Secret Orchid Care Tips from a Master Orchid Grower

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We head back to the @SanDiegoBotanicGarden to check out their INSANE orchid collection. Long time Epic Gardening friend John Clements drops some deep orchid care wisdom on you in today's tour.
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[@midei]

John Clements is such a nice man and has a wealth of knowledge. Please make more videos with him, Kevin. You are very lucky to have that beautiful botanical garden in San Diego.

[@epicgardening]

I agree, he's one of my favorite plant friends

[@wedadkanain2630]

😅😅😅😅

[@terrivance8750]

Agree 100%!!! 😊

[@suzannevega2289]

Yes indeed, This was great!

[@pennywalker8910]

I was thinking I wish I had such a lovely place to go to. Then I remembered where I live we have a few small botanical gardens that I’ve been sleeping on. But in this new year I think I can remedy that. But it would sure be a great thing to be able to see this one.

[@ChristopherDraws]

John didn't really give a complete answer when Kevin asked about the difference between sepals and petals (perhaps presuming it was already known) : Sepals are modified leaf structures that encase the flower bud (protecting the petals) as it forms - in many plants the sepals are green, leaf-life and become hidden by the bloom when the flower opens (e.g a daisy, rose or lily). The sepals on some plants serve a protective function after the flower has opened, e.g. thorns to prevent animals eating the flower. Orchids evolved to make the sepals serve as pseudo-petals to attract pollinators.

[@polinapechenkina2453]

They put together such a beautiful exhibition! More orchid content, please, if you do get into them. There are so many you can easily grow outdoors in your climate.

[@rd4660]

I am an accidental and successful cymbidium orchid grower in southern California, much to my dismay. I have five, 5 gallon pots of cymbidiums that grow hundreds of flowers on each plant, each year. The length of sun exposure is key, watering is key, fertilizing on schedule is key. I would urge you to experiment with orchids. They are much easier to grow than you might think!

[@erinjenkinson4319]

What kind of fertilizer do you use and how often do fertilize. I've had an orchid for 2 yrs and no flowers. The leaves are pretty dark. I THINK it's a dendrobium, I think. Appreciate any advice. It's on a windowsill facing east but only a couple of hours of direct sun. Mystified Erin.

[@williammaxwell1919]

"Experimentation" is a fundamental requirement for any "grower" of any plant. Orchids bring their own special "requirements" to the table which is unique to each orchids.

[@emmashepard1822]

I have 4 moth orchids at home,and one vanilla orchid.😀 the last one is that suprises every guest we have,they all amazed by how i was able to get my hands on one.(well long story short,i have a co-worker who is from brazil,and she brought me a wine,that i rooted out 2 years ago😅)

[@epicgardening]

I have a vanilla orchid!

[@KerriGilpin]

🥹 love that you have a vanilla orchid!

[@MsWDWFAN1]

My grandmother grew beautiful orchids. That woman could grow anything! She definitely had a green thumb! 👍💚💜

[@daphneyap4052]

John Clements is such a wonderful person. He discusses plants with gusto and you’ll never get bored with hearing what he says about it. Hope to see more of you featuring him and San Diego Botanical Garden, because it is for people around the world who wanted to have a tour but impossible to. 😊

[@chattyotter3300]

I am loosing my mind at how many orchids there are in that beautiful greenhouse😍 a pair of phalaenopsis orchids were my first houseplants and now I have 12 phals. They are my absolute fave plant ever as each one has a unique personality and the flowers can be so similar yet different at the same time. I would highly recommend watching Miss Orchid Girl here on KZbin for all the orchid info you could ask for. Can’t wait to see which orchids you pick out!!!💚

[@sonyalindee8676]

Yes this is the stuff that makes me happy🥰I love growing orchids. I live in Florida and they love fresh rain water 🌧️ I’ve always had big windows and it seems they prefer the shady west windows. My plants 🪴 are all my babies but orchids are my favorite😸

[@ot7stan207]

Orchids is like finding a candy store. the only thing is sometimes the candy is not ready yet so you have the joy of waiting for it to emerge (the flower). orchids are a fantastic hobby, a hobby that exists since the victorian times so theres A LOT of research and societies for it

[@michelledelkel]

I love orchids and always want to learn more about them. I keep them alive and in bloom for a long time but struggle with rebloom. I've been meaning to try my hand at them again. Really enjoy Johns info, great vid!

