Hi, "sarahlydear".
"Daethen" is correct - "Just Add Ice" is a gimmick. It's used to appeal to people who would otherwise shy away from growing an orchid because, "They're too difficult to grow."
I think the only people who can really get away with "just adding ice" are those from consistently warm climates, because then the ice would have melted very quickly and the cold water will become luke warm within a very short period of time, compared to those from more temperate regions. Even so, I don't recommend this practice - especially for novices. It has the potential to breed laziness (trust me, nobody needs any more help in this department - me included
), and I don't think it really helps the grower understand their orchids.
"BobInBonita's" thoughts on repotting are good, as far as repotting when the potting media is going bad. However, I personally like to repot when the roots start to get out of the pot too much as well.
Yes, your orchid is a Phalaenopsis. It is most likely a hybrid with Phal amabilis in the bloodline.
Phal amabilis originally comes from tropical Southeast Asian jungles.
Most Phal species and Phal hybrids are generally also, what is considered in the horticultural world, as perennial evergreens. In other words, they live for a long time and they don't go partially or fully deciduous. They only drop very old leaves, (from the bottom going up - not the other way around).
General requirements are:
Growth type:
Epiphyte (grows on the surfaces of trees). Phals generally are not terrestrial plants.
Temperature: Intermediate to warm (60 F to 95 F). Night and Day, as well as seasonal temperatures must always fall between this range.
Lighting: Shade to bright shade. Like under a tree canopy in a dense jungle.
Humidity: 60% to 80%. Remember, they originate from tropical Southeast Asia, where the countries are mostly island countries. Then on top of that, they're residents of lush jungles. On top of that, some of them grow in a swamp-type environment.
Some special notes:
1. Phals can be coerced to bloom in a number of ways, out of season. The general blooming season for most Phals is sometime in spring.
This is of special note only to answer questions in regards to when the grower should expect them to bloom.
This information is not for people to go about coercing their Phals to bloom out of season whenever they want, until their plant is so taxed out of energy, that they eventually decline in health and die.
2. There is not a whole lot of difference between aerial roots and roots that grow in the pot. The only real difference is how the roots that are growing outside of the pot have grown cells on the root tips that are more accustomed to a more arid environment in relation to the more humid or moist environment of being inside a pot.
There is a botany term you must be acquainted with in order to understand the differences in "aerial" vs. "pot" roots. That term is -
plasticity. Plants are highly plastic in terms of adaptability to their growing environments, the caveat being that it can only adapt within a certain range of tolerance for the plant. Plasticity is not only the way that plants adapt, but it is also how they've been able to survive unpredictable weather within their general climates, in their area of origin.
3. Most epiphytical orchid roots are capable of photosynthesis to one degree or another, hence their green coloration.
In the case of epiphytical orchids, the roots are not just for nutrient intake from the outside environment, and for water uptake, but it is also a starch storage organ, an anchoring system, as well as a mini-food factory (much like the leaves are - and in fact, can sometimes take over the function of the leaves in photosynthesis should the plant lose all its leaves with certain kinds of orchids under certain circumstances).
4. While I realize that you own a man-made hybrid that is usually mass produced in large orchid farms (usually in places such as Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, Japan, and Singapore - some survivors in the US still mass produce Phals, but it's rare nowadays due to competing costs), it is not recommended to breed an attitude of complete recklessness and disregard for your orchid. There will be plenty of room for mistakes (which is okay), and other miscellaneous issues.
The reason that this gets honorable mention, is that it is a reality that orchids are getting more and more difficult to trade around the world. Don't take what you have for granted, as much as you possibly can. When you know how to grow a rare orchid, that other people are struggling with, I encourage you (and others) to think about the plants and their availability in the US hobby (or the trade in their respective countries). The more selfish people are, the less likely that plant (man-made hybrid or species) will be in circulation in the US orchid trade (or the trade in their respective countries). There will always be a number of reasons that are unforeseen, that a plant in the hobby can easily go "extinct" in the trade - not just in the wild.
5. It is recommended to start to learn how to research the countries of origin your orchids come from, as a beginner. Over time, when you start to progress in experience in the hobby and start growing more difficult to grow orchids, I feel that this will help out tremendously in your efforts.
Help! WalMart Orchid and I have NO idea
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