Caroline W
First time orchid parent. Any advice for a beginner?
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First time orchid parent. Any advice for a beginner? | The Orchid Oasis | Planta-Community
11 Kommentare
- panda
Beautiful! I have one just like this, I love the spots. Here are my beginner Phalaenopsis tips.
0 Likes - panda
If it's potted in bark, that's ideal. Many stores have them potted in really dense moss or a peat plug, which tend to retain too much moisture. Most people use a mixture of orchid bark and sphagnum moss, ratio depending on how often you water and how long it stays wet for.
0 Likes - panda
Phals prefer a wet/dry cycle. This means that you only water when the roots and media (the material it's potted in) are fully dry. If it's in a clear pot inside that decorative one, that'll be helpful because you can pop it out and monitor the roots. When they are all pale/silvery, it's time to water. The easiest way is to fill a container (or the decorative pot if it's in an inner one) with water, sit the plant in with ONLY the roots in the water, let it soak for 10-15 minutes or until the roots turn bright/deep green, then drain out all the excess water, and place it back into the decorative pot. Then just keep an eye on it and wait to water until it's back to pale/silvery. This could be anywhere from every 2 to 10 days depending on your media and environment.
0 Likes - panda
Do NOT mist or get water on the stem (where the leaves grow from, not where the flowers grow from) or the crown (the very center of the top leaves). They are prone to rot if you leave water sitting on them. Similarly be sure not to overwater the roots (not letting it get completely dry between waterings) as they are also prone to rot if constantly moist.
1 Like - panda
They like bright, indirect light. They can get sunburned if left in direct sunlight but they do love lots of indirect light.
0 Likes - panda
Flowers and the spikes they grow from are temporary. The flowers will eventually wilt and fall off. This is normal and expected, it does NOT mean the plant is dying. If you keep the stem, crown, leaves, and roots healthy, it will eventually push out new spikes to grow new flowers. Orchids typically bloom once a year, give or take. Flowers last anywhere from weeks to months.
0 Likes - panda
Once all the flowers fall off, the whole spike may turn yellow and dry out. If that happens, you can cut the spike down to the stem because it won't grow any further. Sometimes they actually stay green for a long time after. If that happens, you can still cut them if you want, but you can also leave them alone until/unless they do dry out, because it actually might shoot off another flower spike from somewhere on that one at some point.
0 Likes - panda
Roots that grow out of the media are called aerial roots. Those are completely normal. Phals are epiphytic- in the wild, they grow on trees with their roots exposed and they draw nutrients from the air. It's generally recommended to leave them alone rather than trying to force them in the pot.
0 Likes - panda
They also don't mind being a bit rootbound. No need to repot if they're just a little crowded, only if they are super packed in there or the media has degraded, or you're concerned about root rot.
0 Likes - panda
I also highly recommend looking up MissOrchidGirl on youtube, she has a lot of great videos for beginners that are super helpful in learning how to care for them.
4 Likes- Caroline W
Thank you so much this is all such great information! I appreciate it :)
1 Like