How to grow Phalaenopsis orchids in sphagnum moss? A detailed guide to watering and fertilizing

I also grow Phalaenopsis orchids in sphagnum moss, and often the moss on the surface is very dry while the moss below is still wet. What should I do in this case?

Should I loosen the moss underneath to let it breathe, or water it thoroughly, or spray the surface to make it wet?

Do you fertilize your Phalaenopsis orchids on a regular schedule or irregularly?

Is the fertilizer applied by watering the roots or by spraying the leaves? Thank you!

Answer:

1> According to your explanation, since each Phalaenopsis expert has their own different growing style and methods, and all of them work, but in my opinion, I would suggest checking the dryness of the inner sphagnum moss (in fact, this is usually judged by experience). If it is still quite wet, then do nothing. If it has dried out somewhat, then spray a measured amount of water on the surface. As for how much to spray, that is an art, and it also depends on the size of your pot, your local temperature, humidity and light.

2> Fertilizing: I only spray a weak fertilizer on the leaves; watering with fertilizer is very likely to affect the growing medium, and long-term watering with fertilizer will cause unused fertilizer to accumulate in the medium, leading to root death, so it is not suitable for home orchid growing. My own philosophy on fertilizing is that the plant gets as much as it needs, and anything extra is just a burden to it. My spraying method is a 1:10000 dilution sprayed on the leaves once a week.

3> I never spray pesticides, except for one time when I got a batch of infected seedlings with white sheath blight from a friend. Generally, almost all other diseases can be overcome by physical methods or prevented by adjusting environmental factors.

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