How do I care for my new orchid

[anna1029]

Today I purchased my first orchid ever. I'm not familiar at all with orchids. It is a Phalaenopsis orchid. It already has about 6-7 flowers blooming and 2 more buds. The woman at the store told me to water it every day. Not literally pour water on it, but to use a spray bottle and spray on the flowers, leaves and a little bit on the moss. Everywhere I read online to only water once or twice a week. How do I care for it, so it lasts a while. She also told me that once the flowers start to die, I need to break them off. Will it bloom again? Do I need to keep it by the window?

Thank you for all the help.

[fred]

Hi anna1029

welcome to the forum

I hope you enjoy your stay here with us.

here is a link you may find useful

Orchid Care for Phalenonopis & Paphiopedilum Orchids

When to water

happy chatting

[anna1029]

Thank you very much for the link. I have another question about watering my phal. I read a few posts that say not to mist them everyday. Also when I water, just basically pour water on it, as I would any other flower?

Thank you again for all the help.

[brookn]

Hi Anna,

Misting your Phal can lead to crown rot. Now, I know this may not be how everyone water their phals, but I rarely get the leaves wet, just run water into the potting medium or soak them in a tub of water, I just set it in pot and all. When the leaves get wet I dry them carefully to make sure there is no standing water on them. I also clean them with 1 or 2 drops of dish soap in 1 cup tepid water, I use q-tips or cotton swabs to gently wipe the leaves about every week or two. I learned the leaf cleaning from this site. You can do a search for almost anything you are looking for, believe me I have searched and searched on this forum. Welcome!

[kmarch]

anna,

Unfotunately, it would appear that the woman at the store where you bought your Phal doesn't know very much about growing Phals. Take a look at the culture sheet Fred linked to or download the Phalaenopsis culture sheet form the American Orchid Society website. I only have 4 Phals but I never mist them. They do not care for water sitting in the crown of the plant. Water it by pouring water on the mix like a normal plant.

What is it potted in?

[DDS2007]

Anna welcome to the forum ,

when i bought my first orchid i was so happy with the misting bottle that i used to mist it daily, but i found out later on that this is not the best practice. you can damage the flowers and cause rotting of the plant. Please also take care not to water it daily , that's over watering. and note that overwatering is the NUMBER ONE CAUSE OF DEATH FOR PHALAENOPSIS.

sooo , i'd say watering it every week is about right. you also need to keep it away from direct sunlight or it might burn. keep it in a sunny area but without direct sunlight hitting it directly.

the best way to go to provide reasonable humidity for your phal is to place it one a pebbles tray. that is a saucer kind of container filled with pebbles and place your orchid above it, then add water to the saucer so that the water level doesn't reach the pot of your plant , please note that orchid pots SHOULD NEVER BE SITTING IN WATER or the roots would start to rot

please feel free to ask any additional questions, this forum is all about learning and helping each other

welcome on board

[anna1029]

Thank you for all the advice and a warm welcome. As I read, it seems like the best place is for my orchid to sit is on a window sill. Well, unfortunately, my house has no window sills at all. Right now I have it sitting on my kitchen island which has a window and a patio door within a few feet from it. In the morning there is no sun in the kitchen, but later on in the afternoon on a sunny day, we do get sun. Is this sufficient enough? And is kitchen the best place for me to keep it, because of all the cooking?

[chefatplay]

Hi, Anna, my first orchid is a Phal, too. Please find Cynthia Prescott's thread on skewer method of watering. In short, insert a bamboo skewer, ( the type you would cook with), all the way to the bottom. The first time you do this, wait about 5 -10 minutes and see if the skewer comes out wet, if it does, your plant does not need watering. Check it daily, putting it back in the same hole hopefully, until the skewer is almost, almost, almost dry. Then water it. When you do water it, leave the skewer in it. Then start checking it again. Usually 3-4- days down the road, depending on where you have it, etc... Out of curiosity, I checked mine daily until I got the hang of it.

Like, Brookn, I soak my plants in water instead of watering them from the top. Mine like it alot. Good luck! Keep asking questions, I haven't stopped yet. I am beginning to learn, though. The people here are great. Welcome to the family.