How do you care for a potted Phalaenopsis orchid these days?

Phalaenopsis is an epiphytic plant of the genus Phalaenopsis in the family Orchidaceae. Its scientific name, according to the original Greek meaning, is “an orchid like a butterfly”. It originates from subtropical rainforest regions. During the Spring Festival season, the plant sends out long flower stalks from the leaf axils and produces flowers shaped like dancing butterflies, deeply favored by orchid enthusiasts and known as the “Queen of foreign orchids”. Now let us take a look at how to care for a potted Phalaenopsis!

Growth habits of Phalaenopsis

Phalaenopsis originates from tropical rainforest regions. The forest trees along high-temperature, high-humidity riverbanks and coasts are where Phalaenopsis grows attached. The most suitable relative humidity range is 60-80% RH, but in an overly wet environment it is often accompanied by disease. It likes warmth and fears cold. The optimum growth temperature is 15-20°C. In winter, growth stops below 10°C, and below 5°C it easily dies.

Propagation methods of Phalaenopsis

1. Flower stalk bud forcing: First cut off the part of the flower stalk that has already finished flowering, then use a blade or sharp knife to carefully remove the bracts between the first to third nodes on the upper part of the flower stalk, exposing the bud points in the internodes. Use a cotton swab to evenly apply bud-forcing agents or hormones such as indolebutyric acid to the exposed internode nodes. After treatment, place the orchid plant in semi-shade at a temperature of 25-28°C. After 2-3 weeks, the buds can be seen growing leaves, and after 3 months they grow into small Phalaenopsis seedlings with 3-4 leaves and aerial roots.

2. Crown cutting to force buds: After the growing point of a Phalaenopsis plant is damaged by some factor, after a period of time 1-2 new shoots will grow from the stem nodes near the base of the orchid plant. This characteristic can be used to propagate Phalaenopsis.

3. Stem cutting propagation: Although there are 1-3 latent buds in the leaf axils of a Phalaenopsis plant, most cannot sprout into plants. You can wait until the plant continuously grows upward and the stem nodes become longer, then cut off the upper part of the plant with roots using a sterilized sharp knife or scissors, plant it in a new pot to continue growing, and give the lower part with the rhizome appropriate water management. Before long, new shoots will sprout.

4. Tissue culture: Using tissue culture to propagate Phalaenopsis can obtain excellent genetic characteristics completely identical to the mother plant. Phalaenopsis seedlings produced by this method are called mericlone seedlings or tissue-cultured seedlings. The plant tissue used for mericlone culture (explant) can be the terminal bud (shoot tip), stem segment (dormant bud), or young leaves or root tips, but currently the most common is the flower stalk of Phalaenopsis.

How do you care for a potted Phalaenopsis?

1. Temperature: Phalaenopsis likes a high-temperature, high-humidity environment. When temperatures are low in autumn and winter, at the turn of winter and spring, and in winter, attention should be paid to increasing warmth. When summer temperatures are on the high side, cooling and ventilation are needed. If the temperature is above 32°C, it will enter a semi-dormant state, so continuous high temperatures should be avoided. Around the Spring Festival is the full flowering period. Proper cooling can extend the viewing time. During flowering, the nighttime temperature is best kept between 13-16°C, but must not be lower than 13°C.

2. Humidity: The suitable air humidity for Phalaenopsis growth is 60-80%. During the period of vigorous new root elongation, water more; during the dormant period after flowering, water less. In spring and autumn, water once around 5 p.m. every day. In summer, when the plant grows vigorously, water once each at 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. every day. In winter, with weak light and low temperature, watering once every other week is enough, and it is best done before 10 a.m. If a cold wave arrives, do not water; keep it dry, and resume watering after the cold wave passes.

3. Light: Although Phalaenopsis is relatively shade-loving, the orchid plant still needs to receive some light, especially before and after the flowering period. Proper light can promote flowering in Phalaenopsis and make the flowers more brilliant and long-lasting. Generally, it should be placed in a spot indoors with diffused light, and not exposed to direct sunlight.

4. Ventilation: The normal growth of Phalaenopsis requires circulating fresh air, so home-grown Phalaenopsis must have good ventilation, especially during the high-humidity period in summer. Good ventilation must be used to prevent heat stress, and it can also avoid infection by pests and diseases.

5. Fertilizing: Phalaenopsis should be fertilized throughout the year. Unless low temperatures last for a very long time, fertilizing should not be stopped. Winter is the flower bud differentiation period for Phalaenopsis, and stopping fertilizer can easily lead to no flowers or few flowers. Spring and summer are the growth period, and a dilute liquid fertilizer can be applied once every 7-10 days. Organic fertilizer is preferable, and special Phalaenopsis nutrient solution can also be used, but do not apply it when there are flower buds, otherwise the buds may easily drop early. Fertilize after watering in the afternoon. After fertilizing several times, use plenty of water to rinse the orchid pot and orchid plant, so as to avoid residual inorganic salts harming the roots.

6. Diseases: Phalaenopsis is prone to soft rot and gray leaf spot. Soft rot is extremely contagious. Once discovered, immediately isolate the diseased plant. The diseased plant can be treated with mancozeb or thiophanate fungicide, usually sterilizing once every 15 days. The common growing medium for Phalaenopsis is mainly sphagnum moss and moss, so the potting material should not use soil, but should use sphagnum moss, pumice, tree fern chips, crushed charcoal, etc.

Precautions for Phalaenopsis

1. Watering too frequently: Friends who grow Phalaenopsis always worry that the orchid lacks water, and regardless of whether the growing medium is dry, they water every day, causing severe root rot.

2. Temperature too low: Usually flowering Phalaenopsis plants are mostly marketed in early spring, and after being bought home they are generally placed in places such as the living room for appreciation. Although the daytime temperature in these places is sufficient, the nighttime temperature is somewhat on the low side.

3. Overfertilizing: Applying fertilizer whenever there is some, without paying attention to concentration, thinking that fertilizing will make it grow faster. You should know that Phalaenopsis should be given light fertilizer, and it should be applied in small amounts many times. Remember that “tonic feeding” must not be excessive, otherwise it will backfire.

4. Large pot for a small plant: Thinking that using a large pot can give Phalaenopsis a roomy environment and sufficient material. In fact, after using a large pot, the sphagnum moss is not easy to dry. You should know that Phalaenopsis likes ventilation, and when air circulates it feels comfortable.

5. Dried flower buds: Most Phalaenopsis nowadays are forced into bloom, and after leaving the base, once the environment changes, the problem of dried buds easily appears. At this time, do not think it is due to dryness and do not water more; instead, increase indoor humidity and control indoor temperature. The temperature must not be too high. When buying flowers, try to choose ones with thick petals.