Quote:
Originally Posted by Tim P.
I was in the understanding that the phalaenopsis was the easiest orchid to grow?
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You should take King's advice and read this entire thread. It will give you a lot of insight into phals and the various problems and how to deal with them. From my own experience, you can get some lovely phals from Walmart and there is nothing wrong with them. However, the most important thing to do to ensure that they live, is this: As soon as you bring it home, slide it out of it's pot and if there is a mass of sphagnum moss in the centre of the root ball, remove a large portion of it. Most of these box store phals (and sometimes flower shops too) come with a soaking wet wad of moss in the centre, surrounded by looser moss. As you are caring for your plant, you will think the moss is dry and its time to water. Meanwhile in the centre up near the crown and in the middle of the roots, the moss is wet and causing rot. Remove a lot of that to loosen it up and make sure it is in a pot with good drainage. If its in a decorative pot, it should have drainage and not be able to sit in water. Doing this will be a large first step in keeping your phal alive.
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