While caring for your orchids, you may be wondering if you can incorporate other houseplants into your orchid’s space to create a beautiful display. Fortunately, you can. Orchids can grow well amongst many different plants. There are certain houseplants that have similar lighting and growing needs as orchids. These plants would pair wonderfully with your orchids. I’ll go over some of the popular options below.
Indoor plants such as rubber trees, philodendrons, palms, and succulents grow well with orchids. These plants and orchids have similar lighting, temperature and watering needs. When deciding which plants to pair with your orchid, it is crucial to choose a plant that thrives under the same conditions as your orchid.
In this article, I’ll talk about which plants grow well with orchids. I’ll also go over how you can properly care for multiple orchids within the same pot and how you can plant orchids and succulents together. You’ll learn what else you can do to keep your orchid healthy and strong.
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Which Plants Grow Well With Orchids?
It is essential to pair your orchid with plants that would thrive within the same environment. In order to successfully grow your orchids with other plants, you will need to find plants that share similar temperature, light and watering needs.
Tropical plants or desert plants will thrive alongside orchids, as they all require less water than other houseplants. Below, I will explore what you should consider planting next to your orchid and how to do this successfully.
Philodendrons
While both these plants have their differences, philodendrons and orchids can make great companions with the right care and materials. Both of these plants are widely available, and they are relatively easy to grow.
Philodendrons enjoy bright, indirect light. When watering your plant, allow the soil to dry out between waterings, similar to orchids. Before watering your philodendron, check the soil first to make sure that it is not damp. On the other hand, wilted or droopy leaves indicate that the plant needs more water.
Pairing your orchid with philodendrons is an attractive and fun way to dress up both of your plants. They will both thrive and grow well alongside each other. Philodendrons are easy to care for, adaptable plants, that will make a great addition to your indoor garden.
Rubber Trees
A rubber tree, also known as Ficus elastica, is another easy to care for houseplant. This will grow well beside your orchids. These are popular houseplants, loved for their large, green leaves.
Similar to orchids, rubber trees prefer bright, indirect light. They can be placed near a bright window covered by a sheer curtain. During the growing season, you can water the tree once or twice a week to keep the soil moist. During the cooler winter months, once a month watering should suffice.
This low-maintenance plant will look great beside your orchid. In addition, rubber trees are known to remove toxins within the air. The rubber tree has similar light and watering needs as orchid plants, making it a great companion plant for orchids.
Palms
Palms are another tropical plant that will grow well next to your orchid. Indoor palm trees are part of the Arecaceae family. Similar to orchids, indoor palm trees like bright, indirect light, but can also adapt to low-light conditions. This is good to know if you have low-light orchids and want to place these plants together.
Parlor palms are one of the most popular indoor plants and for a good reason. These plants can easily thrive under low-light and can survive in extremely low temperatures.
Palm trees prefer to be planted in loose, porous soil with good drainage. When you notice that the soil is dry, you can water your palm tree; never let the root ball sit in water. The temperature tolerance for palms is also similar to orchids, making this a good companion plant.
Can You Plant Different Orchids in the Same Pot?
Now you may also be wondering if you can have multiple orchids share the same pot. Thankfully, the answer is yes. However, when you are using just one large pot, it is essential to correctly place all your orchids within that pot. That way, your display appears seamless and put together.
Here are some things you can do to plant multiple orchids within the same pot and keep them alive and healthy:
Keep Each Orchid in a Plastic Liner Pot
Keep each orchid in its original plastic liner or pot. Placing these individually into a larger pot is an easy and straight-forward method for growing your plants within one environment.
Once you have arranged the orchid pots in the planter, fill in the surrounding space between the plastic pots. You can use more potting mix or sphagnum moss. Potting mix or moss can also be used to cover the tops of the orchid pots to give the seamless illusion that all the are orchids planted together.
By keeping each individual orchid in their own pot, you can tailor watering and fertilizing to each individual plant’s needs. If done correctly, all of your orchids will go on to thrive while looking vibrant and beautiful in the same pot.
Prep Your Orchids To Be Relocated
Before you place your orchids into their new pot, it is crucial to do some basic pruning. This will ensure your plants are in the best possible condition before you relocate them. You will want to start by removing your orchid’s dead leaves and roots if they have any. Inspect your orchids thoroughly for any pests or diseases. Remember that pests and diseases can spread quickly between plants. This holds even truer when you are housing multiple plants in close proximity in a single planter.
Can Orchids Grow in Succulent Potting Mix?
Many people care for succulents as well as orchids. Some may wonder if they can use their succulent potting mix to pot their orchids. They may think this because succulent potting media contains some similar components to orchid potting media. Both contain perlite, coconut fibers and volcanic rock or charcoal. However, succulent potting media is unique in that it also contains coarse sand, gravel and other components specific to the needs of succulents and cacti.
Due to these differences, orchids cannot be successfully grown in a succulent potting mix. You will need to use orchid-specific potting mix for your orchids, as it is designed for proper drainage. The large pieces of bark and plant fibers in orchid mix allow for adequate air circulation around the roots. However, your succulent can easily thrive within the base of your orchids potting mix.
Do Orchids Grow Well With Succulents?
Earlier, I named a few plants that grow well amongst orchids. You may be wondering, are succulents one of them? Luckily, the answer is yes. Succulents are among the few plants that grow very well alongside orchids.
Both orchids and succulents have almost identical growing requirements, especially when it comes to the amount of water they require. However, it is important to note that both of these plants need different potting media to survive.
Just as you would successfully plant multiple orchids within the same pot, use the same technique for your succulents and orchids. Keep your succulents and orchids separate in their individual pot liners when arranging them in a larger pot. Then, fill in the gaps between pots with more potting media or moss.
There are also plenty of fun and creative ways to arrange your plants when choosing to plant them together. Keeping your plants within their individual pots is key. This will ensure that each plant gets the water and care that meets their specific needs.
It is clear to see that plants such as orchids and succulents work well together. Their care requirements align well with each other. It is best to pot plants together that do well under the same or similar conditions. Once again, keeping all these factors in mind will allow you to create a vibrant space where your orchids and succulents thrive in their new home.
Final Thoughts
In this article, I discussed what plants grow well with orchids and what kind of potting mix your orchid needs. I also went over how to grow multiple orchids or orchids and succulents together.
Some of the plants I listed above are somewhat low-maintenance. However, they all do require some level of care to stay alive and robust. Hopefully now you have enough information to begin successfully adding plants to your orchid collection and garden. Have fun!
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