Orchids?

[Megan Amber]

Hey Everybody! So does any one on here have a healthy orchid plant? If so could you please tell me how to care for it once it is done flowering? This is my second one and I am so proud of myself for keeping it alive this long and just want to make sure I don;t end up killing it! I think it is a Phal but I'm not positive! Thanks!

 

[bigjohn]

Phals love bright light and humidity. They need temps of 60 degrees for two weeks at night to bloom. I keep mine outside until the temps get to 40 or so degrees, then bring them in the house.

The main thing to remember is to NOT water the plant unless it has mostly dried out from the last watering. You can kill any orchid faster by over watering rather than negligence. Phals can handle a damper potting mixture than other orchids, but I keep mine on the drier side. I use a mister to keep the humidity up. They like 1/2 strength fertilizer. You can burn them with too much.

Not very thorough information, but maybe some help.

 

[Megan Amber]

Actually that's a lot of help! Thanks!

 

[FlySammyJ]

If you think about where they live in the wild (crotches of trees and such) they're actually pretty tough little boogers, the only difficult part is getting them to bloom. Like bigjohn said, avoid giving them too much attention. One more thing, phals do enjoy bright light, but not direct light. A fogged bathroom window works well to diffuse light, or I put mine underneath taller plants in my "garden window" to filter light in a way that replicates a forest canopy.

 

[Megan Amber]

Thanks! Didn't think about the forest canopy idea!