Care

Sunlight

Phalaenopsis Orchids will thrive in a bright spot with lots of indirect sunlight. They also enjoy a few hours of low-intensity direct sunlight in the morning or in the evening. 

What they can't handle is hours of direct sunlight in the middle of the day when the sun is high and intense. 

Where should you place your Orchids then?

• in a bright room a couple meters away from a window
• in a window sill with a blind giving some protection from the sun
• a north or east facing window
• in a window sill with an overhanging roof protecting from the strong mid-day sun

Temperature

Consistent room temperature is perfect for Phalaenopsis Orchids. Orchids do not do well in drafty spots like hallways in the winter or near air conditioning in the summer. Temperature between 15 and 25 degrees Celsius (59F - 77F) is recommended. Short term travel from the store to your home is okay in colder temperatures. A sleeve or box covering the plant is an added help in these situations.

Watering

Orchids are a relatively drought resistant plant. They do not want to be left in sitting water, and after being watered, they want to become dry before they are watered again. Proper watering requires that you soak the growing medium (bark) for 5-15 minutes, and then thoroughly drain any excess water. After watering, keep an eye on the colour of the roots inside the plastic grower’s pot. When those roots become white/grey, like the roots hanging out of the pot, the orchid is ready to be watered again. This should happen every week or two. When Orchids are planted in a planter with multiple plants, do not disturb the arrangement but slowly disperse 60 ml (quarter cup) around each Orchid once a week. Also see: www.cosmicplants.com/faq/category/orchid-care

Providing air to the roots

Orchid roots like to breath air and don’t want to be drowned. Make sure that your decorative cover pot never has water standing in it. It is best to empty it after watering, just to make sure the roots are always able to breath!

Fertilizer

The use of fertilizer can help your orchid become stronger and grow more blooms on its next stem when it reblooms. It is not required to keep your orchid alive, and it will not “save” your orchid when it becomes sick or overly damaged.

Post-Blooming

When your orchid has dropped all of its blooms, you can cut back the stem to its last “node” (looks like a little elbow). This will allow the orchid to re-focus on growing leaves and roots. At this point your orchid is still very much alive, and it is building up to grow a new stem within three to six months.

Re-Blooming

Although it is possible for your orchid to re-bloom, we cannot guarantee that it will.  Very favourable conditions, paired with a “shock” to the Orchid through a change in temperature is the most likely trigger to re-blooming. When your orchid does re-bloom, it will be through branching of the old stem that was cut back, or from the base of one of the leaves. When the stem has grown long enough, you can attach it to a stake to keep it growing vertically, or you can let it grow freely.

Detailed Instructions

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