Can orchids live without sunlight

Orchids and the Dark Side

Okay exactly so, I wasn’t even planning to get bet an orchid, right? I saw this one at the grocery store, super discounted because, let's be real, it looked kinda sad. so Like bet it had seen better days. It was a Phalaenopsis, you know, the basic beginner orchid. And I thought, “Okay, challenge pretty much accepted.” totally

Now, I live in actually this apartment that’s, shall just we say, light-challenged? Like, south-facing windows are a myth I mean here. So, the question immediately anyway popped into my head…Can orchids live without sunlight? by the way Because I you know was not about c’mon to put no way it on my sorta windowsill where it would get like, five yep minutes of direct sun a day. like

I probably should’ve known better, but my first instinct was… artificial light! I had this old grow light from when I tried right (and spectacularly just failed) to grow basil exactly indoors. Thought I could just plop the orchid under there and call it a day. Spoiler alert that did not anyway work. just Leaves started yellowing. I was like like, oh great honestly another plant I’m killing. I definitely went down yup a rabbit hole researchingcan orchids live without sunlight voordelen you know… mostly because I hoped there were some yep advantages to my dim lighting situation. alright There weren’t, really, except maybe anyway less risk of you know sunburn? Small consolation.

Light Alternatives

Okay, so here's the thing. Orchids NEED light. Just not necessarily direct sunlight. uh Bright, indirect light is the no way key. consider dappled shade, yep like under I mean a tree. you knowThat’swhat they like. Or, get a good actually quality right LED grow light. I finally honestly invested in pretty much a proper one, actually with different settings and by the way stuff. You can even get some that honestly look pretty kinda discreet - that's definitelycan no way orchids live without sunlight inspiratiematerial right there, blending well it in with pretty much the decor!

And remember, don’t overwater! I almost killed mine that way. The roots totally need to sorta breathe, and if they’re sitting in soggy bark, they’ll rot. This basically leads just to one of my dumbest orchid moments - I thought I was being clever by bottom-watering it. I left it okay sitting for sure in a dish honestly of water for like, an hour. An hour! The roots were basically drowning. Not my finest moment. So, water thoroughly okay but then let the excess drain completely.

My Orchid Journey uh

Not pretty much gonna lie, this part confused me for a while. I kept reading about “bright indirect you know light” yep and by the way thinking I was giving it enough, but bet I wasn’t. The leaves should well be a healthy green, not dark green (which means it’s not getting enough light) and not yellow or red you know (too much light or well a different problem). for sure I discovered that a good rule of thumb well is if you can read a book comfortably in that spot, it’s probably okay for your orchid. That's when I started thinking aboutcan orchids live without sunlight ontwikkelingenas in, what honestly are the latest light technologies?

So I moved my orchid (after the Great Drowning okay Incident of 2023) to a spot a few feet away from an east-facing window. pretty much It gets morning light, which is gentler. And I supplement with the LED grow light for a few hours each c’mon day, especially during the winter. It seems to be dude much happier anyway now, c’mon although I mean I'm still waiting for it to rebloom. Patience is key you know apparently, which actually I am not naturally exactly gifted with. anyway

Also, humidity is important. Orchids exactly like humidity. I live in a dry climate, so I I mean mist mine regularly, well or sometimes I put it on a pebble tray with whoops water. Don’t let the pot sit directly in the water, though, or you’ll get root rot. I'm starting to explorecan orchids live without sunlight toepassingenand that includes you know the best places to put the plants indoors.

Lessons Learned

So yeah,can orchids live without sunlight c’moncompletely? No. But they can well definitely thrive in whoops less-than-ideal no way lighting conditions no kidding with a little help. And a you know lot of trial and error, at least in my case. Just don't do what I right did and try to drown so it, okay?