PHALAENOPSIS WATERING

The most frequently asked question about phalaenopsis that we at Rainbeau are asked is "how much and when to water".  Because of the numerous plant tags, "Just Add Ice", three ice cubes, many people think that the ice is the important ingredient.  As we explain in our website, Phalaenopsis culture, more orchids die from too much water than too little.  If you melt 3 ice cubes, it's about 1/3rd of a cup of water.  Most of the "Just Add Ice" phalaenopsis are sold in pots without drainage holes of any sort, so the water that drains through the porous orchid potting medium ends up in the bottom of the container.  Too much water collecting in the bottom of the pot leads to fungus invasion and the orchid dies from fungus within  a couple of months.  The 3 ice cubes restricts the amount of water the customer is putting into the pot.  Recently, some growers have replaced the "Just Add Ice" tag with a paper cup, attached to the plant stake, holding about 1/3rd of a cup of water.  

Let's go back to basics.  Phalaenopsis is one of perhaps 20,000 members of the orchid family.  It is native to the Philippines, where the temperature rarely goes below 60 degrees and rarely above 80 degrees.  These plants grow in trees, wrapping their roots around the tree limbs to anchor themselves.  They are called "epiphytes" and they do NOT grow in soil.  The aerial roots are a survival adaptation because the Philippines get monsoons and very heavy rainfall through mot of the year.  The aerial roots permit the water to flow past without rotting the roots.  However, there is also a period, perhaps two months a year, of little or no rainfall, so the phalaenopsis roots are covered with a substance called velamin, a waxy substance to prevent evaporation and loss of precious moisture from the plant.  Phalaenopsis are also what are called "hard" leaves; they give up their moisture slowly and they too are waxy.  In contrast a hydrangea or chrysanthemum leaf  gives off lots of water to dissipate heat, like sweating in humans.

Orchids are a fairly recent addition to the American houseplant menu.  Most of us are used to pouring lots of water on plants that use it to cool down.  Phalaenopsis are a different animal, or plant.  Giving them lots of water, and keeping them in the no-drainage pot is a death warrant.

What should you do? - Take the phalaenopsis out of the pot about once a week, less frequently in winter, and run water through the soil until it runs out the bottom.  Ideally, this water has also been spiked with a nitrogen-rich fertilizer, like 30-10-10, at the rate of 1/4 teaspoon/1 gallon of water.  That simulates the meager nutrition they get in their native environment.  The nitrogen and other nutrients there are supplied by rotting vegetation and monkey dung, which washes down from above.  After letting the soil drip dry, replace the phalaenopsis in its outer pot.

Ice cubes on a tropical plant are a laughable piece of advice, but it does kept inexperienced orchid growers from overwatering.  Phalaenopsis can prosper in captivity, reblooming annually if you will just give them what they want.  Let them dry out thoroughly before watering, don't feed them too much, and, most of all, do not let them stand in water.