Orchid Culture

Online Course: Growing Orchids -Learn Orchid culture studying at home

• Learn what orchids are all about
• Learn to improve your results and grow flowers which will be the envy of all who see them.
• Study many of the major orchid genera in depth including Cymbidium, Dendrobium, Cattleya, Vanda and others.

Orchids are a popular hobby plant often providing a challenging occupation, but the unusual flowers reward your effort well. The number of orchid species is incredible (there are some 30,000 species, at least 100,000 hybrids and apparently many more not yet named).
Get involved -follow a passion

Lesson Structure

There are 8 lessons in this course:

1. Introduction
   • Introduction to Orchid Species
   • Plant Names and the System for Naming Orchids
   • Orchid sub families and tribes
   • Plant Name Pronunciation
   • Orchid Plant structure.
   • Resources
   • Terminology
2. Culture
   • Overview of Growing Orchids
   • Guidelines; temperature, light, humidity, ventilation, watering, feeding, potting mixes
   • Growing Cattleyas
   • Substrates for Geophytes and Epiphytes
   • Understanding Soils; texture, pH, nutrient availability, fertility,
   • Mycorrhyza and Orchids
   • Propagating and Potting Media
   • Nutrients and Nutrition
   • Plant Health; orchid pests, orchid diseases, other problems
   • Pruning Orchids
   • Watering Orchids
3. Propagation
   • Sexual vs. asexual propagation
   • Asexual Propagating sympodial Orchids
   • Asexual Propagation of Monopodial Epiphytes
   • Aerial Offset Propagation (Keikis)
   • Propagating Orchids by Seed
   • Hybrid Seed Production
   • Harvesting Orchid Seed
   • Flasking Method of Seed Sowing
   • Tissue (Meristem) Culture of Orchids
   • Propagation Equipment; greenhouses, hotbeds, cold frames, mist systems, furo light boxes, etc
4. Cymbidiums And Dendrobiums.
   • Cymbidium culture
   • Dendrobium Types -soft cane, hard cane, black haired
   • Dendrobium Culture
   • Dendrobium species
5. Cattleyas, Vandas And Other Commonly Grown Orchids.
   • Cattleya varieties and culture
   • Vandas; main species and culture
   • Odontoglossum
   • Oncidium -types (climbing and spreading), culture
   • Paphiopedalum (Slipper Orchids)
   • Phalaenopsis (Moth Orchids)
   • Pleione (Indian Crocus)
   • Crucifix Orchids (Epidendrum)
6. Australian Native Orchids.
   • Endemic, naturalised and indigenous plantsProblem Based Learning Project, with the following Learning Ourtcomes:
   • Determine which species of orchids are most commonly sold in your locality.
   • Determine orchid varieties which are being grown in your locality
   • Determine any orchid genera suited to growing in a warm climate.
7. Growing Orchids: Commercial and general uses
   • Cut Flower Production
   • Basket Plants
   • Epiphytes
   • Review of Orchid Genera for Cut Flower Production
   • Environmental Requirements for many significant orchid genera
   • Vanilla Bean Culture and Production
   • Greenhouse Management for Orchids
8. Harvest and Special Project On One Group Of Orchids.
   • Crop Scheduling; Writing a schedule for production of an Orchid Crop
   • Harvest and Post Harvest of Selected Orchid Cut Flowers; bud opening, transport, storing flowers, etc
   • Cattleya, Cymbidium, Dendrobium

Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.

Aims

• Understand the system of plant classification and naming
• Gain an insight into the appropriate way to grow a range of different orchid species.
• Understand common methods of Orchid Propagation
• Understand the basics of the structure, taxonomy and culture of Cymbidiums and Dendrobiums
• Learn about some of the more commonly grown orchids apart from Dendrobiums and Cattleyas
• Learn about orchids native to your locality
• Understand a range of alternative ways in which to grow orchids
• Research two commercial orchid growing establishments

AREAS YOU WILL COVER IN THIS COURSE

• Compile a resource file of organisations and information sources relevant to orchids.
• Draw and label an orchid flower.
• Review and detail 56 different orchid species.
• Test the drainage of soil from two different areas (two different types of soils). 
• Obtain (or make up) a potting mix which you consider appropriate for growing orchids.
• Visit a nursery or garden growing orchids. Determine which plants appear healthiest and assess this according to the conditions in which they are growing.
• Propogate four different orchids vegetatively.
• Consider the properties of pots that you see for sale in nurseries or other places that sell a wide variety of pots. Assess their suitability for growing orchids in. Note prices of each.
• Investigate further into tissue culture processes specific to Orchids beyond the notes offered in the course.
• Dicover which species of orchids are most commonly sold in your area.
• Carry out research and look through any references you have and determine any orchid genera (not yet covered in this course), which are suited to growing in a tropical or sub-tropical climate.
• Visit a florist shop and make note of the variety of orchards for sale, and how they are presented and stored
• Evaluate the cultural practices observed (or investigated) in the different enterprises which you considered in your set task.

