New Phalaenopsis seedlings vs. post-bloom plants: which is better? Let me teach you how to choose

Have you ever found yourself in this dilemma when growing Phalaenopsis orchids: on the flower shop shelf there are beautiful, cheap post-bloom plants, and there are also new plants that have not yet bloomed - which one should you pick? Today let's talk about --how to choose young plants.

Beginners should choose young plants

Young plants are those healthy little plants that have not yet bloomed. Even though they have no flowers to show for now, their advantages really are too many! Their roots are plump, white crystal roots with an extremely strong ability to take up water and nutrients. Even if you occasionally forget to water, or mix the fertilizer a bit too strong, they are not easy to die (the margin for error really is high!).

And young plants have not been "forced", their nutrient reserves are ample, and you can grow them slowly along with their own growth rhythm, watching them push out new leaves and grow aerial roots, and in the second year send up a flower spike on their own. That sense of achievement is 100 times better than just buying a blooming plant! The key point is that the price is also friendly - just a few dozen yuan and you can get one, and if you grow it well it can stay with you for several years.

Experienced growers can give post-bloom plants a try

If you have already mastered "pruning spent flowers" and "repotting without root rot" and "root repair" these skills, then post-bloom plants really are a cost-effective choice. But the premise is that you have to know how to "select plants": the leaves must be firm and not soft, and when you pull apart the roots there should be no black rot or hollow roots; it is best if it carries 3 or more healthy leaves. After buying it and bringing it home, immediately cut off the spent flowers, repot it in breathable growing medium, then give it plenty of scattered light and patiently wait for it to recuperate - there is still hope for it to bloom again~

Northern growers should be cautious about buying post-bloom plants in summer

In the north, winter brings heating, and indoors it is dry, stuffy and hot; in summer the temperature soars, and post-bloom plants have just finished blooming and used up their strength, so their roots are weak to begin with. Once they run into high temperatures or an environment that swings between cold and hot, they will rot their roots before you know it! And in winter it is hard to even let them go dormant, so blooming again the next year is basically hopeless, and beginners can easily end up with an "empty pot" as they grow it.

Southern growers can give post-bloom plants a try in spring and autumn

In spring and autumn the temperature stays stable at 15-25°C, which is exactly the peak growing season for Phalaenopsis orchids. If the post-bloom plant is in good enough condition (plump roots, deep green leaves), the humid climate of the south can help it recover quickly. But after buying it and bringing it home you must isolate it first! Put it alone in a corner and observe it for 2 weeks, to avoid carrying insect eggs that could spread to your other flowers and plants~

In short, although Phalaenopsis orchids look "delicate and precious," choosing the right plant already gets you halfway to success .