Help! I bought this mini orchid last May, one of the first acquisitions in my plant journey. It looked great for a few weeks. When the flowers fell off, I cut off the stalk, on the advice of that YouTube orchid lady, and repotted it (3” pot).
For 8 months it’s been in a mini greenhouse under T5 lights. I give it distilled water, but other than that I pretty much leave it alone while I focus on my other plants. I have never fertilized it, but I probably should (suggestions?).
I took it out of the greenhouse a couple of weeks ago and all of a sudden it’s going to bloom. I’m pretty excited. What should I do with it? Put it back in the greenhouse? Feed it? Does it want to be misted? Mini humidifier? My air is so dry, even in the little greenhouse. I’ve gotten this far through benign neglect, but now I’m invested.
by Poutiest_Penguin
8 Comments
“YouTube orchid lady” and I suddenly know who you’re talking about lol. Congrats on the flower spike!
Yaaaawhoooo!!! Happy for you!
You’ve got a spike with buds.
It’s happy! I’d leave it right where it is.
Changing it to another environment might shock it. You could lose some of the buds.
Phals can be occasionally temperamental.
Misting is generally not recommended for phals. You don’t want any water getting into the crown/center of the plant where the leaves grow from. Crown Rot is real and frustrating.
With your low humidity I’d probably maybe
set up a small tray with some rocks and water.
Others may have more suggestions for the dry environment.
You might check orchidlady’s youtube videos for humidity recommendations. She’s pretty thorough.
🥳Congrats on your flower spike!
You’re doing something right!
I wouldn’t move it from the green house while it’s in bud, it might not like the change in environment.
Don’t mist it. Humidity is only important around the roots. As long as you are watering on time it should be fine.
Yes you want to feed at a 1/4 strength on each watering or once a month at 1/2 or full strength. You can get a feed called MSU or one called Rainmix. I’m not sure where you live so hopefully you can get them online. If you’re not sure you can post a screenshot of the ingredients and we can tell you if it’s good.
I had the same issue. I started using this fertilizer spray and now my orchids bloom all the time 💛
https://preview.redd.it/k544jgiwf2kg1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a79e11e3eab402dd4e1fd383edc2d441b8e81bcb
I feed mine weekly when they’re in spike.
Phals are the easiest to care for. If it’s it blooming in the current environment, no need to change anything. Maybe just water with weak fertilized water weekly. That should be sufficient.
All phals need is good light (bright indirect sun) and watering omly when thirsty (roots are all pale and silvery).
Also so you know, cutting off a spike prevents it from reblooming on the same spike! It csn rebloom from the end or a lower node, or more than one spot at once! It also can grow a totally new spike while you have old spikes on it, and then gou get double blooms and reblooms!
Here is what I recommend to all new orchid owners:
[6 reasons you shouldn’t cut old spikes on a Phalaenopsis
(unless it’s already yellow/brown)](https://herebutnot.com/6-reasons-you-shouldnt-cut-old-spikes-on-a-phalaenopsis/)
Eta – I use collected rainwater on my orchids, and if there isn’t any left, I use weekly use fertilizer in tap water. Be careful of root burn with fertilizer! I accidentally burned the roots of a phal that was blooming with 20+ buds, and i am cringing every time I look at the buds blasting 😞