Diverse Attractions – 'Air Orchids' in Nakhon Pathom: Shop for Orchids and Relax at a Chic Café

This summer, Bangkok residents and nearby province dwellers don't need to venture far—bring your family to escape the heat at an "orchid supermarket" that transforms holidays into joyful celebrations amid blooming flowers throughout the garden.

"Snapshot" is the motto of Panthaphat Kumvichian, known as Bob, owner of Air Orchids Supermarket & Lab. He explains that they pioneered and launched Thailand's first orchid supermarket. The specialty of this shopping destination is the supermarket-style orchid retail format, where customers can push shopping carts to select orchids. During the COVID-19 period, they were heavily impacted but never stopped—they pressed forward with their vision for the future. It's no wonder that every return visit reveals new changes at their 200-rai farm, which offers numerous hybrid orchid varieties.

Currently, they've developed new hybrid orchids of the Ascocenda genus featuring purple-red petals with white edges, white streaks on both sides, and white-tipped lips. They also cultivate variegated-leaf orchids with white-edged leaves, which are gaining popularity. They continuously seek innovations through new breeding techniques and methods to keep the orchid world dynamic.

Many orchid buyers initially purchase beautiful specimens, but after a short time the orchids wither without flowering. Investigation revealed that most growers don't water daily, neglect fertilizing, and skip hormone treatments to encourage blooming—the primary causes of wilting and non-flowering orchids.

Most orchid growers are unaware that orchids are air-root plants requiring daily watering morning and evening, especially when suspended in pots. They also need specialized orchid fertilizer and hormone treatments at least twice monthly.

This challenge led them to develop a solution: placing orchids in pots with continuous water supply using standard plant irrigation equipment. The pots can include hydroponic nutrients or supplements—for example, adding energy drinks like Red Bull weekly—to provide essential nutrients.

They've also experimented with adding colored food dyes to water for aesthetic appeal and feng shui benefits based on birth dates. This continuous moisture method results in longer-lasting blooms compared to regular watering. Tests with Cattleya orchids showed blooms lasting up to 20 days, while Ascocenda varieties achieved 30-45 days of flowering.

After orchid blooms fade, placing pots in direct sunlight produces faster reblooming than typical indoor placement. Though this experiment requires more seasonal testing for conclusive results, they discovered that using coconut coir as a wick connecting water reservoirs to pots prevents wilting and eliminates daily watering—requiring only monthly water refills.

These innovative pots come in various sizes and designs available in markets, but must be selected carefully to match orchid type and usage rate. Too little water may delay or prevent blooming; too much can overdose plants and cause death.

Every visit here reveals something new.