Purchased my first Phalaenopsis today. Need a good start!

[kellief62]

Hi everyone,

I purchased my first Phalaenopsis from a clearance shelf at Lowes. I thought it best to start with a small Orchid and decided to go for it. The leaves are beautiful and appear healthy. After reading some "general" care information on the internet I have a few questions. So...here goes. The ceramic pot it currently is in DOES NOT have drainage holes in the bottom. I plan to repot it with a tericotta one. Do you think having been in the ceramic pot will have caused damage to the Orchid? My second question is...it appears to have recently lost it's flowers and may have been trimmed at the top of the flower stem. Not knowing if it was trimmed and done correctly, should I trim it slightly and apply melted wax or cinnamon on the tip? And which is better - melted wax or cinnamon? Thanks for any advice you can offer. I'm really excited about finally having an Orchid. I've loved and admired them for years, but always heard they were very difficult to care for. I hope I can give mine a good life and enjoy it for many years!

[silken]

Welcome to OB and congrats on your first orchid! The first thing you should do is remove it from its pot and examine the roots. Many of them come in a flimsy clear pot with drainage but then set inside a non draining decorative pot. This may have caused root rot. Many of the Phals also come with moss wrapped around the root ball and then a very tight wet wad of it in the very centre of the root ball. I would recommend removing all of the moss and cutting any mushy or dried and shrivelled roots. The firm plump ones are the live ones.

There are different types of potting media to pot your Phal in and always many discussions here on OB about which is best. It depends on your growing environment and watering regime etc. I myself use a mixture of moss and bark chunks and usually a bit of charcoal or perlite as well. Many just use straight fir bark chunks. Whatever you use, soak it well and use a pot that has good drainage and is just big enough to fit the roots back in without too much extra space. If you are using moss, squeeze it out well, before potting the orchid. Let the plant nearly dry out before watering. If you use a clear pot, you can see what's happening in the pot. Green roots are still moist and when they turn silver, it is time to water. Using a toothpick or bamboo skewer and leaving it inserted in the pot is another good way to test for moisture. Pull the stick out and if it is wet, you don't need to water.

I don't usually use wax or cinnamon when cutting a bloom spike down. But if you like, a dab of cinnamon is good enough. However, if I was cutting some damage or infected area off a leaf etc. I would use cinnamon.

I hope that helps. Others will likely give you some ideas too. Good luck with your new plant and enjoy!

[RosieC]

Welcome to Orchid Board and the to the adictive fun of growing orchids

I agree with the advice above. Take a look at the roots sooner rather than later to check if they are rotting. I've sometimes found it better to have the phal bare root even though that means watering the roots every day or twice a day, rather than leaving it in soggy moss. Silken has also given good advice on watering and media.

Bloom spikes generally don't need anything on them after they are cut. I agree that cinnamon should be enough but generally I don't use anything. They dry up pretty well on their own, unlike cuts in other parts of the plant which need a little help.

Good luck, and enjoy your phal

[tucker85]

I agree with all the advice you've received already. One thing to keep in mind is that the tightly packed sphagnum moss that commercially grown phals come in, is the worst possible way to grow them at home. Phals like other orchids grow on trees with the roots exposed to air. The goal is to plant them in a more open medium that can retain some moisture but also allows air to get to the roots. I also agree that there's no need to treat the cut on the flower stem. Good luck.

[Paul Mc]

One thing that might of interest to you (and help you a bit) is to realize that the orchid you bought does not grow upright in nature. They grow on trees and limbs and usually hang somewhat upside down. This prevents water from getting into the base of the leaves. Phal's are extremely sensitive to water in the base of the leaves and prone to rot, so be sure when you water to not get any water on the leaves or in the leaf base.

Another take away is how wet they like to be. As mentioned, they grow on trees so they like to dry out between waterings. Sphag does not allow for this generally, although some people do have success growing in spahg - not a lot of people do.

Seek out wood chips, horticultural charcoal and perlite. You can get the later two at Lowes or Home Depot fairly cheaply, and wood chips can usually be obtained at any nursery (call in advance to find out if they have any bags of wood chips though).

[cday2inflorida]

uh-oh! You are in trouble now. Be prepared to become -----> driven, impulsive, obsessional, obsessive, compulsive, craving, desiring,fascinated, hankering, hunger, infatuated, itched, longing, lusting, passionate, pining, yearning, yen and a multitude of other words that border on addiction!
All it takes is just one Orchid! One tiny purchase.


Welcome to the Orchid Board

[Zoi2]

Originally Posted by thumperinflorida

uh-oh! You are in trouble now. Be prepared to become -----> driven, impulsive, obsessional, obsessive, compulsive, craving, desiring,fascinated, hankering, hunger, infatuated, itched, longing, lusting, passionate, pining, yearning, yen and a multitude of other words that border on addiction!
All it takes is just one Orchid! One tiny purchase.

It's true!
Hello and welcome
Joann

[makaldoy]

Originally Posted by thumperinflorida

uh-oh! You are in trouble now. Be prepared to become -----> driven, impulsive, obsessional, obsessive, compulsive, craving, desiring,fascinated, hankering, hunger, infatuated, itched, longing, lusting, passionate, pining, yearning, yen and a multitude of other words that border on addiction!
All it takes is just one Orchid! One tiny purchase.


Welcome to the Orchid Board

This is exactly what happened to me, started from just one topped Vanda JVB (February 2010) until my collection exploded to about 50+ vandas (including hybrids and species) and a lot of other orchids currently. And it seems that you can't stop yourself from buying even if you run out of space.

[vandagirl]

Well than my collection is still small. I just have 4 seedling Vanda's, Asco's and a Vasco, 3 blooming size Vanda's an Asco's. And 2 flasks with Vanda's and Asco's. Wow if even I had the space for 50 Vanda's. Welcome to the board. You soon will be addicted.

[Gage]

I agree with all of the above. I like a mix of coconut husk chips and charcoal for most of my phals, if it's a plastic pot.