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Growing Tips for “Moth Orchids”
“Phals”
are among the easiest orchids to grow in the home or greenhouse. This
is the orchid most people relate to when they see orchids. Today, we
find phals in the background of motion pictures, TV shows and interviews,
and even advertisements.
BLOOMING: Sprays of flowers can be open for a 3 months or more. Large plants with multiple spikes can have blooms up to 8 months a year. A bane to flowers is being exposed to excessive heat or cold, or having their pollen removed. Once the flowers wilt on a spike, the spike can be cut above the second node from the bottom and will often result in a second spray of flowers. Although the second spray usually will not have as many flowers or have them as large, it is a great way to extend the blooming of your healthy plant. Remember that phals need to build strength for their next blooming, so sometimes it is best to cut a spike off instead of re-blooming each year.
LIGHT: Phals prefer bright indirect light from an east window or a curtained south or west window in the home, or moderately shaded in the greenhouse. Phals also do wonderful under lights positioned 1’ above the leaves for 12 hours per day.
WATERING: Since phals can only store water in their leaves, they need to be watered when their media is just about to dry out. In the home, this could be every 2-3 days in the warm seasons to every 10 days in cooler seasons. A good tip is to pull the pot label and feel if it is dry for most of its length yet moist near the bottom. It is always best to water in the morning so the foliage can be dry by evening.
Humidity: The humidity for phals should be between 50% and 80%, which can be maintained in the home by setting the plants on trays of gravel, partially filled with water, so the plants never sit in water. Also, you can mist the plants in the morning every once in a while to keep them happy.
TEMPERATURE: Night temperatures should normally stay above 60 degrees, and a day temperature of 75-85 degrees is preferred. Night temperatures down to 55 degrees should be provided for a couple weeks in the fall to initiate the flowering spikes. Once buds start to form on the spike, the temperatures should stay above 65 degrees.
FERTILIZER: We recommend a high nitrogen fertilizer like 30-10-10 if potted in a bark media. Use the fertilizer at half strength every other watering, and flush the plant with plain water on the watering in between. In the fall, use a bloom booser formula like 15-30-15 to help initiate flowering.
REPOTTING: Phals are usually repotted every 1-3 years, and it is essential to repot if your media breaks down (soggy, mushy). Use an open media like a bark mixture to get air to the roots. Repotting is best done after flowering.
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