Orchid care guide

Orchid care at a glance

Phalaenopsis care instructions for beginners.

How to water an orchid

Water about once a week, when the bark feels dry and the roots inside the clear pot have turned silvery green. Healthy, freshly watered roots are bright green.

The best method is to soak: set the pot in a bowl of room-temperature water for 10 to 15 minutes so the bark absorbs water, then let it drain completely. Never let the pot sit in water, and keep water out of the crown where the leaves meet, because trapped water rots it. Water in the morning so any splashes dry by night.

Orchids in sphagnum moss hold water much longer than orchids in bark. Water those only when the top of the moss feels dry, often every 10 to 14 days.

• Ice cubes: three ice cubes a week is a marketing shortcut that underwaters most orchids and chills the roots. A proper soak is better.
• Overwatering is the most common killer. Mushy brown roots and limp, yellow leaves mean the roots are rotting.

How much light does an orchid need?

Phalaenopsis want bright, indirect light, like an east window or a spot a few feet from a south or west window. Leaves should be medium olive green. Dark green leaves mean too little light, and yellowish or red-tinged leaves mean too much. Direct afternoon sun burns leaves in hours.

Under LED grow lights or bright office lights, keep orchids 12 to 18 inches from the light source.

Orchid care after blooming

When the last flower falls, the plant isn't dying; it's resting. Keep watering and feeding it as normal.

What to do with the flower spike: if the spike is still green, you can cut it just above the second or third node (the small bumps along the stem) below where the flowers were, and it may send out a smaller side spike within a few months. If the spike turns brown or yellow, cut it off at the base. Cutting it off completely lets the plant put its energy into new leaves and roots, and usually gives a bigger bloom next year.

After flowering is also the best time to repot, if the plant needs it.

How to get an orchid to rebloom

Phalaenopsis rebloom once a year, usually starting a new spike in fall or winter. The trigger is cooler nights: 3 to 4 weeks of night temperatures around 55°F to 65°F, about 10 to 15 degrees cooler than the daytime. A spot near (not touching) a window in fall often does it naturally.

Give it bright, indirect light and steady feeding through the growing season. A healthy plant with 3 or more good leaves is much more likely to flower. Once a spike appears, don't move the plant around, because buds can drop with sudden changes.

Repotting, bark, moss and roots

Repot every 1 to 2 years, after flowering, when the bark breaks down into soil-like crumbs or roots spill out of the pot. Use fresh, medium-grade orchid bark, or sphagnum moss for small or mini orchids. Clear plastic orchid pots let you see the roots and help them get light.

To repot, remove all old bark, trim off any brown, mushy or hollow roots with sterile scissors, set the plant in a pot just big enough for the roots, and fill around it with fresh bark. Wait a few days before watering.

Aerial roots growing up and out of the pot are normal and healthy. Leave them alone; don't cut or bury them.

Winter, outdoor and Florida orchid care

In winter, water a little less often, keep phalaenopsis above 60°F at night, and keep leaves off cold window glass. Dry heating air can shrivel buds, so a humidifier helps.

In South Florida and other frost-free areas, many orchids grow outdoors all year in bright shade, mounted on trees or in slatted baskets. Elsewhere, phalaenopsis can summer outdoors in shade and come in before nights drop below 55°F.

Common orchid problems

How to read an unhappy orchid.

• Yellow leaves: one old bottom leaf yellowing is normal. Several, or soft yellow leaves, mean overwatering or root rot.
• Wrinkled, limp leaves: the roots can't take up water, either because they're dry or because they've rotted. Check the roots.
• Buds dropping: a move, a draft, low humidity or ripening fruit nearby.
• Brown or black spots on leaves: sunburn, or a fungal or bacterial infection from water sitting on the leaves.
• Sticky leaves or white fluff: scale or mealybugs. Wipe with rubbing alcohol.
• No flowers: too little light or no cool nights in fall.

Types of orchids and how their care differs

Phalaenopsis is the easiest orchid. Here's how other popular orchids differ.