When is the best time to plant and buy Phalaenopsis orchids in northern China?

For northerners who want to grow Phalaenopsis orchids, choosing the right time to buy matters more than anything else -- after all, winters here have heating and summers are dry, which is nothing like the climate in the south, so buying too early or too late easily causes problems. For buying Phalaenopsis orchids in the north, 9-10 and 2-3 are the two periods to get them, and your success rate can double!

Why recommend 9-10 first? At this time the north has just entered autumn, the weather is neither cold nor hot, daytime temperatures are around 15-25°C, and at night it does not drop below 10°C, which is exactly the growing temperature Phalaenopsis orchids love most. Phalaenopsis orchids fear both the blazing sun and stuffy heat of summer and the cold winds of winter. Buy one in autumn and bring it home, and it has a full one to two months to adapt to your home environment; by the time the winter heating comes on, it has already established its roots firmly, so it will not easily wilt from a sudden rise in temperature. Moreover, many Phalaenopsis orchids bought in 9-10 come with flower buds, and after one to two weeks of care they bloom, lasting the whole winter -- perfect for a festive display at home during the New Year, and when relatives come they will all ask where you bought it.

There is also the 2-3 period. At this time the heating in the north has not yet stopped, and the temperature at home can basically be maintained at 18-22°C, so the Phalaenopsis orchid will not freeze. The key is that buying at this time lets you avoid the dry period right after the heating starts -- in 11 when the heating first comes on, indoor humidity is often below 30%2-3

So why are the other months not recommended? Forget about summer: northern summers are hot and dry, and a Phalaenopsis orchid may look lively at the flower market, but once you bring it home and put it on the balcony, half a day of sun scorches the leaves, while being shut in an air-conditioned room easily causes root rot -- beginners simply cannot hold on. 11 to 1 is no good either: at this time it is freezing cold outside, and from the flower market to home when you buy it, the temperature difference can be 20°C, so the Phalaenopsis orchid easily catches a "cold", the flower buds drop one after another, and once home it has to compete for a spot with the heating -- too close to the radiator and it dries out, too far and it is cold, which is just too much hassle. 4-5 has suitable temperatures, but at this time Phalaenopsis orchids either have just finished flowering and need to recuperate or are just about to grow new leaves, and there are not many high-quality seedlings at the flower market, so you easily buy a weak seedling that develops problems before long.

No matter which month you buy, you must choose a seedling with thick, substantial leaves and roots that are white or light green; do not buy one with floppy leaves or black roots. When you get it home, first put it in a spot with indirect light for a week to let it adjust, do not rush to water it, and wait until the sphagnum moss is dry before watering. Usually mist a little water around the leaves to raise humidity, but do not spray the flower buds directly. Buy at this time and care for it this way, and your Phalaenopsis orchid is sure to bloom every year.