INTRODUCTION TO GROWING ORCHIDS

by JOHN MASON, Principal of ACS, Fellow Institute of Horticulture (UK), Fellow Australian Institute of Horticulture,  author "Growing Orchids (published by Hyland House)

If you choose the appropriate orchids for your locality, they are very easy plants to grow, often requiring very little attention once established in a suitable position. This doesn't mean they will grow better if neglected, but they will often survive neglect better than many other types of plants. The best way to know how to grow a particular orchid is to look at its natural habitat, and try to recreate similar conditions.

In cool areas most species will need protection from extreme cold, and in hot climates protection from direct sunlight is essential. For this reason, shade houses and well ventilated greenhouses are frequently used for orchid growing. In cooler climates Cymbidiums, Dendrobiums, Pleonies and some of the Australian native orchids will grow easily. In warmer climates Dendrobiums and Cattleyas are good orchids for the beginner.

There are between 20,000 and 30,000 orchid species known to man, coming from almost every corner of the world (except for very arid desert areas and the artic and antarctic). Many, particularly tropical species, are epiphytic (ie. growing on other plants but not deriving nutrition from those plants), others are lithophytes (ie. grow on rocks which are usually well matted in organic matter), while others, mostly cool climate species, grow in the soil (ie. terrestrial). Some have very small, short lived flowers which easily go unnoticed; while others have large flowers or flower stems which continue to give colour for up to two months.

I think every greenhouse, even if growing vegetables, should have at least one orchid. You don't have to mix special fertilisers. Just use the general fertiliser used for the vegetables. I once grew an orchid over the horizontal cooler pad in a greenhouse with 1200 tomato plants. The orchid got too much sun, was fed the regular nutrient solution for tomatoes and did not get proper air circulation because of its location but it did beautifully. The leaves were a yellowish colour instead of a bright green but the plant grew very well.

There are complete books on orchids for dedicated growers. I will give you some tips on how to get started with no special knowledge and have a lot of fun.

It was once thought that all orchids came from the tropics and needed heat, humidity and shade. This is not true. Orchids come from all parts of the world and even in the tropics orchids are most often found growing in tree tops where there is constant movement of air and quite a bit or sunshine. Orchid flowers are produced in all colours of the rainbow. White, green and brown are among the most common colours. There are some deep purple colours that look almost black.

If you choose the appropriate orchids for your locality, they are very easy plants to grow, often requiring very little attention once established in a suitable position. This doesn't mean they will grow better if neglected, but they will often survive neglect better than many other types of plants.

The best way to know how to grow a particular orchid is to look at it's natural habitat, and try to recreate similar conditions.

In cool areas most species will need protection from extreme cold, and in hot climates protection from direct sunlight is essential. For this reason, shade houses and well ventilated greenhouses are frequently used for orchid growing.

In cooler climates Cymbidiums, Dendrobiums, Pleonies and some of the Australian native orchids will grow easily. In warmer climates Dendrobiums and Cattleyas are good orchids for the beginner.

Suggested Reading

FREQUENT QUESTIONS

Why Choose This Course

• Unique course materials (developed by our staff) and more current than some colleges (many reviewed annually); as a result, ACS graduates can be more up to date.
• We work hard to help you understand and remember it, develop an ability to apply it in the real world, and build networks with others who work in this field (It’s more than just serving up a collection of information –if all you want is information, buy a book; but if you want an education, that takes learning to a whole new level).
• Start whenever you want, study at your own pace, study anywhere
• Don’t waste time and money traveling classes
• We provide more choices–courses are written to allow you more options to focus on parts of the subject that are of more interest to you; a huge range of elective subjects are offered that don’t exist elsewhere.
• Tutors are accessible (more than elsewhere) – academics work in both the UK and Australia, 5 days a week, 16 hours a day. Answering emails and phone calls from students are top priority.
• We treat students as individuals –don’t get lost in a crowd. Our tutors communicate with you one to one.
• Extra help at no extra cost if needed. When you find something you cannot do, we help you through it or will provide another option.
• Support after you finish a course –We can advise about getting work, starting  business, writing a CV, etc. We can promote students and their businesses through our extensive profile on the internet. Graduates who ask will be helped.
• Support from a team of a dozen professional horticulturists, living in different parts of the UK, and in both temperate and tropical climate zones of Australia.

