How to care for a Phalaenopsis orchid

"It's a matter of taste!" - someone will say, and they will be right. Another will add - "It's easy to grow!" - and they will not be mistaken either. "It's beautiful!" - and that's undoubtedly true. So, does the external attractiveness and simplicity of care determine the popularity of the plant? Exactly! Phalaenopsis is the most common orchid in indoor gardening. It has turned out that in 95% of cases when asked "Can you tell me! I was gifted an orchid, but I don't know what it's called," it turns out that the gift was indeed a phalaenopsis. What causes such love for this orchid, rather than for dendrobium or, say, ascocenda?

However, this was not always the case with phalaenopsis. The fact is that until 1995, mostly species orchids were supplied to Russia, that is, natural species taken directly from their natural habitats and propagated in open soil or greenhouses. However, the conditions of indoor spaces - apartments, offices, etc. did not suit these orchids; they either did not reveal their decorative potential, meaning they did not bloom or bloomed weakly, or they died very quickly. But after 1995, only hybrid orchids began to be sold. Why? Because their extraction from natural habitats, often barbaric, leads to the threat of extinction of species. Hybridization came to the rescue - the hybrids obtained are propagated in industrial conditions, and hybrid orchids bloom no worse than natural species. Moreover, breeders took care of both the duration of flowering and ensuring that orchids could live better in unnatural conditions.

But one must never forget that by buying a plant, you acquire a living organism that requires constant care! Unfortunately, based on the number of questions asked on the GreenInfo.ru forum and to our telephone service operators, the conclusion is disappointing - people either do not understand this or hope for the eternal Russian "maybe" - maybe it will grow somehow. This is very unfortunate. With such an approach, a person tortures the plant and suffers themselves, not getting what they expected. And what is the result? - disappointment.

To reduce disappointments, let's change our attitude towards plants and feel that we are responsible for those we have tamed.

Let's consider the main points of care for phalaenopsis, adhering to which you can enjoy the lush green leaves and stunning beauty of butterfly-like flowers for a long time.

Lighting, temperature regime, spraying

It is best to keep the orchid on an east or west window, or in the depth of the room under a white fluorescent lamp or a special plant phytolamp. Supplementary lighting is especially important in the autumn-winter period; the length of the daylight should be at least 14 hours.

The optimal temperature in summer is 25°C, and in winter is 18°C. To stimulate flowering, it is important for the orchid to experience a temperature difference of 3-5 degrees between day and night. During the winter period, at temperatures above +25°C, flowering is virtually absent.

It should be noted that phalaenopsis are highly adaptable to growing conditions. Of course, by creating conditions that closely match their natural requirements, the orchid will live longer and bloom more often.

Leaves should be sprayed with settled room temperature water regularly, at least 3-5 times a day, especially in winter when the heating system is on, when the air humidity is very low.

During flowering, spraying should be done very carefully, trying not to get water on the flowers - brown spots appear on the petals from water, which reduces decorativeness and leads to rapid flower drop.

Transplanting

The substrate for the orchid should be changed as the bark breaks down and the substrate compacts. This is usually done once every 3-4 years. Special substrates "For orchids" are used. It is better to transplant in spring when growth processes are activated, and the orchid can more easily endure post-transplant stress. The plant experiences the transplant worse in the autumn-winter period and recovers more slowly. Do not transplant during flowering, otherwise, it will end faster.

For phalaenopsis, transparent plastic pots are more suitable - the roots of this orchid photosynthesize just like the leaves, meaning the roots need light. During transplantation, dry, empty, dead roots and old substrate are removed. Be very careful when separating roots that have attached themselves to the walls of the pot (to do this, water the plant an hour before transplanting, thoroughly moistening the substrate and roots, then they will detach from the pot walls more easily). Pieces of bark that the roots have adhered to can be left.

After transplanting, it is beneficial to add the Zircon preparation to the watering water once every two weeks for two months at a rate of 2-3 drops per glass of water - this will help the orchid root faster. Any transplant usually delays flowering by 1.5-2 months. There are cases when the orchid blooms directly after transplanting - the stress from root damage affects plants differently.

Watering

Orchids are watered in two ways - from a watering can from the top of the pot or by immersing in a container of water.

During flowering, it is better to water from a watering can to avoid changing the plant's location, which may cause it to drop flowers. Watering should be done in such a way that the substrate and roots dry out once a week. If the roots are kept in constantly wet or damp substrate, the risk of root rot increases, and the substrate breaks down faster.

When phalaenopsis is not flowering, it is best to water it by immersion - the pot is submerged in a bucket of water for 1-2 minutes (until air bubbles stop rising). After such immersion watering, excess water should be allowed to drain, and only then should the orchid be returned to its place.

The temperature of the watering water should be equal to the air temperature, or even better, if the water is 3-4 degrees warmer than the air. The maximum water temperature should be +28°C (warmer water burns and scalds the roots). The water must be settled for a day and should be soft.

If the water is hard (contains a lot of lime salts, which can be seen by the white streaks on the leaves after spraying and the whitish-yellow coating on the substrate surface after watering), then the amount of lime in it should be reduced.

To do this, you can:

Fertilization

Fertilizers used should be specialized, "For orchids".

During the flowering period in summer, fertilization is done 2-3 times a month; in the flowering period in autumn and winter, fertilization is done 2-3 or 1-2 times a month, but the concentration of fertilizer should be reduced by half from that indicated in the instructions.

During the period of no flowering, you can skip fertilization or do it once a month, no more often.

To remove excess salts, flush the soil under warm water for 15-20 minutes once a month.

Propagation

In indoor conditions, it is easiest to propagate phalaenopsis vegetatively - through side shoots or "pups". They can form both at the base of the leaf rosette and on the flower spike. In both cases, you need to wait for the pup to form its own roots (at least one root), and only then transplant it into its own pot.

Care Problems

The cause of most problems is non-compliance with or violation of care conditions. If you treat the plant with more attention, there will be fewer problems.

What usually scares the gardener? If the orchid does not bloom, if the leaves turn yellow or change in some other way, etc. I will try to answer these "ifs":

Plants in our apartments depend almost entirely on us - we decide when to water, fertilize, transplant... However, these decisions should not be made spontaneously but depending on the needs of the plant at that specific growth period and in specific conditions - whether it's cold or hot in the apartment, bright or dark, etc. Moreover, we must assess these conditions not only by our criteria but also take into account the needs of the plants. After all, for a person, a temperature change of 1 degree is hardly noticeable, while for a plant, it is a strong stress.

According to the popular saying, a plant, like a person, gets used to everything. Let's make it so that the coexistence of plants and humans is not burdensome, but as comfortable and beneficial as possible.