Orchids grow almost anywhere -- on trees, on rocks, even underground -- anywhere, that is, except the Arctic and the desert. They have a reputation for being difficult to grow, but orchid specialist Rob Williams tells Kim Haworth that in most cases it's an undeserved reputation.
To start growing an orchid in your home, first select the variety you wish to grow. Orchids from the nursery come in small pots, so the first thing you want to do when you get a new orchid home is to repot it, if necessary, in the next largest size pot. Because orchids grow across the top of the pot, you can check visually to determine whether the plant is ready to be repotted.
Orchid Facts: - Orchids are among the oldest plants on Earth -- they date back to the days of the dinosaurs, about 120 million years ago.
- A common misconception about orchids is that they are parasites. Although they do grow on other plants, they don't actually feed on their hosts.
Food Around the World
Jessie Mack Burns hosts a segment about the produce industry. Before there was a supermarket on every corner, growing your own food was a way of life in the United States. Today, however, only about 2 percent of Americans live on farms, compared with 40 percent just a hundred years ago.
Corn, wheat, soybeans and clover are the most common food crops grown in this country. Many of what we consider to be "native" American plants are actually imports. We owe some of our most popular foods to other countries:
- Asia: rice, peaches, bananas, carrots, peas
- Africa: cola, okra, cantaloupe, watermelon
- Latin America: chocolate.
Note: For a tour of Disney's Epcot Center map, click here , available using .
RESOURCES :
American Orchid Society
Orchids Simplified: An Indoor Gardening Guide
Model: 0395913276
Author: Henry Jaworski
1997
Chapters Publishing Ltd.
Phone: 617-351-3855
E-mail: chapterj@together.net
Taylor's Guide to Orchids
Model: 0395677262
Author: Judy White
1996
Houghton Mifflin Co.
Boston, MA 02116
Phone: 617-351-5000
Email: tradecustomerservice@hmco.com
100 Orchids for the American Gardener
Model: 0761110712
Author: Elvin and Steven McDonald
(August, 1998)
To order this title from Amazon, click here.
Workman Publishing Co. Inc.
New York, NY 10003-9555
Phone: 212-254-5900
Fax: 212-254-8098
The Orchid Weblopedia
Web site: http://conbio.bio.uci.edu/orchid
6000 South Olive Ave.
Web site: http://orchidweb.org
Ortho's All About Orchids
Model: 0897214242
Author: Elvin McDonald
1999
Ortho Books
Columbus, OH 43216
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