I was given two Phalaenopsis for my birthday at Christmas, one cream one pink. They are absolutely gorgeous, but I have no idea how to care for them, so any help would be greatly appreciated. I would like to keep them blooming as long as possible and get them to rebloom later. So far I have kept the moss moist and thats all.
Oh, my! They are beautiful! I'm sure you will get some great advice here. Todd has been helping me since I picked mine up late last fall, and we are inching along here!
Good luck!
Hi,
Congradulations! I will have to warn you though, you will not be able to stop once you get the hang of caring for these plants.
Be careful not to keep these plants too moist. They like moisture, however, for me it was hard to judge moisture levels using moss. I water mine once a week (75-80 degress, 50% humidity, small fan to provide air movement). That can change as your home conditions change i.e. less humidity=more waterings, higher temps=more waterings and vice versa. Don't overlove them too much, as they are somewhat forgiving. Just sit back and enjoy the blooms for now, as the specifics of caring for these plants become more important after they bloom. I would suggest going to your local bookstore and purchasing a book or books and read as much as possible if you think you may get bitten by the orchid bug.
Phals are among the easiest orchids to grow in the home.....they require similar conditions as required by African Violets. I grow mine in a direct, unobstructed, east window (morning sun from sun-up till about 10:00 am in summer. A lightly shaded south window or a NW window that gets the last 3-4 hours of sun would work too.
temperature: as suggested by rockdrky, 75-80 F in day and 65-70 F at night. I water mine about once a week.....maybe every 9 days if cloudy weather in winter, every 5 days in summer when sunny and warmer. I'd move them into a bark mix rather than leaving them in moss, but wait until they finish flowering. Naturally cooler temps in fall usually stimulate flowering in spring, the main season of bloom (5 out of 9 of mine are now in spike).
After the flowers fade, cut the spike just below the lowest flower. Nodes further down on the spike will often produce a secondary spike. When well grown, they can be in bloom almost continually.
50-60% humidity is fine. If you mist, do so in the mornings till mid-afternoon. Foliage should be dry come nightfall. Avoid spraying the flowers themselves.
Most losses of orchids are due to overwatering and old potting media.....repot them at least every 2 years. I fertilize mine with 15-30-15 every second watering, mixing the fertilizer at 1/3 the recommended strength.
That's about it....they are really relatively carefree....people just get overanxious because they are an orchid!
Thanks very much. I'd hate to lose them but yes - orchid - spells help!! I shall try and keep these going but house plants and I don't often get on. They usually have to be able to cope with a healthy amount of neglect! Now outdoors, thats different.
Congrats on your new orchids!!!! Todd basically covered everything but I just wanted to add a little tip:
It's often hard to achieve the kind of humidity that orchids like in homes. Misting with a spray bottle always helps but in addition, I also have mine sitting on humidity trays.
All humidity trays are are trays that you fill with rocks or pebbles and fill with water. Then you set your orchid pot on top of the rocks. Make sure the water level isn't so high that your pot is submerged. As the water evaporates, it lends the humidity right to your orchid.
You can make em, or buy them.
Good point captmicha. here's a pick to show my set-up. I use plastic trays covered in stiff wire, then set the pots upon the wire. Its a clean way to help provide extra humidity.
As DH gave me the orchids I have just given him the job of constructing a humidity tray! He said something that sounded like hrmph!