[@epicgardening]

He's a fantastic guide!

[@gardengatesopen]

Very good interview! I enjoyed that. What a fantastic job he has!!

[@capblap]

I think it's cool that you and I have shared the same path in gardening. I started off gardening mostly growing veggies like you do, but then I got a rescue orchid from a friend, and I am now hooked on orchids!! Great video :)

[@chuck4714]

Orchids are my favorite kind of plant and they are so diverse! I have around 50 phaleonopsis, 3 jewel orchids, 1 dendrobium, 2 oncidiums, and 8 species summer blooming phaleonopsis! I just love them! My favorites are ones with strong sweet scents. I have one that smells like a sweet cherry candy!

[@capblap]

What oncidiums do you have if you don't mind me asking. I am currently looking for either the oncidium cheyenne or the nelly isler

[@Chet_Thornbushel]

What an awesome guy! I love how knowledgeable, yet approachable he is about his passion. Kevin I think you should start your epic orchid journey with growing some vanilla!

[@carmenramrattan5308]

Your garden is very different like a dream

[@tommywidjaja5389]

I've been growing aroid for years and only just got into orchids. I believe everyone should do too to take their hobby year round. Now i am looking forward to winter just like I do summer

[@matthysloedolff]

I really enjoyed this video and wish I could smell all the flowers somehow through the screen. Please get John to do another orchid session at some point. He explains orchids so well and his excitement for them is contagious. This excitement might be an orchid grower thing as I know a retired chemistry lecturer from the university I work at who gets equally excited about orchids. He's part of several orchid societies and always willing to help others grow orchids.

[@brokenglassshimmerlikestar3407]

Orchids you'd find in supermarkets and IKEA are actually pretty hardy and drought resistant. Keep them around after the flowers die, cut the flower stem, and next year they'll send out new flowers!

[@eklectiktoni]

This was very enjoyable and I never knew so much about orchids! When he was talking about the terrestrial orchids, it reminded me of an awesome experience I had. Once I was working in the garden and I found a really cool plant. It had tiny flowers spiraling down a maybe 2 inch spike. I looked it up on the internet and found out it's an orchid native to the US called ladies' tresses. I was afraid I'd kill it it I dug it up so it's still in a random spot in my backyard. 😄

[@missthang4770]

Thanks for this excellent look at orchids! I love them but have always felt they were so exotic that they were way outside my abilities as a gardener. I've always contented myself with marvelling at the show of Lady's Slippers that bloom in the wild areas of our rural property. John did a great job on this and he even pronounced "coir" the way I do in my part of the world Epic video as always!

[@capblap]

I used to feel like you do in that orchids where most likely too dificult for me to grow..but I have learned that as long as you do your research and learn about the specific orchid itself, many are very easy to grow.

[@ColeSpolaric]

I really enjoyed this. It's also a nice break from seeing you in the garden. Keeps things interesting

[@williammaxwell1919]

Going down rabbit warrens is always fun ~ you never know what you'll learn that you didn't know.

[@terrivance8750]

Kevin, This has got to be one of my fav videos of all you've made--thank you!!! 😊

[@stayathomecichlidmom3579]

Omg orchids are my favorite. I haven't bought one in 15yrs because once the bloom fell off, I could not get them to survive. As people know they are not cheap. I went as far as bringing them to an orchid specialist, this specialist would take peoples orchids and kerp them until they came back. My husband looked at me like I was crazy when I told him the boarding charge. 😂 Long story short, In the next few months, I will be giving it another shot. Glad I found this video.

[@helenurquhart2375]

This is a lovely video. What a fabulous collection. I would love to learn more about their care regimes. Also, can you ask John what the mounted orchids are hung on please?

[@michellecarini8382]

Good luck on your orchid learning journey. They are fun to grow and care for. I’m up to 220 now 😮

[@lawrenberghanson4401]

LOL. John was such an entrepreneurial kid. Loved orchids!!! I bought my first one for my birthday earlier this year. Next year I plan on attending the NYBG Orchid show. They are so beautiful and awesome.

[@kevangelinem1651]

So glad you posted this ! I have a question, I have an orchid that was in bloom when i got it, and i trimmed it in between knots, below the bloom, and it never grew back then the stem just started turning light brown, i just trimmed it all the way down, but I'm stuck on what to do, the leaves are so healthy, I have had it for ~9 months. I do still need some more tips on caring for these, watering, how often, when to re pot, maybe I'll see you posting another video soon? Thanks!!

