I got one of these plants for Valentine's Day. Hubby bought it at
Lowe's and the lable also called it "Orquidea De la Polilla" and
"Phalaenopsis amabilis." While googling Phalaenopsis, most varieties
seemed to be white, and this one has purple flowers.

The tag for its care mentioned bright light and to keep it moist. One
site said to keep it on a tray of pebbles (with water) and in an
eastern window. Right now the plant is on a table close to a southern
window with no pebbles.

This house is dry and not warm in winter. I turn the heat down to 60F
every night and up to 65F each day. Yeah, we wear sweaters a lot.
Today the humidity outside is 40%, but's it's often drier indoors with
the heating, obviously.

I guess I can kill this plant within the year and get a full refund
from Lowe's, but I sort of like it and would like to keep it around for
longer. I will put it on a tray of pebbles so it gets more humidity.
I don't have a mister here as most of my plants are succulents and
don't need misting. Should I buy a mister and use it daily? (now that
sounds raunchy!)

I can put this in an eastern window but the heat would drop down very
low at night, as heavy drapes are closed on the window at night and
this poor plant would be caught between the window and the drapes. It
gets to 20F some nights here. Or I could keep it on its table by the
southern window where it might only get some direct sun for an hour or
so at this season and it wouldn't be on a windowsill to catch a chill.
Or, I could place it in a southern window made of glass bricks with no
curtains. I sort of like the last idea, but it would have to share the
niche with a fingers jade (monstrose Crassula) that has no other place
to go.

So, can this plant be kept? Any of you have any experience with this
type of flora?

TIA

On Sat, 19 Feb 2005 17:05:15 -0800, Karen wrote:

I got one of these plants for Valentine's Day. Hubby bought it at Lowe's
and the lable also called it "Orquidea De la Polilla" and "Phalaenopsis
amabilis." While googling Phalaenopsis, most varieties seemed to be
white, and this one has purple flowers.

The tag for its care mentioned bright light and to keep it moist. One
site said to keep it on a tray of pebbles (with water) and in an eastern
window. Right now the plant is on a table close to a southern window with
no pebbles.

This house is dry and not warm in winter. I turn the heat down to 60F
every night and up to 65F each day. Yeah, we wear sweaters a lot. Today
the humidity outside is 40%, but's it's often drier indoors with the
heating, obviously.

I guess I can kill this plant within the year and get a full refund from
Lowe's, but I sort of like it and would like to keep it around for longer.
I will put it on a tray of pebbles so it gets more humidity. I don't have
a mister here as most of my plants are succulents and don't need misting.
Should I buy a mister and use it daily? (now that sounds raunchy!)


A humidifier would help.


I can put this in an eastern window but the heat would drop down very low
at night, as heavy drapes are closed on the window at night and this poor
plant would be caught between the window and the drapes. It gets to 20F
some nights here. Or I could keep it on its table by the southern window
where it might only get some direct sun for an hour or so at this season
and it wouldn't be on a windowsill to catch a chill.


A south window is fine just keep the direct sun off of it. BRIGHT light.


Or, I could place it
in a southern window made of glass bricks with no curtains. I sort of
like the last idea, but it would have to share the niche with a fingers
jade (monstrose Crassula) that has no other place to go.

So, can this plant be kept? Any of you have any experience with this type
of flora?


You'll do fine with it. Keep the potting mix slightly moist, bright light
and you'll be just fine.

I have several "moth" orchids. I let them go dry between waterings. they are
also potted in sphagnum moss...not soil. Bark chips are also fine for
potting media. There is a newsgroup devoted just to orchids. You may want to
ask there.

Bonnie

"Tom Randy" wrote in message
news On Sat, 19 Feb 2005 17:05:15 -0800, Karen wrote:

I got one of these plants for Valentine's Day. Hubby bought it at Lowe's
and the lable also called it "Orquidea De la Polilla" and "Phalaenopsis
amabilis." While googling Phalaenopsis, most varieties seemed to be
white, and this one has purple flowers.

The tag for its care mentioned bright light and to keep it moist. One
site said to keep it on a tray of pebbles (with water) and in an eastern
window. Right now the plant is on a table close to a southern window with
no pebbles.

This house is dry and not warm in winter. I turn the heat down to 60F
every night and up to 65F each day. Yeah, we wear sweaters a lot. Today
the humidity outside is 40%, but's it's often drier indoors with the
heating, obviously.

I guess I can kill this plant within the year and get a full refund from
Lowe's, but I sort of like it and would like to keep it around for longer.
I will put it on a tray of pebbles so it gets more humidity. I don't have
a mister here as most of my plants are succulents and don't need misting.
Should I buy a mister and use it daily? (now that sounds raunchy!)


