Phalaenopsis Orchids

The Orchid in the yellow pot is from 2010, the other 2011.

 

In 2010, I received an Orchid plant as a Mother's day gift. I thought I had followed the care instructions correctly but over time the stem of the plant (which produces flowers) dried up and I completely cut it off. This may have been a rookie mistake but at the time, and not having much knowledge of how to care for the plant, I thought it best. I had asked around on a few forums as to how long it would take for a new stem to grow back, but no one was able to tell me, making me wonder even more if I had done something wrong to my plant. I didn't want to throw it away as the leaves were still green and producing new ones, however I did re-pot it with fresh planting mix specifically designed for orchids. They do not thrive in potting soil like other plants do, but grow best in a mixture of bark, perlite, and hardwood charcoal. The planting mix I used is Better-gro Phalaenopsis Mix, which has all these ingredients in it. The key to re-potting was, soaking the mix ahead of time before replanting my orchid in it. The original care instructions said to put a few ice cubes on top of the potting mix once a week. However, I had heard that orchids do not like this as they are tropical plants and should be given room temperature water. Which is how I now water my orchids and they are thriving. Another thing the care instructions said was it needed indirect sunlight. Where I had placed it ended up not being enough sunlight, which in turn may be why the stem dried up. After getting a 2nd Orchid the following year, I changed where I kept them to my kitchen window. It faces between Northeast and East, so my plants get the direct morning sun up until around noon (which is about 4-5 hours total). Recently my first Orchid plant started growing a new stem. This has me so elated because I did not think it would ever grow a new stem plus I have no idea what color flowers it had. My 2nd Orchid plant is already on its way producing a new flower. The previous year I got blooms twice, so I am hoping it will do it again.

The lesson I learned, to always research the plants care instructions regardless of what the tag says. It does not hurt to gain more knowledge about the plants you care for. Please keep in mind that this is only what worked for me for the type of Orchid I have.