I kept a phalaenopsis for many years. I bought it for about $1 at
an orchid show when the plant was a small seedling with only two
leaves. After it grew up, it flowered many times for several
years.

Phalaenopsis actually prefer cool temperatures at night. Your 60°F
is just right. They do want warmer daytime temperatures, about
70°-75°. They like strong INDIRECT light. I kept mine in a
northern greenhouse window. Since my house is not square on the
compass, the plant got some early morning sunshine in the summer,
filtered through shade cloth.

I planted it in small bark chips in a clay flower pot. They need
constant moisture but cannot take truly wet soil. The bark chips
hold moisture but have perfect drainage. With the watering and
feeding schedule below, actual soil is not needed. I set the pot
in a large saucer on pea gravel. I kept water in the saucer to the
top of the gravel to maintain moisture. If the pot is large
enough, it's okay if the water in the saucer touches the bottom of
the pot.

Water the plant once a week. Hold the pot over a sink. Block the
drain hole with your thumb or finger. Pour water into the bark
until the water level is at the top of the bark. Then let all the
water drain out into the sink.

Every other week, feed when you water. Buy some commercial orchid
food. Mix it into the water before watering. If you have mix left
over, just pour it through the bark and let it run out into the
sink.

Be very careful when you water. DO NOT ALLOW WATER TO GET INTO THE
CENTER OF THE PLANT!! The plant will rot and die if even a small
drop of water reaches the center. That's how I lost my plant. I
was watering, and a drop bounced off a piece of bark and landed on
a leaf. Before I could blot it up, the drop ran down the crease in
the center of the leaf and into the crown. Within a month, the
plant was dead.

--

David E. Ross
URL:http://www.rossde.com/

I use Mozilla as my Web browser because I want a browser that
complies with Web standards. See URL:http://www.mozilla.org/.