When and how to put orchids on trees?

It is very common for people to have the orchids in your gardens hanging from treesor inside your home in a pot. However, instead of putting the orchids in pots, you can choose to have them tied to a tree trunk or bark that does not contain any type of resin.

Watching them grow and bloom on the branches is a precious thing. Nevertheless, it is very important to choose the species you want to place wellsince otherwise you could run the risk of losing it as a result of weather conditions.

Things to keep in mind before putting them on trees

Orchids are generally tropical plants that like places with a warm and stable climate. Thus, most of them do not withstand sub-zero temperatures.so that if you wanted to place one, for example, Phalaenopsis in a tree in the north of Mallorca (Balearic Islands, Spain), where there may be frosts of up to -4ºC, surely it would die that day, despite the fact that these frosts are of short duration.

And is that every plant depends largely on the climate in the area. That is why if you want to have orchids in the trees you must keep in mind that, so that they are beautiful all year long, You must choose the ones that best suit the conditions in your area.

What are the orchids that best resist the cold?

Bearing in mind that the vast majority of orchids originate from warm jungles, I have thought it better to talk to you ‘only’ about those resistant to cold. There are not many, but there are enough so that you can enjoy a tropical garden in a place where the temperatures are rather temperate:

Cymbidium

It is a genus of evergreen orchids native to Australia, Africa, and parts of Asia. They are usually terrestrial, but those found in the market are epiphytes, something that is great to know since it means that they grow on trees .

They produce beautiful flowers of various colors: yellow, green, white or pink. They resist weak frosts down to -3ºC.

Epidendrum

Known as star orchids, they are native to tropical America, found from Florida to northern Argentina. Many of them are epiphytes, or lithophytes, that is, they grow leaning on rocks or stones.

They produce a wide variety of flowers, white, pink, purple, red, yellow. They resist the cold, but the frost hurts them.

Murder

Known as the dancing lady, these orchids are native from Puerto Rico to Florida, where they live in the rainforests. They develop as epiphytic or lithophytic plants.

The flowers are usually yellow or brown, although they can also be orange. They do not resist frost, but the cold does not hurt them.

How are the trees to be?

While orchids are by no means invasive plants or parasites, not all trees are suitable. In fact, only the one that meets these characteristics will serve you:

• Must be adultor at least be taller than 3 meters with a trunk of at least 20 centimeters.
• It has to be planted in the ground for a long timeat least 2 years so that its root system is well attached to the ground.
• It should not exude gum or resinsomething that is typical in Rubber plant for example.
• Neither will the eucalyptus neither the Pine treesThey are one of the trees that emit gases that prevent anything – or almost nothing – from growing under their branches.

When to put orchids on trees?

Image – Wikimedia / Dinesh Valke from Thane, India

To plant them in a tree the best time to do it is during the season in which the plant is in flower, or during the warmest and rainiest months of the yearwhich depend on where you are in the hemisphere.

Remember that the branch or trunk of the tree that you use should not receive any type of light or direct sunlight throughout the day, since it would burn the leaves and the flower that has been produced as they are not prepared to grow exposed to the King Star.

How to do it correctly?

To place the orchid on the trunk, remove the plant from the container in which you originally have it, and clean each of its roots with distilled or rain water, in such a way that they do not have any trace of dirt. Next, locate the place where you are going to place it and try to tie the orchid to the tree. I recommend you to try tying it with a plant fiber material like cotton or raffia. Keep in mind that the roots that touch the tree will stick to it in a few days: they only need a little time.

During this growing season, and just tied the plant to the tree, it is important that you water it daily, since the exposed roots tend to dehydrate more easily than when they are covered.

If the first year after you tie it to the tree your orchid does not bloom, do not worry, it usually happens. It is important that you have a lot of patience and wait, as it could flourish later. If the conditions are right, surely sooner or later it will give you that much-desired joy alegría.

I hope it has been useful to you.