Bamboo Orchid
Arundina graminifolia is one of the easiest orchids you can grow. You can actually plant this orchid in the ground. To top it off, this grassland orchid actually grows in full sun.
Although it is native to grassland areas of Thailand, they are also sometimes called the Hawaiian bamboo orchid, due to the fact that it has naturalized itself in the Hawaiian islands.
Arundina graminifolia is so easy to grow that it is a weed in many tropical places. All you have to do is pot it up in potting soil and keep it in a bright sunny spot and you will have a tall reedy plant topped with gorgeous orchid blooms. If you live in USDA gardening zone 9 or higher, you can actually plant it in the ground. There are not too many orchids that can be used in the landscaping, and this is one of them.
There really aren’t any tricks to growing this plant. They need very bright light, and do just fine in full sun here in Florida. You will want to provide them with a large container, as these grow quite fast, and get rather large. Five feet in height is not unusual for them. After they bloom, the stems sprout little baby plants called keikis, that you can break off and plant to make new plants, so you will have many of them in no time.
Origin
Thailand
Binomial nomenclature
Arundina graminifolia
Common names
Bamboo orchid
Description
Arundina graminifolia has tall, thin, reed-like, stems that grow to 5′ in height, with long, narrow, laceolate, light green, leaves. The terminal inflorescences emerge toward the end of the growing season. The flowers are white with a purple lip and a yellow and red throat.
Height
5′
Temperature/Zone
Zone 9. 33°F or higher. Freezing temperatures are just about the only thing that can kill these tough plants.
Light
Full sun.
Water
Keep them evenly moist during the warm months, but allow them to dry out a bit more during the winter.
Fertilizer
I use an all purpose fertilizer. Do not fertilize during the Winter.
Cultivation
Arundina graminifolia likes a rich soil, high in organic matter.
Pests
I have not found any pests on this plant in Florida.