[@doomcat537]

I love the amount of info. Some could make it boring or hard to follow, but John is great at explaining things

[@AnkhGirl]

I'm orchid-obsessed and like John, can't leave Trader Joes's w/o a plant. This was a great video! 🌸🌺🌸

[@giuseppepandolfo4815]

Super video thanks for sharing, retired in panama and enjoying orchid growing down here.

[@cgohoh]

Honestly thank you so much for this. Been following you for food growing advice for the longest time. I was gifted an orchid just last week and had no idea what to do to keep it alive!

[@Gkrissy]

I love how he mentions he goes to Trader Joe’s weekly for the plants. I do the same thing and fruits etc. Orchids have been intimidating for me. Yay for the 35 club!

[@nenggrace8995]

I love Trader Joe’s too and Save Mart and Safeway 😊. I got my Oncidiums from Safeway and the Phals from Trader Joe’s and Save Mart.

[@carlosm-kitchen]

That is such a wonderful place to visit here in San Diego that is not usually on the top list of things to do for tourists. It is so difficult to keep orchids alive in this type of weather, but they grow wild in Central America, think Nicaragua, Costa Rica, or Panama. Those countries are insanely hot and humid and the orchids thrive there.

[@samtmh7240]

Perfect timing! I just bought a vanilla orchid lol

[@BrokeButBountifullyBlessed799]

Very interesting. Ive always wanted an orchid. Earlier this week a lady on "Buy Nothing" gave me four of them. So excited to see them come in bloom.

[@NinjaOrchids]

S'ern Spain Orchid grower here with 300+ orchids in a private collection. I really enjoyed this video... so inspired by everything i saw and heard, thank you 😊

[@dharmaambesa2730]

Very very good tour to Orchids Garden.

[@krispaprocki9711]

Orchids are in the Orchidaceae (orchid family) not the Liliaceae. They were once placed in the same order as lilies but due to DNA evidence now they're considered to be in the same order as asparagus along with amaryllis, hyacinths, etc.

[@TrackOfAllJades]

Thank you for persisting on care information. If you get more info on how to care for the "easy" ones, I'd definitely watch that video.

[@teresawingbermuehle4212]

Luv luv her what a gift to US ALL THANKS YOU for sharing your knowledge......

[@altheab.8907]

Thank you for this incredibly interesting and beautiful video, Kevin. Looking forward to your adventure with orchids. 🥰

[@elpidakessapidou7361]

Amazing video, Kevin, I think it 's time to start growing orchids, you 're gonna love them. Thank you for sharing.

[@uma7894]

Now I want to hear more about that potato… Loved this, orchids are really cool and I could listen all day to someone with that much knowledge and passion.

[@sirblacksmith2297]

never have i been so glad you guys film in 4k, thank you all. now excuse me as i dont eat for a month due to plant expenses... again

[@keener9563]

Two legends in their element, love it!

[@nancyk8153]

finally an orchid episode…. yay!!!!

[@marygorchidsmore2058]

Great video Kevin, enjoyed ait a lot! I've been growing orchids for lots of years and yet learned things from this video. John is very knowledgeable about the orchids and I would like to see more of him if possible for you regarding orchid pollinating . Thanks very much for sharing and happy growing.

[@heatherhorton2547]

The Santa Barbara International Orchid Show is held in March every year. It is a small orchid show that you might want to try.

[@MixedDiaries]

Just amazing! I ve been growing orchids for 11 years now. The collection is awesome and I wud like to visit this place. Would really love to talk to John and exchange some orchids too !

[@RaeneTheFaerie]

For those looking, the hybrid @23:01 looks like a Phal. Taisuco Anna.

[@pedromunoz4468]

You should Definitely do a New Epic Orchid

[@sarajanemiller8482]

OMGish Kevin, thank you, thank you for showing these absolutely gorgeous orchids! So enjoyed the information and the interview!!!

[@KerriGilpin]

Every time you visit the SDBG I’m locked in like I’m hypnotized! I was hoping there might be a little vanilla orchid talk, but I’m still so enamored but this video!

[@thesocialnerd]

kevin saying, "lemme get a hit outta that real quick" when sniffing the orchids is cracking me up

[@ashleygrable]

The orchid family, Orchidaceae, is the second largest family of flowering plants in the world. With over 28,000 species in nature, it is second in number only to Asters (Asteraceae)!

