Is the large-flowered Phalaenopsis variety Mona Lisa easy to rebloom?

When it comes to the earliest popular bi-color Phalaenopsis, we have to mention Mona Lisa. Its main flower color after blooming has an obvious yellow tone, and it also has a slight hint of orange. When the flowers have been open for a longer time, they fade to pure pink, making it a very dreamy Phalaenopsis.

But there are thousands of Phalaenopsis orchids, so how do you tell whether it is the Mona Lisa variety? In fact, you can identify it in just two steps. First, look at its leaves: compared with other varieties, Mona Lisa's leaves are rounder and wider. Then, its lip has no large tongue, and the petal shape is overall rather flat and round. Finally, once fully open, the flower size is quite large (the measured size can easily exceed 10cm). Overall, its appearance is very impressive.

So how do you care for this bright and mysterious Mona Lisa? Generally speaking, its flowering period is 3 to 6 months, and it can bloom 2 times a year. In daily care, the light does not need to be too strong, and light exposure should be well controlled, because its fleshy leaves most fear direct sunlight, so it is recommended to keep it in a spot with bright, indirect light. Next, do not water it too frequently; keeping the medium warm and moist is enough. If it is placed indoors where the temperature is fairly constant, the watering interval should be judged based on the condition of the sphagnum moss at its roots.

How many years until Phalaenopsis is usually discarded? Actually, Phalaenopsis is a plant that reblooms for many years. When you see a flower spike has faded, as long as you remove it promptly to prevent nutrient consumption, it will produce new flower buds again after 3-6 months. However, the drawback of doing this is that the number of flowers the following year will not be many.

To achieve large, well-formed buds blooming over and over again, you need to let it reproduce and bloom anew. How do you do that? It is very simple: just take out the entire Phalaenopsis whose flowers have faded and whose roots have rotted, then cut at a point 1 cm from the flower stem, afterward peel off all the old sphagnum moss, trim the moldy roots, and then repot it in a new pot with new sphagnum moss and grow it again. If you do this, next year you will have a pot of Phalaenopsis with a beautiful flower shape and many flower buds.