i was gifted this orchid as a get well soon gift after I had surgery. I love it, it is beautiful, and I want to take good care of it. I just watered it, I’m letting it drain, and i’m about to take a shower and let it have a bit of humidity. Any tips or tricks for a first time orchid mother?
My own advice, copy and pasted from a previous comment (so I don’t have to type all of this out again lol): If the tag on it says to give it ice cubes, ignore that. Ice can shock the plant’s roots. Water when the substrate is dry with warm (not hot) water. The blooms will probably die off in a few weeks. This is normal. If you care for it well, it will grow new flowers. Orchids appreciate bright indirect light, meaning it needs to be in a bright window without sun rays directly touching its leaves. Hope this helps :)
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1 likeOverwatering is the biggest thing that kills orchids. Water once a month and they love the bathroom
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Nice looking plant! And I hope you’re on the mend. The type of media it’s in, the amount of light it gets, humidity, air flow, etc will dictate how often your plant will need water. Wait until the media dries out (look for silver roots) before watering again. My phals are in bark so I’m watering my plants roughly once a week. Your plant looks to be in sphagnum which stays wetter longer, so you might be looking at every two weeks or so. Again, wait for the media to dry before watering. For plants in bark, I’ll soak them for 10 to 15 minutes. Plants in sphagnum I will top water until water just runs out of the bottom of the pot. Each time I water, I use fertilizer at 1/4 strength, and once a month I’ll flush with pure water to reduce salt buildup (this is especially important if you are using synthetic fertilizer). Be sure to remove any water that gets in the crown. Leaving it there is a sure fire way to develop crown rot. Put your plant in in bright but indirect light. Direct sun will burn a phal pretty quickly. Too low and you won’t get blooms. I have mine an a west window that is shaded by landscaping. They get absolutely no direct sun. If the edges of the leaves turn reddish you know you are at the max limit of sun for your plant. I suggest you repot it once it is finished blooming. The flowers typically last one to three months, annually. I would cut the inflorescences back to the base of the plant once the final bloom drops. There is a way to try for a second bloom but in the following year flowers tend to be fewer in number and sometimes smaller. Flowering is very taxing process for the plants. If your plant is in sphagnum, it is probably tightly packed. That’s not a great setup for the home grower. Or if it’s in bark, the media is probably beginning to break down. Generally, you’ll need to repot every 2-3 years or when the media is broken down. When you get ready to repot, I would first give it a good soak as things are easier when hydrated. Take the orchid out of the pot and gently remove the media from the roots. Try get it all, but it’s fine if you have to leave some so you don’t damage the roots. And don’t worry if you damage some roots. It isn’t great but it happens. Just try to minimize as much as possible. Examine the roots for health and pests. Trim off any dead or dying roots. Dead roots are papery or mushy, black or brown. Healthy roots are firm and green when wet, silvery when dry. Deeper into the media you may encounter pale yellow roots. It just means they haven’t been exposed to light. They are fine as long as they are firm. I would leave any wrinkled roots as long as they are firm. Use an orchid pot with additional ventilation. They are typically clear, like the one it’s in already but with ventilation holes on the sides of the pot. You can add holes to the growers pot or any other plastic pot you have on hand. Size the pot so that the roots just fit in the pot. They like a tight fit. To minimize transplant shock, use a similar mix to what it currently is in. If your plant is in sphagnum, repot using a mix of 50% sphagnum 50% bark. That will allow moisture to hang around long enough for the roots to take in what they want without cutting off air circulation. If you are a heavy waterer you can reduce the amount of sphagnum in your mix. My preference is straight bark. The key is a loose airy mix that will allow the roots to dry between waterings. Regardless of what mix you use, gently work it around the roots. I use an old chopstick for the job. The goal is to firmly seat the plant in the pot without packing the media. You want an airy mix that allows the roots to grab the water they want and then dry out. Orchids like their water but the LOVE for their roots to dry out. The best tip for orchids is learn. Read up on their care if you are so inclined. There are several channels on YouTube with information on orchid care, like Miss Orchid Girl, Here.. but Not, and Hello Plant Lovers. The Plant Daddy podcast, while is not an orchid specific resource, has some good info related to orchids. The American Orchid Society is another handy resource. I especially like their monthly to do lists. You might also look for any orchid societies in your area; nothing can replace interacting directly with growers that have been doing it for years. I find caring for orchids very rewarding and mildly frustrating. Luckily they are tough plants. As long as you don’t drown them, you will do great. Good luck!
5 likesThank you so much. This is very helpful and I will definitely refer back to it later. I will continue to do more research as I want to see this plant do well.
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