Moth Orchids
People seem to have a love/hate relationship with moth orchids, or Phalaenopsis. Most people (I think) love them - but only when they’re flowering and new. I’ve heard many a dismal comment after that from people trying to keep them alive post flowering. Although, even those people who are legends at popping them under a tree and having them rebloom every season often shrug them away as just ‘Bunnings orchids’.
‘Phals’ (much easier than spelling Phalaenopsis!), tend to be snubbed by the orchid world, quite possibly because of the myriad of unnamed hybrids sold at hardware stores and supermarkets. But there is actually a whole world of beautiful Phalaenopsis species out there, admittedly some more tricky than others to grow.
The Phalaenopsis genus is broken down into several sub genera, one of which is also called Phalaenopsis, and this is what the hybrids we buy belong to.
The name Phalaenopsis is derived from the Greek word phalaina which means ‘moth’ and opsis, meaning ‘resembling’. Phals in the Phalaenopsis sub genus are the most moth-like looking, with their big rounded petals.
They are ‘winter bloomers’, and triggered by cooler temperatures, although their flower spikes last so long they can nearly be in bloom all year round. They are also well suited to conditions that we can easily provide, either indoors, or if you live in warmer areas, outdoors in a shady spot. They are quite tolerant to, and indeed probably prefer, drying out a little in between waterings, and don’t have really high humidity requirements. The best way to tell that your phal needs a water is to wait until the roots are silvery in colour. When you give them a good drink they should turn bright green.
Phals love a well drained media, and often the sphagnum moss they come packed in isn’t the best for plant longevity. It’s manageable, but they are much easier to care for if you repot them into a barky orchid mix after they finish flowering. Transparent pots are great, as the roots photosynthesis as well as the leaves. It’s also easier to see their colour, which helps with watering. - an opaque pot won’t kill them though.
It’s good to give them a little bit of fertilizer to help them along, either a sprinkle of slow release or more regular weak liquid fertilizer. I have always fed mine worm juice and recently was told by an orchid buff that this was her secret to healthy plants with huge blooms…
As for the debate over whether to cut the dead flowering stalk off… it’s entirely up to you. Often the plant will reflower from a node further down the stem. This isn’t favourable in the orchid world (they’re fussy buggers aren’t they) but hey, I’m all for more flowers! If you do cut it off though, the plant will quite happily produce another flower stem from scratch.
This spray has come from an old stalk, at a node halfway down. Ain’t nothin wrong with these beauties!
As long as you keep them in a brightly lit location (indoors or outdoors) and water them as they need it, your phal should give you lots more flowers over the following years. And if you muck it up, it’s easy to pick up a new one!
This is where my moth orchids hang. I have two other pots with flowering stalks coming out as well!