About ACS

ACS was started in 1979 by John Mason, who at the time was a gardening author, horticultural consultant and lecturer in horticulture at several colleges across Melbourne (in Australia).  Over the summer that year John discovered that there were thousands of applicants going to be turned away from horticulture courses at Burnley Horticultural College (now Melbourne University). There were simply too few courses being offered for the number of people wanting to study horticulture in Australia. This situation prompted a move to establish a correspondence course at Burnley; but after months of unsuccessful lobbying for support from government; John wrote a course, and with help from a colleague at Council of Adult Education, marketed it.

Standards were originally set in line with what were seen to be the standards of Australia's top horticultural college; and over the years, those standards have never been reduced. This makes our courses longer and more demanding than some other colleges; but it has also led to us building a credibility that stands tall in the horticulture industry across the world. 

In the early 1990's John started visiting the UK and becoming involved with the horticulture industry there. Around the mid 1990's ACS began offering RHS courses, and in 2003, John was formally recognised for his contribution to British Horticulture by being made a fellow of the Institute of Horticulture. ACS, as a school, established an office and staff in the UK in 2001, and has expanded considerably since then. Today it is formally affiliated with five other colleges in the UK (including Warwickshire College); all of who license and deliver ACS courses. 

A team of leading horticulturists work for the school's horticulture department, including 12 faculty members in both the UK and Australia

How You Study

• As soon as you enroll, we send an email to explain it all.
• We direct you to a short orientation video (downloadable over the internet) to watch, where our principal introduces you to how the course works, and how you can access all sorts of support services
• You are either given a code to access your course online, or sent out a CD or course materials through the mail (or by courier).
• Work through lessons one by one, each lesson typically having four parts:
• An aim -which tells you what you should be achieving in the lesson
• Reading -notes written and regularly revised by our academic staff
• Set Task(s) -These are practicals, research or other experiential learning tasks that strengthen and add to what you have been reading
• Assignment -By answering questions, submitting them to a tutor, then getting feedback from the tutor, you confirm that you are on the right track, but more than that, you are guided to consider what you have been studying in different ways, broadening your perspective and reinforcing what you are learning about
• Other - Your work in a course rarely stops at just the above four parts. Different courses and different students will need further learning experiences. Your set task or assignment may lead to other things, interacting with tutors or people in industry, reviewing additional reference materials or something else. We treat every student as an individual and supplement their learning needs as the occasion requires.
• We provide access to and encourage you to use a range of supplementary services including an online student room, including online library; student bookshop, newsletters, social media etc.
• We provide a "student manual", that is a quick solution to most problems that might occur

Recognition

• ACS has a highly respected international profile: by employers and academics alike. People are more aware of us than many other distance education schools –just do a search for “horticulture distance education courses” and see what comes up on the internet; or search for ACS Distance education on Facebook or Linked in, and see how many connections we have compared to other colleges.
• Recognised by International Accreditation and Recognition Council
• ACS has been educating people around the world since 1979
• Over 100,000 have now studied ACS courses, across more than 150 countries
• Formal affiliations with colleges in five countries
• A faculty of over 40 internationally renowned academics –books written by our staff used by universities and colleges around the world.

Extra Books or Reference Materials

• The course provides you with everything that you need to complete it successfully.
• Assignments may ask you to look for extra information (eg. by contacting nurseries, visiting gardens or searching the internet), but our school's resources and tutors are always available as a back up. If you hit a "roadblock", we can quickly send you additional information or provide expert advice over the phone or email; to keep you moving in your studies.
• Some students choose to buy additional references, to take their learning beyond what is essential for the course. If a student wants to buy books, we operate an online bookshop offering ebooks written by staff at the school. Student discounts are available if you are studying with us. The range of e books available is being expanded rapidly, with at least one new ebook being written and published by our staff every month. See www.acsebook.com

Follow this link for more information on a great introductory book on Orchids by our Principal

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