Not quite two years ago I decided I’d take a(nother) stab at growing orchids in my home. I had tried several times when I was younger, poorer, and less patient, and while I hadn’t immediately killed any of them, they never thrived under my care. Still, I always loved the look and the mystique of orchids. As a photographer I spent many days looking for orchids in the wild and trying to photograph their rare and, at least here in Colorado, somewhat fleeting beauty. To raise them in my house was going to be a challenge.
This diary is the first in a series showing off my ever-increasing collection while talking about the challenges of growing orchids, learning from anyone who is more experienced, and helping others who might like to get in to growing these beautiful plants. At some point I’ll probably spend some time on wild orchids in North America (and specifically around Colorado) as well, but there’s lots to talk about indoors while it’s cold.
Challenge Part 1: Most orchids need light. Lots of light. A low-light orchid such as the beautiful Phalaenopsis featured in this diary still requires an hour or two of direct morning sun and indirect daylight through the rest of the day. Unfortunately, the only large window in my mountain home faces north-northeast — enough to get one or two low-light orchids to survive perhaps, if I positioned them carefully. I decided that part of my failure in the past was a lack of critical mass, so such a placement would only last a short while. I had only ever owned a single orchid at a time in past attempts, and never dedicated the time to making everything “right” for them. I had purchased plants with high light requirements, not knowing any better, and then mostly put them in dim rooms. The blooms that were on them lasted beautifully, but the plants gradually declined and died off over the course of a year or two… So my plan was to buy more than one, and I needed to buy varieties that matched my growing space.
I did start off my newest attempt using the north window and a well-positioned end table, though I have moved past that stage. I’m now at more than a dozen orchids of varying kinds and am building out a more serious growing area so I can have even more. Why? Because orchid flowers are beautiful and long-lasting, and they really aren’t that hard to grow once you get the conditions right.
Your First Orchid: Chances are, if you decide to adopt an orchid, your first orchid will be a Moth Orchid — a member of the genus Phalaenopsis, like this beauty that I recently purchased.
Phalaenopsis Showpiece, a hybrid
There are about 60 Phalaenopsis (abbreviated ‘Phal.’ on tags and in literature) species in the wild living in Southeast Asia and the islands nearby. More importantly though, you can find cultivated varieties in many supermarkets, florist shops, and even chain hardware stores. While you might sometimes find other orchid varieties for sale in these everyday stores, you will almost always see Moth Orchids. And they’re a great way to start an orchid habit…
To start with, Phalaenopsis (Fal-en-ahp-sis) generally require low light levels (for an orchid). My first plant, placed in that north window with only an hour or two of direct sunrise light every day, is the first orchid I’ve ever managed to re-bloom on my own. Of course, it deserved a bit more light than I gave it, but an orchid generally won’t start to bloom unless it has something close to sufficient lighting, so I was close.
Second, Moth Orchid flowers last for months — yes, months. From start of bloom to end, many moth orchids hold out for about three months. Most of the spray will be in bloom at once — the first few flowers on each spike will usually bloom within days of each other. Most varieties will produce 6-10 flowers on a single spike, and you can get plants to produce more than one spike at a time. The flowers on a Moth Orchid tend to be thick and waxy, and on a full-sized variety they will be between 3 and 6 inches wide.
Phalaenopsis orchid (unknown cultivar)
Moth Orchids come in various combinations of white, dark pink, yellow, and occasionally blush pink or peach. Lately there has been a rash of brilliant blue and pink flowers for sale in stores; these are all dyed, and if you buy one, you’ll get a white flower the next time it blooms, and probably one with very little coloration at all even around the column and lip. I’d advise against buying a dyed flower — no sense in supporting such a crass alteration of Nature’s beauty in my opinion; maybe they’ll go away if they’re not popular.
Phalaenopsis are evergreen, year-round plants. Their leaves are thick and waxy, with new leaves growing on top of the current growth. A healthy plant’s leaves will be firm, and will usually be a medium green color like the plant shown above, though some species might have slightly darker leaves. Orchids will tell you through their leaves and roots how they are doing. More on that in future diaries…
Family: Phalaenopsis
Alias: Moth Orchid
Risk vs. Reward: Lowest risk, highest reward. Moth orchids are among the easiest orchids to grow, they’re the easiest (and cheapest) to find for purchase, and their showy flowers last a long time. The only downside is just how common they are...
Lighting: Low — a couple of hours of morning sunlight followed by indirect sunlight for the rest of the day, or bright indirect sun throughout the day. Indoors, a bit more than 1ft away from a 125W CFL grow lamp: 1,000-1,500 foot-candles.
Temperature: Warm — do not drop below 60 degrees F at night. Like most orchids, a 10+ degree temperature swing between night and day is good.
Watering and Fertilizing: Water thoroughly and let dry between waterings; roots will rot in the pot if over-watered. I fertilize every other week with Grow More’s Urea-free 20-10-20, and once per month I use a seaweed-based formula to promote bloom and growing vigor. (I’ve just started the seaweed fertilizer, so no blooms from my out-of-bloom Phals yet, but it’s done good things for a couple of other orchids just starting to bloom...) It’s best for plants to get unadultered waterings to flush out fertilizer residue.
Potting: Plastic pot, medium to coarse bark-based mixture.
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