Ghost Orchid Care
- Ghost orchids live in the Florida swamps where temperatures rarely dip below 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Temperatures colder than 45 F injure them. If you live in a hot, humid climate, try growing your plant outside. If not, keep it inside or in a greenhouse. Immerse your plant in water for 30 minutes and mist it regularly to maintain humidity.
- The ghost orchid needs something to wind its root around and grow. Lay your ghost orchid on sphagnum moss or on wood. As the plant grows, the roots tether it to the wood or moss. Mount the orchid to the wood with twine, but do not damage the roots. A healthy plant produces 1 inch of root growth per month. Fertilizing every two weeks throughout the summer with orchid fertilizer promotes growth.
- A giant moth is the ghost orchid's only known pollinator. While the orchid blooms without pollination, it does not produce viable seeds for new ghost orchids. If you have another ghost orchid, you can pollinate the bloom. Touch a cotton swab to the pollen on one of flowers, and then touch the cotton swab to the other flower. The bloom wilts shortly thereafter. A seedpod develops and slowly matures.
- Ghost orchids are legally protected, making it difficult to find these extremely rare orchids for sale. Some orchid growers offer seed-grown ghost orchids, but there are waiting lists. Don't buy an orchid if you think it was stolen of it the circumstances surrounding the sale appear suspicious. Report such incidents to the police.
