Mine only get watered once every couple of weeks, and then just a little - about half a cook's measuring cup. They've been flowering for four years so far, throwing up new flower spikes regularly. They've had a little Baby Bio Orchid fertiliser - probably once each summer. Sometimes the leaves go brown and I take them off but they soon grow new ones.
I find they thrive on neglect
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I have several and they thrive on minimal attention. Watered by dunk/soaking about every 10 days. I add very dilute tomato fertiliser to the water once a month March to October.
The point in replying is to say the latest addition which I bought in the summer only lasted for about 10" weeks. It then rotted in the centre of the plant. I think it had been watered incorrectly in the shop ie top watered and it started a rot in the crown. My decision was to compost mine best of luck with yours paperpheasant.
Hi paperpheasant. I agree with all the comments written by other members. I have several moth orchids over 10 years old which flower well. Two things I would like to add are 1. Moth orchid roots like to be in the light so I would suggest not using a plant pot cover and 2. I always use rainwater on my orchids. I collect this in spare bottles from my water butt and then keep the bottles in the house so that the water is always at the ambient temperature of the house when I use it. I only 'soak and drain' my orchids once a month (if they're lucky!) during the winter and more in the summer months where I use either a proprietary orchid feed or tomato fertiliser once a month. Its much better to err on underwatering rather than overwatering. Occasionally I mist the orchids with a fine apray - again using rainwater. Moth orchids are very tough and thrive on neglect
Cacoethes: An irresistible urge to do something inadvisable
As Bilje says top watering can cause leaf loss in orchids as water can pool in the crown. Always water by soaking from below ensuring no water splashes the leaves. Though the leaf loss in this case seems rather sudden for this to be the cause.
Difficult to see but the soil looks like it could be a little moist. At this time of year my orchids will usually go a fortnight between watering.
Has it been repotted? It doesn't seem to have the surface roots orchids usually have. Could be a little deep in the pot.
Hey, I seem to be struggling a lot with my 2 orchids, I don't know much about them, but received them as presents. One is minature and the other one was a premium (whatever that means but it's big).
The minature started off with developing yellow leaves and going soggy, stem also gone brown, the large one has also got a brown stem and just started to lose its leaves but it's leaves have a tint of yellow by where they join. I had followed instructions what was with them but also looking online for advice, but nothing seems to be helping at the moment. I do not water them regularly either, I had an orchid feed for them also which was great while they were in bloom but now they have just gone bad and honestly don't know what to do??
Anyone got any ideas?? I can take a picture of the pair too if needed.
Moth orchids Phalaenopsis ought not be watered from above. water will pool in the base and rot, hence the leaves fall off.
Watering Phalaenopsis needs to be done only when the roots in the pot are turning silvery. Lift the inner pot out of the cover and look at the roots. If they are green do not water, if they are silvery plunge the pot into rainwater for about ten minutes and then let it drain.
If water does run into the base of the leaf, dry it with a bit of tissue etc.
Posts
Mine only get watered once every couple of weeks, and then just a little - about half a cook's measuring cup. They've been flowering for four years so far, throwing up new flower spikes regularly. They've had a little Baby Bio Orchid fertiliser - probably once each summer. Sometimes the leaves go brown and I take them off but they soon grow new ones.
I find they thrive on neglect
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
The point in replying is to say the latest addition which I bought in the summer only lasted for about 10" weeks. It then rotted in the centre of the plant. I think it had been watered incorrectly in the shop ie top watered and it started a rot in the crown. My decision was to compost mine best of luck with yours paperpheasant.
Hi paperpheasant. I agree with all the comments written by other members. I have several moth orchids over 10 years old which flower well. Two things I would like to add are 1. Moth orchid roots like to be in the light so I would suggest not using a plant pot cover and 2. I always use rainwater on my orchids. I collect this in spare bottles from my water butt and then keep the bottles in the house so that the water is always at the ambient temperature of the house when I use it. I only 'soak and drain' my orchids once a month (if they're lucky!) during the winter and more in the summer months where I use either a proprietary orchid feed or tomato fertiliser once a month. Its much better to err on underwatering rather than overwatering. Occasionally I mist the orchids with a fine apray - again using rainwater. Moth orchids are very tough and thrive on neglect
As Bilje says top watering can cause leaf loss in orchids as water can pool in the crown. Always water by soaking from below ensuring no water splashes the leaves. Though the leaf loss in this case seems rather sudden for this to be the cause.
Difficult to see but the soil looks like it could be a little moist. At this time of year my orchids will usually go a fortnight between watering.
Has it been repotted? It doesn't seem to have the surface roots orchids usually have. Could be a little deep in the pot.
Agree with all the above but I have also noticed they hate a draft. Have you moved it?
also mine need to face east!
A A Milne
Hey, I seem to be struggling a lot with my 2 orchids, I don't know much about them, but received them as presents. One is minature and the other one was a premium (whatever that means but it's big).
The minature started off with developing yellow leaves and going soggy, stem also gone brown, the large one has also got a brown stem and just started to lose its leaves but it's leaves have a tint of yellow by where they join. I had followed instructions what was with them but also looking online for advice, but nothing seems to be helping at the moment. I do not water them regularly either, I had an orchid feed for them also which was great while they were in bloom but now they have just gone bad and honestly don't know what to do??
Anyone got any ideas?? I can take a picture of the pair too if needed.
Moth orchids Phalaenopsis ought not be watered from above. water will pool in the base and rot, hence the leaves fall off.
Watering Phalaenopsis needs to be done only when the roots in the pot are turning silvery. Lift the inner pot out of the cover and look at the roots. If they are green do not water, if they are silvery plunge the pot into rainwater for about ten minutes and then let it drain.
If water does run into the base of the leaf, dry it with a bit of tissue etc.