Orchid Culture



Orchid Culture



Beyond the Culture Sheet: Common Sense Phaleanopsis Culture
Carri Raven-Riemann




SPECIAL TIPS ON CARING FOR YOUR NEW ORCHID


WATERING:


If needed, water your orchid when you get it home or the next morning. When watering, don’t soak the pot in water – instead water it from the top with either a rose watering can or the spray arm in your sink – water just until the excess begins to drain out the bottom. Soaking the pot in water – especially if the plant is growing in New Zealand Moss – can over-saturate the mix and lead to root rot. If the plant is growing in New Zealand Moss, see our watering notes below***.


LIGHT:


Ignore what most culture sheets say about “bright indirect light”. The orchid needs a little direct sun in order to build up a sufficient quantity of sugars to produce flowering; give bright light (normal windowsill daylight) the rest of the day. Try to give your plant about 1-2 hours of direct sun – that sun must be either early morning or late afternoon sun from March through early October since direct southern sun will burn the leaves. However, in the winter (mid-October through February), when the sun is weaker, you can give it full southern (mid-day) sun without risk of leaf burn.


FERTILIZER:

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We recommend using a balanced fertilizer year round (N, P & K amounts are about the same) and water with the fertilizer solution at every watering. In winter, use it at ¼ the recommended strength, in spring and summer use at ½ strength. The best balanced fertilizers contain NO urea form of Nitrogen. Blossom Booster and High Nitrogen (Orchid) formulas are not necessary for flowering or vegetative vigor, so keep it simple. Once in a while, water with a plain water flush to remove built-up salts. HUMIDITY: Although culture sheets recommend 50-80% humidity, it is way too excessive. Phalaenopsis need humidity around their leaves of only 35-45%, easily achieved by growing your plants on a pebble tray or by using a small room humidifier in your growing area. This more reasonable humidity level assures that the plant will develop a stronger root system rather than living on the excessive humidity in the air.



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AFTER FLOWERING:


When all the flowers have faded, we recommend cutting the flowering stem (or spike) all the way back to its base. If someone has suggested that you can cut it back to a node – and that it will branch and produce more flowers – you’ll find that the number of flowers is fewer, they are smaller in size, and most importantly, it will deplete the energy available to the plant itself. When flowering naturally ends, the orchid is ready to start its vegetative phase of growth, making new roots and a new leaf or two; with multiple growth Phal. plants (those making basal keikis), it will use this vegetative phase to initiate new growths which will flower when mature. By cutting the flower spike totally off, the orchid can then build up excess sugars, beyond what it needs for its vegetative growth, which it will then put into an even more spectacular flowering the following season.


REPOTTING

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: Do not repot the orchid into a new pot or fresh mix while it is in flower. This places additional stress on the plant since flowering alone is stress enough. Your leaves will begin to go limp, and you’ll shorten the life of the flowers in addition to losing buds. The perfect time to repot your orchids is right after flowering and at the onset of active root growth, evidenced by new roots with bright apple green (actively growing) tips. When repotting the orchid from New Zealand Moss into a fir bark mix, it’s helpful to add a little (about 10-15%) moisture-retentive material to your bark mix. Chopped up fresh New Zealand Moss, chunky peat or coconut chips are three good moisture-retentive materials to consider using. Or you can just repot it into fresh New Zealand Moss which has been moistened first.



DETAILED WATERING NOTES FOR PHALS GROWING IN NEW ZEALAND MOSS



  • Phalaenopsis orchids like to be kept evenly moist, not sopping wet, and will not tolerate over-saturated growing mixes. Many plants sold today are coming in directly from Taiwan and are potted in New Zealand Moss, the moss being packed into the pot like a brick. In order to water your plant properly, without over-saturating the mix, the following suggestions might be helpful.
  • When the surface of the moss is dry, a good way to determine when the plant needs watering is to put your pinky finger about 1” deep into the top of the moss. If the moss is dry to the tip of your finger (at 1” down), it is time to water, but only lightly.
  • Watering should be light to just re-moisten the drier upper surface of the mix. Do not soak the pot in water from the bottom and do not drench the pot with a heavy stream of water from the top. Rather lightly water the surface of the mix until the upper 1” is re-wetted or until the water backs up to the rim of the pot. The moss at the lower portion of the pot is most likely still very moist, and a heavy watering will not allow any aeration to the roots in the bottom of the pot. Over-saturation of the moss can lead to root rot and eventual plant loss. When in doubt, it’s always better to put off watering for a day or two rather than keeping the plant too wet by over-watering.
  • If you find that your plant is not drying out evenly enough under your growing conditions, you can remove the moss ball from the liner by gently pushing from the bottom drainage hole with your thumb or finger. It will come out of the liner intact, at which point you can place the entire ball into the same-size clay pot which will allow the plant to dry more evenly. At this point you might adjust your watering to re-wet the entire pot, not just the upper 1”, since it most likely will dry more evenly right down to the bottom. Or you can place a bamboo skewer all the way down to the bottom of the pot – when pulled out, it will remain wet at the level where moisture remains in the mix – a good indicator of the need to add water and approximately how much. Always check the moisture retention at the bottom of the pot first through its drainage hole and water accordingly.
  • Everyone’s growing conditions are different – watering frequency and amount can vary according to the time of year. Within the first month or so, you’ll be able to predict your particular plant’s watering needs according to your growing environment.


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