Q: Humidity is crucial for orchids to grow properly. Monitor the humidity and try to keep it between 75 and 85%. Provide your orchids with humidity by placing some gravel on a tray and pouring water over the gravel. Place your orchids on the gravel and replenish the water as needed. The heat from the orchid’s environment will cause the water to disperse into the air.  You may also place a humidifier in the area where you keep the orchids to ensure adequate humidity. You can also mist the orchids to provide extra humidity when the weather is hot. Make sure that the water line is below the bottom of the orchid’s pot. The orchid should not be sitting in a pool or water because this may cause the roots to rot. Orchids need a lot of sunlight or light from bright fluorescent lights to grow. Place your orchids in a sunny, south-facing window or under a bright fluorescent lightbulb for 14 to 16 hours per day. You can protect your orchids from getting burnt by powerful midday sun by placing a sheer curtain over the window and ensuring that it is between the window and your orchids. The ideal temperatures for your orchids are between 60 to 70 °F (16 to 21 °C) during the night and no more than 95 °F (35 °C) during the day. Keep a thermometer in the area where you keep your orchids to check the temperature and ensure that they are warm enough, but also not too hot.  You may want to bring your orchids in at night during the cooler months or when temperatures are expected to drop below 60 °F (16 °C). Watch the temperatures on warm, sunny days if you keep your orchids outdoors. Bring them in out of the sun if the temperatures go above 95 °F (35 °C). As long as the soil is draining well, diseases and pests should not be an issue for indoor orchids. Check the soil once every week to ensure that it is draining well and the roots are not getting soggy. If the soil is holding onto water, then you may need to provide a different growing medium or transfer the orchid to a wood slatted basket.
A: Place the orchids on trays covered with gravel and water. Provide full sun or bright lights for 14 to 16 hours per day. Keep the temperature around 80 °F (27 °C) degrees. Check for water-logged roots to prevent rotting, diseases, and pests.

Q: If you live in a place with mild winters - growing zone 10-12 or higher - you should be able to plant the poinsettia directly in the ground, where it will grow as a perennial and get larger with each passing year. If you're in a place where the temperature dips to freezing temperatures during the winter, you're better off keeping it in the pot as a houseplant. Poinsettia are native to Mexico, and they need a warm climate to thrive. If you bought the poinsettia during the winter as a decoration, keep the plant in the pot until spring, even if you live in a place with mild winters. If it came in foil remove the wrapper so water can drain from the pot. It needs to stay potted until the weather gets warm enough to transplant it. Water it whenever the soil starts to dry out.  At the beginning of spring, in March or April, cut the poinsettia back to about 8 inches. This will encourage it to begin a new growing cycle and get it ready for transplanting. Keep it watered and fertilize it once a month or so until early summer, when it's time for transplanting. Look for a place where the poinsettia will get morning sun as well as light or partial shade during the heat of the afternoon. Till the soil and loosen it to a depth of 12 to 16 inches (30 to 40 cm). Enrich the soil by adding organic compost if necessary. Poinsettias prefer rich, well-drained soil. Dig a hole as wide as the poinsettia's root ball and plant the poinsettia. Pat soil gently around the base of the stem. Mulch the area around the base of the plant with 2 to 3 inches (5 to 7 cm) of organic mulch. This keeps the soil cool and helps it retain moisture. You can apply a 12-12-12 or 20-20-20 compound at the start of the growing season or fertilize the plant with compost. If your soil is not very rich, you may need to fertilize the plants once a month. Water the plant at the base whenever the soil around the plant feels dry to the touch. Avoid overhead watering, which could cause fungal disease to form on the leaves of the plant. Pinch small growing shoots from poinsettias occasionally throughout the growing season to encourage the plants to flower. You can discard the shoots or use them to propagate new plants. Cut back old growth in late fall or early winter to encourage strong new growth the following spring. You can take 8 inch (20 cm) cuttings from the soft growing tips of poinsettia stems or 18 inch (45 cm) cuttings from the woody stems of the plant to create new poinsettia.  Dip the ends of each cutting into a rooting hormone, then insert it into a pot filled with potting soil or a vermiculite mix. Keep the soil in the pot moist, but not wet, for several weeks while the cuttings make roots. Add fresh mulch around the base of the plant to keep the soil warm for the winter months. Poinsettia can winter over in areas where soil temperatures do not fall below 45 degrees Fahrenheit (7 Celsius). Dig the plants up and bring them indoors if you live in a climate where winters are cold and soil temperatures fall below 45 degrees Fahrenheit (7 Celsius).
A:
Decide whether the climate is right. Care for the poinsettia until spring. Prepare a planting spot. Plant the poinsettia. Fertilize the poinsettia. Water the poinsettia throughout the growing season. Prune the poinsettia. Propagate poinsettia cuttings. Overwinter the poinsettia.