding fertilizers. This will promote absorption of the nutrients by the root system.

Other Care Instructions
A major concern with growing ground orchids is that they cannot tolerate extreme cold weather (below 40º F). Hence, if you are residing in such an area, make arrangements for protection of the plants in cold winter season. An easy solution is to transfer ground orchids in pots and bring them inside. During flowering season, remove dead stems and flowers to promote production of more flower buds.

When your ground orchids are well established and matured, you can consider propagating plants by division method. All you need to do is divide the large parent plant into smaller clumps, without injuring the roots. As per your convenience, plant each of the individual clump into separate pots or in ground soil. Follow proper ground orchid plant care tips and your newly planted orchids will bloom magnificently.