So many times indoor plant fashions come and go, and what is popular at the time is deceivingly difficult to actually manage for the average home grower. I thought while we are all waiting for it to warm up a bit, I would do a few series on some indoor plants that people often see, maybe want, and yet are never quite sure what to do with when they bring them home. This week: orchids.
There are many types of orchids, hundreds of genera and thousands of species and varieties for sale. As with all indoor plants, the important thing to realize first: your lighting. Orchids generally need bright, indirect lighting. this can be fudged one way or the other, depending on variety. if you do not have good lighting, you will have to supplement your lighting with fluorescent lighting. This is not difficult, but does involve more work and calculation for hours, wattage, warm and cool bulbs, and best left for when you already have a few experiences under your belt with growing plants in a more natural setting.
Remember! Your house is a slow death-trap for plants.
Plants like air circulation, humidity levels, and light levels never found in any one house. Plants need certain rain cycles. Plants need to be outside. This said, it's not impossible to keep a plant inside for your entire lifetime and pass it on to every kid afterwards... but you must remember this when choosing a plant.
The smaller a plant it, the more easily it will adapt to your house. We all get excited when we see a 10-foot palm tree and think about it filling our livingroom. But the fact is, it is very likely to die when you bring it into your home. That palm tree has been living in a greenhouse for its lifetime. the aridity and cool temps of your house are likely to shock it beyond repair. Think about how if any of you grew up in cold climates, how you felt at home in a T-shirt in the 50-s and 60s*F. For others of us, we would be freezing to death in those temps. Being used to a climate makes a big difference and the older and larger a plant is, the less able to adapt it will be.
That said, no orchid is more "difficult" than any other orchid, but some orchids just get on better in your house than others. One of the most compatible genera for your home: Phalaeonopsis or "phals."
Phals require more or less the same conditions as an African violet, making them quite popular as first-time orchids for the home gardener. They grow well near bright windows, with no direct sun light. An east window is ideal in the home; shaded south or west windows are acceptable. In dull, northern winter climates, a full southern exposure may be required. Artificial lighting is acceptable. Two- or four-tube fixtures are suspended six inches to one foot above the foliage, 12 to 16 hours daily. In a greenhouse, heavy shade must be provided to allow 800 to 1,500 f-c of light. No shadow should be seen if you hold your hand one foot above the leaves. If leaves are hot, reduced light intensity.
Phalaenopsis should be above 60 °F at night and between 70° and 82 °F during the day. Although higher temperatures result in fast leaf and root growth, lower light and good air movement must accompany. Do not exceed the limit of 95°F. Temperatures below 78 °F for three to five weeks with good light are needed for initiating flower spikes. Wide fluctuating temperatures and low humidity can cause bud drop on plants with flower buds ready to open. Although that sounds complicated, what you will find is in most homes, just having your phal next to a window will induce a flower spike suring the winter months, no prompting required.
Water is especially critical for this orchid. The medium should never be allowed to dry out completely. Plants should be thoroughly watered and not watered again until nearly dry, but not until bone dry. In the heat of the summer in a dry climate, this may be every two to three days, whereas during the winter of a northern climate, it may be every ten or more days. Do not allow water to accumulate in the crown for long to avoid contract decaying diseases. Do not sit pots in standing water for long. The more time you spend with your phal, you will learn to just "see" when it needs water. The leaves will lose some color intensity, the plant will be a bit droopy. When this happens, I like to fill a sink up with water, and set my plants, pots and all, into the sink and let them soak for a few hours. Then I return them to the shelf. I do this as needed. It is important to remember watering cannot be determined by a schedule. Your plant may not need water every Tuesday. Your plant may need water more or less often than this, so it is important to actually pay attention to the plant itself. put your fingers into the growing medium-- whether that be bark, coir (treefern bark), or peat moss. Is it dry? then water!
Humidity is recommended to be between 50% and 80% of relative humidity. If the humidity is lower than 40% in the home, set plants on trays of gravel, partially filled with water so that pots never sit in water. Grouping plants together can slightly raise the humidity in the immediate surrounding area. In humid climates, such as in a greenhouse, it is imperative that the humid air is moving to prevent fungal or bacterial diseases to set in.
Fertilizer should be applied on a regular schedule, especially if the weather is warm when plants are actively growing. Application of a complete fertilizer, such as Miracle Gro, Peters 20-20-20 or similar's, at a rate of half to one teaspoon per one gallon of good quality water at each watering. Reduce this frequency to every other or third watering when it is cool. Make sure that an ample amount of water is applied to allow some excess water to drain from each pot. Water with a high salt concentration should be avoided. Growers often follow a formula called "weakly weekly" which means fertilize at 1/4 what is recommended but do it every time you water. This helps to avoid burn on the roots.
Potting is best done in late spring or early summer after blooming has completed. Phalaenopsis plants must be potted in quick draining mixes, such as fir bark, tree fern fiber, chunky sphagnum peat, charcoal, perlite, or combinations of these. Root rot will occur if plants are allowed to sit in an old, soggy medium. Your young plants should grow fast enough to need repotting yearly and should be potted in a finer grade medium to allow good root contact. Mature plants are potted in a coarser medium may stay in the same pots for years, provided that medium is changed when needed. To repot, remove all old medium from the roots, trim off rotted roots, and spread the remaining roots over a handful of medium in a pot. Fill the rest of the pot with medium, working through the roots, so that the junction of the upper roots and the stem is slightly below the medium. Be careful not to leave large air pockets in pots. Use a stick to push the medium in between the roots. Keep plants in shade and wait for one to three days before watering.
You can use any kind of pot for Phals, but there are important requirements to remember. Phalaenopsis are naturally epiphytic, which means they grow on trees. I don't mean they sort of stick to the tree, which in a way they do, but rather they are usually found in the "crotch" of branches, where leaves and other organic materials have collected and rotted, making a loose soil. Phals are meant to have a certain amount of air-circulation around their roots. You will also find that their roots will creep out of whatever pot you give them, and wind all over. This is normal. Do not try to force the roots that grow out of the pot into the pot, as you will only end up breaking the root and damaging the plant. Pots with slits in the sides, cut-out designs, and terra cotta pots are often best for these orchids. Ceramic pots with no holes can be used with no ill-results (I have one growing in a pink glass candy dish from my great-grandmother) but care must be taken when watering the orchids, and it must be noted that there needs to be a wide surface area around the top for good air circulation to the roots.
Now for the fun part. Flowers!
Phalaenopsis come in a variety of colors, and almost any color you would wish is present. I will also mention here that a closely related genus, Doritaenopsis, will often be grouped with Phalaenopsis. They look more or less identical to most home gardeners and will behave in the same way. There are many crosses sold, and I will just refer to the whole group as Phalaenopsis or Phals to avoid confusion. Yellow, white, pink, red, green, spots, stripes, orange, etc are all popular combinations on phals.
Written and Photographed by Ameerah AlAmmar
