QuestionI think I have a phalaenopsis orchid. It was given to me as a gift in a decorative pot. It has 1 stem with 5-6 flowers on them. My questions are do I have to put it outside to get sunlight at any point of the day and how often do I water it? Do I have to soak it in lukewarm water? How would one soak a potted plant? I mainly keep it inside on a kitchen table. Thanks for the help.
AnswerJessica, my first concern comes when I hear that your phalaenopsis orchid is in a ceramic pot. If your pot has lots of holes, it may be okay, but if it has just one drainage hole, it will not be suitable. You need to locate a mall bag of orchid potting mix and repot your plant. When you remove your plant from its current pot, rinse off the roots from the old potting mix and remove any roots that are mushy as they are dead. I recommend a plastic pot with lots of holes in the bottom for repotting. If you can repot the plant in a plastic pot that will fit inside the decorative pot you can water it outside of the decorative pot and let it drain before placing the plastic pot into the decorative pot. If your decorative pots has lots of drainage holes you may be able to skip this step.
The best place to grow a phalaenopsis orchid is on an east-facing window sill. They tolerate early morning sunshine but otherwise prefer indirect light. The kitchen table may not provide enough light if it is more than a couple of feet from a window. You need enough light during a good portion of the day so when your hand or finger is between a leaf and a light source, you leave a discernable shadow on the leaf. Water it with room temperature water by letting your watering jug stand at room temperature for a couple of hours before use. When watering, you could place it in a kitchen or bathroom sink and pour the water through-- then let the pot sit there until it has stopped draining. You may then move it to your growing area. When it has new leaf growth you should feed it between waterings at rate of 1/4 tsp of plant food per gallon of water.
