Hello everyone, I just signed up after having spent the past 3 months lurking and reading like crazy trying to figure out how to keep these orchids alive and thriving. Like so many others, I received a Phal in bloom from a Home Depot as a gift. My wife and I knew nothing about orchids when we got her as a gift. I have always had a greenthumb with plants. As a little boy, I spent hours with my grandmother, who taught me how to love and care for houseplants. But orchids, I know nothing.
Well, I've been reading alot and that first Phal, which was on deaths door about 3 months after we got it, has put out a beautiful new leaf and lots of new roots. It was packed n moss and about 80% if the roots were mushy and rotted. Since then, we've gone on to get 2 more Phals and a Paph Ladyslipper.
My biggest challenge is light. We live in a condo and only have 2 south facing windows (1 bedroom window and one balcony window). We get very little light through these windows because we have a tall building blocking the southern sky. So I've had to go with artificial lighting, which is something I've never had much experience with.
So if you're still reading this long-winded post, thanks for making this place such a goldmine of information for the newb like me.
And one more thing: how do you all stop yourselves from filling your entier home with these incredible plants?