[@raf1717]

1:09 Orchids used to be in the Liliaceae family, in the 19th century the Orchidaceae was created but only in late 20th century botanical science further solidify it to distinguished Orchids from Lilies. Orchidaceae and Liliaceae are in the order of Asparagales. They are related, indeed, but has their own family now. Makes me wonder how long John has been in the field 😅

[@ulieg414]

What a wonderful video. I have always been curious of orchids. I want to try my hand with vanilla, but I'm a little intimidated by how to care for it. Maybe someday. Thank you for your videos, l enjoy watching them. You do a wonderful job on them.

[@besottedorchids3605]

Beautiful ❤️. I raise orchids indoors in Ohio. Currently around 160

[@dhansonranch]

That was such a gorgeous enjoyable discussion! Than you!

[@SonniesGardenPA]

Orchid are so beautiful, Thanks for all the info.

[@user-fw5hu4sd8q]

More orchid videos!! I was given an orchid about 10 years ago. I give it 4 ice cubes every Sunday. It still blooms every year and the orchids last for months. I am afraid to do anything to it for fear I will kill it. Any tips for care, feeding, replanting will be great!

[@KerriGilpin]

I’ve been taught to never repot an orchid while it’s in bloom, and I’ve repotted a few successfully in orchid mixes.

[@classictoexotic]

the dendrobium @1:40 is a Den. amethystoglossum which is a species not a hybrid.

[@rickthelian2215]

Beautiful, I could stay in their for days looking at them all.😊🇦🇺

[@orchidsinparadise2438]

Aloha from Hawaii 🌴 I truly enjoyed this video 💚 Mahalo for sharing 🤙🏼

[@harryhoblyn27]

Pretty sure orchids are on their own family, Orchidaceae, not Liliaceae. I think the Orchid family is the most species rich plant family

[@NotPalliot]

They look lovely! Great job Kevin!

[@sixtwoinak]

Good video. I'm glad I watched the whole thing. 👍💪🙏

[@ReturnToSender-f2w]

Nice Post...but why didn't you show us how to get orchids to bloom. How to plant them correctly. When to water them. Full sun or half..thank you..

[@elissagreene9929]

Does he grow vanilla and if so, how difficult is that to grow?

[@davidvalenzuela3144]

Just learned that you can make ph indicator strips to possibly test your soil, wait for it.., using red cabbage. Chop it up and add hot water,filter gunk, dunk coffee filters in and let dry, then cut into strips. Cheers.

[@RaeneTheFaerie]

In addition: It's actually something you'd learn in Year 8/9 (or whenever they teach about pH levels.) Red Cabbage is naturally pH neutral and has a chemical that changes colours when you mix it with either an acid or a base. You can also just take the purple water and dunk whatever you're testing into it (the purple water will change colour if it reacts to anything.) d(Ow O

[@Epiphalactic]

I thought the family orchids were in was orchidaceae. And I'm searching online, and it's saying they aren't even the same order. Infact I can't find anything putting orchids with lilies, other than, people sometimes confuse some of them. Can we get some clarification on what he meant? All I'm finding is lily's are part of the lily family, liliaceae, part of the order liliales. Orchids are member of family orchidaceae, of the order asparagales order. But something else says its the orchidales in the Liliopsida class. Maybe thats what he meant. Taxonomy can be confusing. I need ro study more. Lol

[@TheMisbegotten]

My paph, prince edward or york has the rothchild paph as a parent funny enough. And while it is true there are orchids that prefer greenhouses, I grow some that when I first joined my orchid society, they thought were impossible to grow inside a house, let alone a bedroom lol. I have over 80 orchids growing in a bedroom space, with lighting of course and I don't use a humidifier. My Coryanthes Macrantha is my most recent experiment. Also, trader joes doesn't ONLY have phalenopsis, I have a couple oncidium hybrids that I got from there, but I had to dig around. Also, the most easy orchid you can grow is the oncidium types, phalenopsis is NOT a good beginner orchid at all. Miltonia are also NOT easy, a Zygo would probably work, but I still say go for an oncidium. I'd happily arrange a division of one of mine as I have a few that probably need it lol.

