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Growing Tips for “Moth Orchids”
“Phals”
are among the easiest orchids to grow in the home or greenhouse. This
is the orchid most people relate to when they see orchids. Today, we
find phals in the background of motion pictures, TV shows and interviews,
and even advertisements.
BLOOMING: Sprays of flowers can be open for a 3 months or more. Large plants with multiple spikes can have blooms up to 10 months a year. A bane to flowers is being exposed to excessive heat or cold, or having their pollen removed. You have several options once the flowers wilt on a spike. The spike can be cut above the first node prior to the flowers and this will often result in a second spray of flowers. Although the second spray usually will not have as many flowers or have them as large, it is a way to extend the blooming of your healthy plant. But this re-blooming does take energy away from the plant, so you may not want to do this each year. Some people will immediately cut the spike off at the base of the plant. This will eliminate any opportunity for the plant to re-bloom this or the next season from that spike, and some phals like to start keikes along their spike as well. My suggestion is to leave the spike until it turn a straw brown color. This may not happen at all, may turn brown from the tip to one of the nodes, or may turn brown to the base of the plant. Wherever the brown stops, cut 1/2" above that point on the bloom spike.
LIGHT: Phals prefer bright indirect light from an east window or a curtained south or west window in the home, or moderately shaded in the greenhouse. Phals also do wonderful under lights positioned 1’ above the leaves for 12 hours per day.
WATERING: Since phals can only store water in their leaves, they need to be watered when their media is just about to dry out. In the home, this could be every 2-3 days in the warm seasons to every 10 days in cooler seasons. A good tip is to pull the pot label and feel if it is dry for most of its length yet moist near the bottom. It is always best to water in the morning so the foliage can be dry by evening.
Humidity: The humidity for phals should be between 50% and 80%, which can be maintained in the home by setting the plants on trays of gravel, partially filled with water, so the plants never sit in water.
TEMPERATURE: Night temperatures should normally stay above 60 degrees, and a day temperature of 75-85 degrees is preferred. Night temperatures down to 55 degrees should be provided for a couple weeks in the fall to initiate the flowering spikes. Once buds start to form on the spike, the temperatures should stay above 65 degrees.
FERTILIZER: We recommend the new Jack's Classic Liquid Orchid Foods with Micro and Macronutrients, plus Calcium and Magnesium. There is a general formulation (7-5-6) and a bloom booster (3-9-6). Use a weak solution (1/2 capful or 3/4 teaspoon per gallon of water) every week following your regular watering. By watering the plant first, you are flushing out any buildup of salts in the pot.
REPOTTING: Phals are usually repotted every 1-3 years, and it is essential to repot if your media breaks down (soggy, mushy). Use an open media like a bark mixture to get air to the roots. Repotting is best done after flowering.
For general culture summary on my seminar handout, click here for the Excel spreadsheet.
Copyright © 2007 by Winsome Orchids, Inc. All rights reserved.
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