A humidifier would help.


I can put this in an eastern window but the heat would drop down very low
at night, as heavy drapes are closed on the window at night and this poor
plant would be caught between the window and the drapes. It gets to 20F
some nights here. Or I could keep it on its table by the southern window
where it might only get some direct sun for an hour or so at this season
and it wouldn't be on a windowsill to catch a chill.


A south window is fine just keep the direct sun off of it. BRIGHT light.


Or, I could place it
in a southern window made of glass bricks with no curtains. I sort of
like the last idea, but it would have to share the niche with a fingers
jade (monstrose Crassula) that has no other place to go.

So, can this plant be kept? Any of you have any experience with this type
of flora?


You'll do fine with it. Keep the potting mix slightly moist, bright light
and you'll be just fine.

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/.

"David Ross" wrote in message
...

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.


I dunno- I have many of these naturalized in tree crotches and I just turn
the water hose on the lot of 'em. When I first began collecting orchids I
coddled them and had loads of problems. When I started tying them into trees
and neglecting them is when I started having lots better results- healthier
plants and many more blooms.

So in my experience (in my climate at any rate) the less pampering the
better.

Toni Carroll
South Florida USA
Zone 10

Thank you all for your advice!

This orchid has 4 leaves . It is sitting next to the jade in the glass
brick window for now. It seems to have been potted in spagnum from
what I can tell, and is keeping moist after I watered it several days
ago. I haven't killed it yet : )

Toni wrote:

"David Ross" wrote in message
...

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.

I dunno- I have many of these naturalized in tree crotches and I just turn
the water hose on the lot of 'em. When I first began collecting orchids I
coddled them and had loads of problems. When I started tying them into trees
and neglecting them is when I started having lots better results- healthier
plants and many more blooms.

So in my experience (in my climate at any rate) the less pampering the
better.

What you describe does indeed work for many orchids. However, I
was told that phalaenopsis in particular is sensitive to getting
the crown wet.

Otherwise, my plant was quite happy with the same temperature and
light as my other house plants. And it was watered at about the
same frequency. I held the pot over the kitchen sink and filled
the pot with water because that was the only way I could get the
bark chips wet without flooding the floor of my breakfast room,
where I have my greenhouse window. Note that the window is not a
true greenhouse as it is open to the breakfast room.


--

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/.

On Sun, 20 Feb 2005 22:19:56 -0800, David Ross wrote:

So in my experience (in my climate at any rate) the less pampering the
better.

What you describe does indeed work for many orchids. However, I was
told that phalaenopsis in particular is sensitive to getting the crown
wet.


They are. However outside they will dry faster therefore stopping crown
rot. Plus, they hang more at an angle if I'm not mistaken which tends to
drain out the water from the crown....

"Tom Randy" wrote in message
news
On Sun, 20 Feb 2005 22:19:56 -0800, David Ross wrote:

So in my experience (in my climate at any rate) the less pampering the
better.

What you describe does indeed work for many orchids. However, I was
told that phalaenopsis in particular is sensitive to getting the crown
wet.


They are. However outside they will dry faster therefore stopping crown
rot. Plus, they hang more at an angle if I'm not mistaken which tends to
drain out the water from the crown....




That explains it g
Heaven knows that mine are not mounted level!

Toni Carroll
South Florida USA
Zone 10

Phaels do better in a north or east window. direct sun burns the leaves. they are
used to a canopy over them with filtered light in high sun areas of tropics. it wont
do well in the same window as a jade.
Phaels do better on a slant to prevent the collection of water in their crowns.
normally it wont hurt BUT if the water washes off a plant with bacterial rot that
will cause the crown to rot. spray is better than watering and aim for the pot and
roots. however, there are copper type antifungal, and I been told on this group a
sprinkling with cinnamon would also prevent fungus.
The major problem people have with phaels is over watering. bark is much better, and
never ever let them stand in water or they will rot. orchids are great for people
who are gone for a month at a time. they do great without watering.
something else works really well is having a fan going in the room to circulate the
air.
Phaels are easy. Ingrid

"Toni" wrote:
I dunno- I have many of these naturalized in tree crotches and I just turn
the water hose on the lot of 'em. When I first began collecting orchids I
coddled them and had loads of problems. When I started tying them into trees
and neglecting them is when I started having lots better results- healthier
plants and many more blooms.

"David Ross" wrote in message
...
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.

I dunno- I have many of these naturalized in tree crotches and I just turn
the water hose on the lot of 'em. When I first began collecting orchids I
coddled them and had loads of problems. When I started tying them into trees
and neglecting them is when I started having lots better results- healthier
plants and many more blooms.

So in my experience (in my climate at any rate) the less pampering the
better.



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