Epidendrum orchid leaves: best care guide

epidendrum orchid leaves

Who hasn’t held their breath while looking at the delicate, beautiful blooms of Epidendrum orchids? And so many of us thought: “No way could I take care of such fragile beauty. It must be extremely hard to grow”. Actually, that’s not exactly true. Although Epidendrum orchids won’t grow in your house like weeds, they don’t require excessive care. You’ll see for yourself. Now we will speak about epidendrum orchid leaves.

The Epidendrum genus includes more than 1.500 orchid species. A notorious amount of plants with different blooms, stems, and leaves. A so-called mega-genus.

We are going to describe general common features of Epidendrum orchid varieties, but when you bring home one of them, do deeper research and find out what special needs your particular kind has. It’s still an orchid, the queen of flowers.

Most Epidendrum orchids are epiphytes. They don’t grow in the soil, but on the surface of other plants. An interesting fact is that they are not parasites and don’t suck moisture and nutrients out of those plants, but from the air, rain, and debris.

However, not all Epidendrum orchids are epiphytes. Some of them are terrestrial plants that grow in the soil.

Natural Habitat

In the wild, Epidendrum orchids live in humid jungles, cool mountain forests, tropical forests, and on sunny hill slopes.

As you can see, Epidendrum orchids have made a home in absolutely different places and climates.

Which means they can live and thrive in your home as well.

Let’s look at how you can provide the best conditions for your new orchids.

How to Care for an Epidendrum Orchid Leaves

Temperature and humidity

As you can see from the plant’s natural habitat, they can be pretty tolerant to cool temperatures. Generally, the temperature range for Epidendrum orchids will be 60°F-90°F (15°C-30°C). Remember, they can survive in a tropical forest and on a mountain slope.

Check the ideal temperature for your particular type of Epidendrum orchid. Some of them can thrive in northern climates and in almost freezing temperatures. But not all tolerate temperatures lower than 50°F. Make sure you check it out.

But for most species, the range we’ve given will be perfect. At night, you can lower the temperature a little. They will be fine with that.

As for humidity, Epidendrum orchids like it humid — 50%-80%. If you see that the air is too dry, spray them with water or invest in the air humidifier, dry air is not good for you either.

Light is life

Epidendrum orchids love bright indirect light. If you put them under too much light, especially at midday, it can cause burns on their leaves. But give them a lot of sunshine.

If an Epidendrum orchid doesn’t get enough sun, it will just stop blooming, and nobody wants that.

A fascinating observation: reed stem Epidendrums when they are happy with the lighting, get a reddish hue on their leaves. Watch out for that. It means you are doing it right.

If your Epidendrum orchid comes from higher altitudes, it will be comfortable with more shade, but be careful, too little light is not recommended.

Water is life too

Water your Epidendrum orchids regularly — every 5-7 days. The growing season for Epidendrum orchids lasts from March to October, and that’s when they need more water. Just don’t over-water them. It can cause root rot. Before watering, check the soil. You can go ahead if you feel that the soil is mostly dry, but not desert dry. Water the plants, wait until the liquid goes through drainage holes, and throw water from the saucer.

As for the water quality, Epidendrum orchids are not picky. Water from the tap will do.

The best time for watering is early morning

A fascinating observation: some reed stem Epidendrums start blooming if you lower the amount of water.

Potting and repotting

As we’ve mentioned before, some Epidendrums are epiphytes and some — are terrestrials. Depending on that, choose a pot and potting mix.

If you got yourself an epiphyte, it doesn’t need a big pot. Just enough for the roots and some potting mix. We take a mixture of fine-grade and medium-grade of orchid potting media and use it to pot the plants. The proportions can vary. Some experts advise making potting mix out of equal amounts of fine-grade and medium-grade potting media, some suggest 70%-30%. You can try both and watch for results. Make your own judgment.

The best potting mix for Epidendrum orchids, in our opinion, contains sphagnum moss, coconut husks, tree fern, and bark. If there is a lot of moist sphagnum moss in the potting mix, add some charcoal. Moss absorbs too much water, so you compensate for that with charcoal.

Terrestrial Epidendrum species grow very well on low-nutrient potting media, for example, sandy loam soil.

Epidendrum species don’t like to be repotted. Don’t do it until it’s necessary. Every three years will be often enough. And aerial roots are not a sign of such a necessity.

Don’t repot during the flowering season. It can cause the flowers to fall off. You can do it with growing Epidendrum orchids.

Fertilizing your Epidendrum orchid

During the growing season, fertilize the Epidendrum orchid every two weeks. Use an orchid fertilizer diluted according to the instructions.

When the blooming season comes, reduce the feed to monthly fertilization.

If your Epidendrum orchid grows in a colder climate and with limited sun exposure, avoid fertilizers with high nitrogen content. It will result in leggy orchids.

Well-fed orchid species have strong, beautiful stems and leaves and gorgeous blooms.

Let us show you a couple of the finest representatives of this genus. Just a treat.

Epidendrum ibaguense

These charming crucifix orchids came from South America: Brazil, Columbia, and some other places in the area. Their slim reed stem, succulent leaves, and tender, beautiful flowers found their way to the hearts of orchid enthusiasts all around the world. Crucifix orchids really bear a resemblance to the cross.

Epidendrum radicans

This orchid habitat is in Mexico and some places in Central America. A blooming star lets us enjoy its beauty from spring to fall, and the flower spikes of Epidendrum radicans spray the surrounding greenery with purple splatter.

To recap…

As you can see, Epidendrum orchid care is not something complex.

With a little time, a little love, and this magic fascinating flower admired all around the world will grow roots in your home or garden and bring extra joy into your life.

Read also:

How do you prune an Epidendrum orchid?

You don’t need to prune an Epidendrum orchid. But some people prefer to remove a wilted flower spike. Just cut it at the base. If you don’t cut it, it may grow an orchid Keiki after a while, which you can take from the mother plant and grow another orchid.

Can you grow Epidendrum indoors?

Yes, you can grow Epidendrum orchids, both indoors and outdoors. There are species that are even resilient to very low temperatures.

Can you plant Epidendrum in the ground?

There are two types of Epidendrums: epiphytes and terrestrial species. The latter grows in soil.

Leave a Comment