Paphiopedilum orchids are one of the easiest orchids to cultivate. Give it basic orchid care and soon they'll be blossoming. They typically thrive on forest floors and sometimes on branches and birch trees. They grow flowers in every single color you can imagine - that is why growing them is so fulfilling.

Some of these kinds of orchids can blossom for a year, having one flower blossom every time. This is why they are called sequential bloomers. They are tough and a perfect choice for beginners.

In order to guarantee the health of your paphiopedilum blooms, you need to make sure that all its growing needs are met. Additionally, going above and beyond just providing the basics is a sure way to achieve vibrant and healthy flowers. You want to be sure that the orchid is extremely healthy. To aid you with this, here are few tips you should follow:

Classify its type. This is a vital step in effectively growing healthy paphiopedilums. This is very the first step to take. Classifying them incorrectly could kill the plant.

Basically they are classified into two types, the warm section and the cool section. These two types of paphiopedilums have different orchid care requirements.

Warm paphiopedilums can be categorized through their spotted leaves. They are usually cultivated in tiny greenhouses and other similar structures. They can also be grown beside closed windows and require a growing temperature of no less than 50°F. They are typically harder to grow compared to their cool counterparts.

There's no need to worry. Most paphiopedilums grown nowadays are usually cool ones. The cool paphiopedilum orchids, thrive best outdoors and beside indoor windows. They are usually one of the easiest orchids to cultivate - ideal for newbies.

Provide the best light possible. In order for paphiopedilums to bloom they will need adequate sunlight. But this doesn't mean hours of direct sunlight. This will result in them burning and even lose their flower. Usually you can follow the orchid care rule for most of these plants; give them all the light they can stand without burning them.

You can know your paphiopedilums are getting the proper amount of light through their leaves. Dark green leaves means that they are receiving too much and yellowish ones mean they are not getting enough. The perfect color would be yellow-green. This means they're having just enough light.

Orhids can also be cultivated under artificial lighting. A fluorescent bulb 6 to 12 inches above its leaves will make sure them growing successfully.

Grow them in the proper temperature. Paphiopedilums prefer medium temperatures of 70-80°F during daytime and 50-60°F during nighttime. Longer exposure to cooler temperatures for weeks at a time will successfully create blossoms. This is especially true for some of its species with clusters of flowers.

Keep their roots moist. An orchid care tip that would be relevant to the majority of terrestrial orchids is to always keep their roots moist. Paphiopedilums grow best in composts that support moisture and one preference among orchid growers when it comes to these plants is leafmold.

A trick that many growers do is place an inverted tray filled with pebbles with an inch of water at the bottom of the pot to provide additional moisture and humidity.

Make sure there is adequate drainage and air circulation. Because they do require lots of moisture in their roots, sometimes we can overly water them. And this is a big no-no. This can surely kill your orchid. In order to stop this from occurring to your paphiopedilums, you have to allow them to have adequate drainage.

You can do this by putting small rocks at the bottom of your pots, filling them about a third of the way up before depositing your compost. This will make the roots cool and moist while draining away excess water.

Another tip for these plants is to provide a good source of fresh air. Air movement means the compost dries up quickly prompting you to increase the rate of your watering. This also makes your plants less at risk for fungal and bacterial infection due to dormant air.

Follow these few tips and in no time you will be having your strong paphiopedilums orchids blooming with vibrant and beautiful blooms.