Phalaenopsis (Moth Orchid)
Care Guide
Perhaps no other orchid is suited to home orchid growing than the Phalaenopsis. Plants with long-lasting sprays of lovely moth like flowers (hence its common name The Moth Orchid) in an array of colours.
Phalaenopsis are readily available from general plant nurseries, florists and your local orchid society as inexpensive, easy-care orchids that are ready to give weeks of pleasure in your home.
Light
Phalaenopsis like medium, indirect light, which makes them perfect for indoors! You should provide enough light so to still see a fuzzy shadow when you hold your hand about 20cm away from the plant.
If you're growing Phalaenopsis outdoors, they will thrive best under 75% shade cloth, and may tolerate down to 50% shade cloth in winter months. Any place outdoors that does not receive direct sun will also be appropriate for Phalaenopsis.
Foliage is your go to indicator to determine if your orchid is receiving enough light!
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Leaves should be a medium to light olive green colour.
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Light green to slightly yellow leaves indicates too much light and stressed leaves.
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Deep, dark green leaves indicates too little light.
Orchids need enough light to flower properly every year. If your orchid hasn't flowered, perhaps move it to a brighter spot to ensure it can create the energy to flower.
Temperature
During active growth (Spring, Summer and Autumn) Phalaenopsis enjoy the same temperatures that we do indoors. They prefer to stay more than 15°C minimum at night and preferably less than 30°C in the day. If temperatures are outside of this range, it may be best to move your orchid to a more protected spot until temperatures are normalised. You may also mist your orchid and increase air movement to assist keeping plants cool in the Summer.
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Phalaenopsis will slow growth as they enter Winter and prepare to begin flowering for Spring. Phalaenopsis need a Winter cool down in order to start growing flowers. Ensure your Phalaenopsis experiences a cooler temperature down to 12°C at night time for at least 2 weeks so to enjoy a fantastic display of flowers.
Watering & Humidity
Phalaenopsis store water in their fleshy leaves, rather than pseudobulbs like other orchids (e.g. Cymbidium). This means they can become dehydrated quickly in warm weather and will need more frequent watering.
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Phalaenopsis like to be watered well and then approach dryness before being watered again (but never fully dry). Phalaenopsis roots turn a silver/white colour when they have dried and are ready to be watered again, which is why many growers use clear pots for these orchids. Once all the roots in the pot have turned silver, and/or the medium is almost dry, this is a good time to water again.
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When watering, water from the top of the pot and saturate all the media well. Avoid watering into the crown of the plant (that is, the centre of the leaves), as this will quickly rot your orchid. Allow all the water to drain out of the pot.
Do not water your orchid with ice cubes or very cold water.
Phalaenopsis will live in low humidity environments, such as a home, if watered well. However, they will appreciate higher humidity up to 70%. To create small areas of humidity, you may place your plant in a saucer dish with pebbles or gravel filled with water. Keep the water level below the gravel so the pot does not sit in the water. Add water to the saucer daily.​​
Air Movement
Just as we appreciate opening a window for fresh air, orchids enjoy gentle air movement at all times. If you feel comfortable, so too do the orchids!
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Air movement helps to prevent rot and fungal growth, and helps to strengthen plants as they grow. An open window during the day, or a circulating fan will bring the best out of your Phalaenopsis orchid.
Fertilising
Since Phalaenopsis don't have storage pseudobulbs, they appreciate regular fertilising all year round, though particularly during active growth (Spring, Summer and Autumn). It is recommended to use a balanced fertiliser (12-12-12).
Remember: weakly weekly!
(It is better to weakly fertilise your orchid every week, rather than heavily fertilise once per month).
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There are many commercially available fertilisers that all work in differing ways:
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Slow release granular fertiliser releases a small amount of nutrients over a long time (3-6 months) to ensure your orchid is always fed.
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Liquid and dissolvable fertilisers provide water-soluble nutrients directly accessible to your orchid, giving them an immediate boost. Many are fortified with seaweed solution as a plant health tonic.
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Organic fertilisers, such as blood and bone, are not recommended for orchids as they require soil microbes to break down their chemical structure before a plant can use the nutrients.
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Always start at a 1/4 or 1/2 strength to the commercially recommended fertiliser doses to ensure your orchids don't experience fertiliser burn.
Repotting
Depending on what medium you grow your orchid in will determine how frequently you should repot. For example, a mix with sphagnum moss will retain more moisture and break down quicker compared to a mix that contains orchid bark, charcoal and/or perlite.
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Generally, repotting should be done every 2 years to ensure the medium does not begin to rot.
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Repotting should be done in late spring after the main flowering season. Cut off any dead or dying roots, remove all the old potting medium and give the plant roots a rinse. Make sure to not cut off the flower spikes unless they are brown and withered. Green flower spikes will continue to branch and flower, simply trim the spike back to the next hidden flower node. Alternatively, you may cut off the flowers to enjoy in a vase while your plant is repotted and grows for next season.
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It is recommended to use a coarse bark mix (around 10-
16mm diameter) to ensure your orchid roots can breath within the pot.
Depending if you like to water frequently or less often you may add other ingredients such as sphagnum moss to retain more moisture to water less often, or add charcoal, perlite, pebbles or styrene to further open up the mix and water your orchid more frequently while avoiding rot.
Choose a pot size to suit the size of the root system, not plant leaves. This will help to make sure your new repotted orchid won't rot.
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When filling in your pot with mix, ensure to give the pot a tap or gentle shake to ensure large air spaces a filled. It is a good idea to give a firm press to pack the mix into the pot (without crushing roots) to ensure the orchid is stabilised in it's new home.
Have any questions on growing Phalaenopsis?
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