Orchid care has come a long way from the old days. It has been refined and made much simpler. These plants can now be cultivated anywhere from greenhouses to the comfort of your own home. Essentially all plants have the same requirements as orchids, but in order to cultivate orchids successfully, there is a certain combination of things that are needed.

To be sure your orchids are always fit and content, follow these 6 laws of successful orchid care...

1. Provide the right levels of humidity. Orchids are originally found in the tropics, where the weather is warm and moist. That is why orchids must have no less than 40% humidity and no more than 70% during the day.

Unlike most plants, orchids lose moisture very quickly. When the weather is hotter, be sure to provide them with moisture in any way you can.

Moisture can be increased in many ways: watering the plants more than the usual, misting, or even relocating them to a more humid place in the house will do. The opposite must be done during cooler temperatures.

Too much moisture can also kill your orchid, so make sure to supply proper drainage.

If you do not do this critical requirement, after a couple of days, you will see that your orchids have wilted. You will know that you are not providing them with the proper amount of moisture through its appearance. Not enough moisture turns leaves yellowish while too much makes the plant fragile.

2. Make sure that they have access to fresh air. Most of these plants are categorized as epiphytes, which means they live "up there". As for most of these plants in the wild, they are found on branches and birch trees. They live there specifically to absorb the moisture and nutrients around them.

Compared to most plants, orchids utilize carbon dioxide more efficiently. That is why proper air circulation is a must to any orchid - either in the wild or in cultivation. A modern air conditioning unit can be the answer to this problem. Most of these units produce warm and humid or cool air depending on the season.

Not all types of air are good for orchids. Cold drafts and dry hot air can freeze and wilt orchids respectively, which can cause these plants to wither.

3. They must have the adequate amount of sunlight. The rule to follow with orchids is that these plants must be given the optimum quantity of sunlight they can stand without causing any damage to them. This is quite difficult to tell because sunlight requirements vary from species to species. One way to discover its needs is through experimenting.

Most orchids need sunlight in order to produce blooms. Some, though, do not need it whatsoever. You can check if the orchid is getting the proper amount of light it needs by looking at its foliage. Yellow leaves mean it should have more light while dark green ones tells you it needs less light.

4. Protect orchids from the cold weather. Again, because most orchids are native of tropical countries, extreme cold can damage them. Although orchids also need cooler temperature at night to grow flowers, snow and frost can be damaging to their growth.

Cold temperatures can impede the growth of orchids and can even make their leaves brittle. You can protect orchids through shelters or structures such as greenhouses. Some orchids can stand extreme cold but not for a long time. At the most an orchid can stand a total of two weeks' time in a really cold place; more than that will kill them.

5. Feed them adequately. Growing on trees, orchids also rely and feed on nutrients from dead leaves and animal droppings. In cultivation, these natural occurrences are not always accessible. Giving them the correct type of plant food will make up for this.

Nutrients can begin with the medium you use. Osmunda and leafmold are two of the well-loved potting mediums used in orchid care. Then once a month feed the orchid either liquid fertilizer or ground manure. Make sure though that at the end of every month you rinse off the salt residue that builds up due to fertilizers.

Another thing to remember is not to over feed them. Too much fertilizer can burn the orchids or can even destroy them entirely.

6. Do proper research. Because there are so many different species of orchids, no one orchid care system can do for all of them. The needs for the individual types can greatly differ from each other.

You can ask the place where you bought them or do some research online. There is actually a lot of knowledge available if you just take a little time to look. In order to be successful in growing orchids you must NOT EVER forget this important step.

Orchid care is not an exact science because orchids themselves have many types and every one has different needs. If you follow these 6 laws, then in no time you will have grown healthy orchids to last you for years.