when and how should i water my phalaenopsis?

[jumbojimmy]

hi everyone, i just bought this plant on Sunday, and I haven't watered it yet - because i don't know how.

reading this forum and other forums that i found in the net scares the hell out of me. i would be very depress if my plant dies or it's leaves turn yellow because of my ignorance in caring this plant.

so - when should i start watering it? do i have to mist the roots every day?
and do i use warm water or tap cold water? is it true not to water the leaves - only the roots?

your help and kindness is greatly appreciated. thank you.

btw - how do i pronounce this plant? is it " fell - La - nop (as in not) - sis"

[jerrymeola]

you buy orchids to enjoy not to be freightened by thier care.

Phalaenopsis (more like fal lan op sis more A in fal) need to be keep slightly moist. They can dry out for short periods but not allowed to dry out regulariily.

The recommendation is to water just before it dries out. Not so clear for a beginner. Do not trust the surface to your touch. It can be quite wet lower in the pot.

How often you water depends on the medium in which it is potted and how dry are the conditions wher eit is kept. The most common mediums are bark and sphagnum moss. Bark you should be able to recognise and sphag is a soft spongy substance. Sphag hows more water and longer than bark so is watered less. In bark, indoors, you are going to be watering about once a week. In sphag it may go longer to 10 days, but the exact amount depends on your conditions. you will get used to it fairly quickly. Err on the dry side if you are not sure.

Water on the leaves is not bad but the water will roll off onto the table. You should not allow water to sit in tthe crown of the leaves (center of leaves) for extended periods of time. It can cause rot. Either water on the side avoiding the leaves or remove the water from the crown after watering.

You can mist the air roots if you like, they will look better, but the roots in the pot are the ones sustaining the plant. Air roots can shrivel and die, but this happens when the plant does not need them and is unimportant.

[jumbojimmy]

"Air roots can shrivel and die, but this happens when the plant does not need them and is unimportant."

I can see some of the roots hanging out of the bark potting mix. should i cover those roots? will fertiliser burn those expose roots, or should i make sure the fertiliser doesn't touch the roots?

BTW -do i use warm water or cold water to water my plant?

i am so happy to see my plant open flower from it's second bud. what can to do to make sure that the flower won't drop?

I also like to know, how can i make this plant have two or more stem or does this plant only have one stem?

thanks for replying.

[jerrymeola]

The roots you call hanging out of the bark mix is what I call air roots.

You can water and fertilize the same as any other part of the plant. What I meant is that the ends will shrivel and dry up over time, or the whole root will dry. It is nature's way and not to be overly concerned about.

Buds on a phal should last from 6-12 weeks. You can not d oanything to produce multiple spikes, but fortunately the plant will do it for you. As the plant gets older and larger multiple spikes become more common.

Use water around room temperature. Actually the temperature while it seems important does not seem to have much effect. Probably because it cools or heats so fast after you water.

My orchids are outside and the temperature ranges from 35-100. My well water is always 70-75 year round. I water every day and had not ever considered the temperature. After all there is nothing I can do about it in the volumne I use.

What I do is pour my wanter into gallons and then let them sit until I'm ready to water the plants. This will allow the chlorine to evaporate and the water to come to room temperature.

[jumbojimmy]

thanks everyone for the replies... i am now scared because yesterday i watred my plant with lukewarm water straight off from the tap. it probably contains chlorine... i'm praying my plant won't get sick because of that.

[Ellen]

JJ,

Your plant won't get sick or die simply because you watered it once with straight tap water. See my reply to the same question in the other thread on this topic.

[Orchid_lady]

Jumbojimmy, you pronouce it like this: Fal-en-op-sis