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Orchids, basically, are just like any other plant. They need food, water and light in order to grow. What is more, they want to grow!
However, there are a few things to keep in mind when it comes to orchids specifically. In general terms, it is important to remember that orchids are tropical plants, and as such they like less than direct sunlight, warm temperatures and humidity. Thus, unless you live in an area that has high humidity and stays a constant warm temperature, plan on keeping your orchids in your house.
So working on the basis that you will be growing your orchids in your home, let's break our discussion down into a few categories: type, water, light and feeding.
Type
There are myriad species of orchids out there. A beginner with these plants could be easily stupefied by the massive amount of choices facing him in the garden center. So look for either moth orchids or the other hardy kind: lady slippers. That's right, they have the name of shoes! These two species can take a pretty good beating and keep on living, so they are the right choice for beginners.
Water
As we mentioned, orchids like humidity. Thus, if you want to spray them with a gentle mist sprayer, go right ahead! But as for watering, there is a real danger of overwatering orchids and thus killing the roots. What happens is this: plants get food and even oxygen from the soil. If water completely surrounds the roots for too long, the roots are cut off from the nutrients they need. The plant will then weaken and die.
So first make sure you have your orchids planted in soil that drains well. This means that the soil should not be too heavy or high in clay content. Then water every three days or so. You know you need to water when the soil is dry. In fact, let the soil get dry, then water it until water comes out from the bottom.
Light
Never put an orchid in full on, direct sunlight for hours. A bit of direct sunlight is fine, but if you have placed your orchid in a window with direct sunlight, try and set the plant back a few feet.
If you don't have good windows that provide sunlight, you can get about four low-wattage lightbulbs. Shoot for about 40 watts. These will do the trick fine.
Food
Orchids, like all living creaturs, need food. You can plan on fertilizing your orchids once every two or three months. Get some good, gentle flower fertilizer: not too high in nitrogen, a nice balance of phosphorous and potassium.
So orchid beginners, follow these simple tips and you will have lovely, exotic orchids blooming almost year round! Good luck!
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Author Bio Box: Jared Garrett
 http://www.helium.com/user/show/45690
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