On 12/30/12 3:19 PM, Markjump wrote:
Hi,
I bought a phalaenopsis one year ago. After the flower die, I have cut
the dying stem off. Since then It grow a lot of roots, but there was no
flower again. Can you tell me why?
I am thinking to replace the pot to a bigger one but don't know what
kind of "soil" it need. The "soil" looks not like soil, it looks like
Tree bark?
Need your help.
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Does the plastic pot have holes in the bottom? Phalaenopsis requires
good drainage. That is why it is planted in bark chips instead of real
soil. The bark chips should remain moist, but there should be NO
standing water in the pot. Do you supply additional humidity?
The plant is not getting enough sunlight. The dark green leaves should
instead be lighter green, almost yellow-green.
The plant should be fed WITH ORCHID FOOD every other week.
My two phalaenopsis are in clay pots with drain holes. The pots sit in
saucers on top of pea gravel. I keep adding water to the saucers so
that the water level is just below the bottom of the pot. This supplies
humidity.
When I water the plants, I hold the pot over the sink with one hand
blocking the drain hole. I carefully pour water into the pot until the
pot is full of water. I then let the pot drain into the sink. I water
only once each week. BE VERY CAREFUL not to let even a small drop of
water get into the center of the leaves; otherwise, the plant might rot
and die.
To feed an orchid, I mix 1/4 teaspoon of granular orchid food in a quart
of water. I place the pot in a bowl and pour the mixture through the
pot. This substitutes for a watering. I capture what accumulates in
the bowl and use it to feed the other orchid. After that, any
accumulation is diluted to double the amount and is then used to water
my bromeliads and other house plants.
My phalaenopsis are in a greenhouse window in my breakfast room. The
window faces north but gets a lot of indirect sunlight. In the winter,
the window might get down to 65 degrees (F) or even cooler. Cool winter
nights promote flowering by phalaenopsis. However, they are tropical
and cannot be outdoors in our winters.
Also, while they need good lighting, they do not do well with direct
sunshine through the window. Actually, no plant will do well indoors
close to a window where it gets direct sunshine. Since my house is not
square on the compass, I have to hang shade cloth over the greenhouse
window from late April until mid-October to protect my indoor plants
from several hours of morning sunshine.
--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean, see
My Climate
Gardening diary at
David Ross's Garden Diary -- Current