Orchids in Yuma: Exquisite and easy

It seems to be accepted common knowledge that orchids are difficult to grow, particularly in our hot desert climate.

"That's not true at all," said Dalene Kelley, president of the Yuma Orchid Society, in a recent phone interview. "Orchids are actually quite easy to grow."

According to Kelley, the Yuma Orchid Society has been around for more than eight years. "We were founded in 2001," said Kelley. "Our members are almost evenly divided between snowbirds and locals."

"Orchids thrive in the same sort of climate that people tend to like," she continued.
"They like warm days and cool nights, with plenty of humidity. That's our only problem here in Yuma; there's just not enough humidity, so many of our members use humidifiers in their homes for the orchids, and one of our members even has her own greenhouse."

Kelley pointed out that it was the British in the late 19th century who started collecting orchids.

 "They would make expeditions into the tropical jungles to collect the actual plants to bring back to England with them. Then they built elaborate greenhouses to grow the plants. This resulted in the idea that you had to be wealthy to own and grow orchids."

Thanks to the magic of plant cloning, orchids are more widely available than ever before and do not require a major financial investment.

 "Of course, some cost more than others," said Kelley, "but then there are more than 36,000 species of orchids to choose from." (A quick Internet check revealed hundreds of sites selling orchids at prices from as low as $3 per plant to hundreds of dollars.)
Kelley revealed that many winter visitors bring their orchids to Yuma with them.

"Most of the winter visitors like the fact they can leave their orchids outside here, just so long as they don't leave them in direct sunlight. Orchids traditionally grow under the shelter of rainforest canopies, so they can't tolerate strong sunlight. Those of us who live here year around just keep them indoors in the summer months.

"Orchids are really fascinating," she continued. "There are so many varieties and many of them have unique properties. There's one called a 'Trapdoor' orchid that has a little built-in trapdoor and when bees land on it, the trapdoor drops them down a chute, where they come into contact with the pollen. Then, when they fly away again, they are covered in pollen to take to the next plant."

Kelley said the members of the Yuma Orchid Society like to trade orchids and of course there is always a little friendly competition to see who can grow the most unique or beautiful orchid.

"Really, they are just so easy to grow," said Kelley. "Anyone can do it, just don't fuss over them too much, and don't over water them."

The Yuma Orchid Society meets the second Monday of every month at the Fortuna de Oro RV Park restaurant at 10 a.m. For more information, contact Kelley at 246-1259.