[@pedromunoz4468]

Soo this last year I started growing Dragon Friuts, Vegtebles, Flowers, but never Orchids, And for mothers Day my Wife got some as a Gift, and yes she looked at me and told me, Now you have 1 more to take care of 😅

[@andreawimer4334]

Its a labor of love right.??(I know, its addiction.😀plant addiction😍)

[@pedromunoz4468]

@Andrea Wimer I only have 69 Dragon Fruit Variesties, 3 Bierdies Beds and a Flower Patch for the wife

[@ElSueno97]

Good God this is a lovely collection, you need to get some orchids!

[@kevintruck0]

Awesome video! I would love to see you interview Mr. Tillandsia at Rainforest Flora !! 🌱❤️

[@cherrybaird9544]

Wow i like orchids my favorite

[@narimanbataineh1892]

Such amazing and it look like a paradise.thanks for an enjoyable video

[@bonnydavid1590]

Great video! Very informative and entertaining. Makes me want to make the 9 hour truck south to go see the exhibit. Makes me want to breed orchids as well. So cool!

[@onetwocue]

Question! So about 5 years ago traders would carry different types of orchids besides phals. You could find oncidium types, zygo types and lycastes and in the small pot sizes you would find paphs, smaller types oncidiums and masdevallias. Now all i see are phals. Orchid collectors would drive to every traders buy and share what they found. And in the fall you would see gallon size pots of cymbidiums. So whatever happened? Theyre just boring phals now. Different grower?

[@fifinguyen8944]

I very much enjoy the episode 👍

[@bloomingOrchids88]

Thanks for your sharing .

[@aprianto1985]

Great full information

[@nissanmaestre1770]

Hmmm Orchids are under the Family Orchidaceae not Liliaceae. And I think currently there are no revisions in taxonomic classification of orchids. Correct me if I'm wrong.

[@iammrpaul123]

Correct

[@riasutama2220]

Wow your flowers 💟💙💜💚💛

[@carmenklein6372]

Beautiful nature & gorgeous Orchids.❤ I❤ Orchids. ❤️👍❤️

[@prestonhill7883]

Orchids are the first plants I grew and my list has been growing ever since, 4 or 5 years ago I think

[@AmongRocks]

In Swedens news this weekend it is reported that someone has dug up the last bee orchids in the wild😢 all 48 of them inside a nature reserve. So the habit of stealing orchids to sell is still ongoing

[@bethb8276]

That was fascinating! Thank you for that! Wow!

[@erinjenkinson4319]

Loved this video.

[@Saamniferu]

Orchids are not in the liliaceae family. They are in the same class as the liliaceae family though. The class they are in is Liliopsida.

[@iammrpaul123]

I noticed that he said that twice. Never I have ever heard or read that they were in the Liliaceae. Orchiaceae.

[@codelinx]

Oh I see you on Instagram all the time I didn't know you had a KZbin, I just be blind or not listening when you mention your KZbin channel!🙋‍♂️🤯

[@elenpolar8343]

What is the best time to come to botanical garden in San Diego to see blooming orchids?

[@annakramar5088]

I just bought my first Orchid yesterday ( Philodendron Birkin ). This perfect timing to learn from you.😁

[@annareiter952]

From one Anna to another Anna, sorry, but Philodendron Birkin is not an orchid.

[@RaeneTheFaerie]

The Philodendron falls under the Araceae family and not the Orchidaceae, and thus, is not considered an orchid.

[@andreawimer4334]

I have given up on orchids atm. They just dont thrive after blooming. I have a plant orphanage and short of diseases( inc pests), i dont refuse saving a plant. So God willing, i will probably adopt an orchid orphan some time this year.

[@tigerlilly03152012]

What about a vanilla bean orchid? My favorite, would love to have one.

[@colleenleyrer3980]

?

[@tigerlilly03152012]

@Colleen Leyrer, my question is, does the facility have vanilla bean orchids? This orchid is on my plant wish list.

[@antonyjosephine494]

Very informative message..

[@sevastipternitis5814]

What can i do when i clipped off a keikei from orchid with a stem? Then stem is just hanging down into water with the roots, what can i do for stem to grow roots?

[@Meskarune]

Orchids are my favorite plants and so worth growing. If you can keep a staghorn fern alive you can grow an orchid in the same way.

[@myurbangarden7695]

Orchids and succulents are where I draw the line. I am an OVER Nurturer and typically they don't last long.

[@ChandimalManoj]

Awesome video . ❤❤❤