Throw away your Phalaenopsis after it blooms? Grow it this way and it will bloom every winter

I wonder if any flower lovers are like Huahua: the moment you walk into a flower market, you are bound to be drawn to Phalaenopsis orchids. But because they are famously difficult to grow, everyone treats them as a disposable potted plant and says goodbye once the flowers fade. Actually? As long as we care for them properly, reblooming is absolutely not a dream!

Choose a flower pot with holes

As for choosing a pot for your Phalaenopsis, the first option I will introduce is a plastic pot. What I recommend here is a double-pot setup! The inner pot is a transparent plastic pot, and it must have holes around the sides and in the bottom.

For the outer pot, choose a plastic pot with no holes in the bottom, but be sure to drill holes in the side walls of the pot, with the height of the holes level with the bottom of the inner pot.

The second option is the red clay pot, which is most familiar to beginners growing orchids, and it is very well suited to pairing with sphagnum moss.

When choosing to use a red clay pot, we need to pay attention: also choose one with plenty of holes in the bottom and walls, and a newly bought pot needs to have its "fire" removed, so soak it in water for 1 night before use.

How should Phalaenopsis be planted?

For the growing medium, we can use bark, sphagnum moss, tree fern fiber, coconut coir, expanded clay pebbles, fine brick rubble, and so on. For flower lovers in the north, where the air is relatively dry, Huahua suggests using sphagnum moss to grow Phalaenopsis!

Before using sphagnum moss, soak it in hot water, then wring it dry and set it aside. Before potting, first fill the root ball of the Phalaenopsis with sphagnum moss; you can place a drainage cover in the middle, then wrap sphagnum moss around the roots.

Gently press the Phalaenopsis into the pot, then use a small wire to stuff more sphagnum moss in, but do not pack it too tightly; about 80% firmness is enough. Once it is packed, just cover the top with a layer of sphagnum moss.

Everyday care

1. Light

When caring for Phalaenopsis, indirect light is best. We can feel the intensity of the sunlight with our hands: if it feels soft rather than harsh on the back of the hand, and if you touch the leaves and they are not hot, then it is fine.

Now that autumn has arrived, we need to slowly increase the light, and by winter, gradually acclimatize it to full sun. However, because conditions differ from place to place, adjust the light as appropriate.

2. Temperature and humidity

During the growing season, the temperature for Phalaenopsis is best kept between 20~30°C. It will stop growing above 35°C or below 18°C.

Humidity is best kept at 75%~80%. During the acclimatization period, it may require even higher air humidity, and we can raise humidity by misting and using a humidifier.

3. Water

For watering, usually lift it often to check its weight and see if it feels lighter; feel the sphagnum moss at the drainage holes in the bottom of the pot with your hand, or simply put your hand into the moss, and water only when it feels dry.

If you are growing it in bark, its water retention is poorer, so compared with sphagnum moss you need to water more frequently.

4. Ventilation

No matter what kind of plant it is, if you want to grow it well at home, you must pay attention to providing plenty of ventilation. Poor ventilation not only keeps a potted plant from growing well, it can also cause the plant to rot and trigger all kinds of pests and diseases~

5. Fertilizing

We can start 2 weeks after the flowers fade, applying a fertilizer with a full balance of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium; when forcing flowers, you can apply a phosphorus-potassium fertilizer and increase light, and once the buds grow to the size of a peanut kernel you can stop fertilizing!

What should be done after the flowers fade?

For the Phalaenopsis we bring home, after enjoying its beauty, once the flowers fade we should promptly cut off the flower spike to reduce the plant's consumption and store nutrients for the next bloom.

As for the care of Phalaenopsis

that is all Huahua has to share

Next time you buy flowers

do not just throw them away again~

?