Content

• To step
• Tips
• Warnings

Phalenopsis orchids, also known as butterfly orchids, are popular house plants. If you take good care of them, they will reward you with beautiful flowers. This article will explain how to take care of them.

To step

1. Make sure you have a butterfly orchid. Different types of orchids require different care.
   • Butterfly orchids usually have 3-6 broad, sometimes floppy and scattered leaves. The flower stem appears between these leaves.
   • Butterfly orchid flowers can be any color, including white, pink, yellow, striped, or spotty. Flowers are usually 5-10 centimeters in diameter and bloom on a stem that can grow up to 45 centimeters in length.
   • A large plant can have several flower stems and between 3-20 flowers. If you are unsure if it is a butterfly orchid you have, look for images online.
2. Don't overwater your butterfly orchid! This is the leading cause of death and you probably don't even know that you are watering too much until one day the plant dies.
   • Butterfly orchids are epiphytic plants, which means that in the wild, they attach themselves to a tree or stone with their roots and get their nutrients from weathering material that builds up around their roots.
   • This means that in normal circumstances their roots are not in wet soil. Orchids from large flower shops have often been given too much or too little water. Plants that have been overwatered will develop root rot and eventually die because they cannot absorb the water.
   • Plants that don't get enough water have hard, brittle roots. Healthy roots should be thick and silvery green with bright green tips.
   • It's not a bad idea to check the roots of a new butterfly orchid when you get home. When all the roots are brown and crushed, cut them away and repot the plant.
   • Keep the plant reasonably dry until you see new roots appear.
   • Usually watering once a week is ideal, but you should stick your finger in the substrate before watering - if it's wet, don't. If you do water, let the water run until it comes out of the holes in the pot.
   • Avoid getting water on or between the leaves as this can cause rot and kill the plant.
   • In general, too little water will pose less of a risk to a butterfly orchid than too much water.
3. Plant your orchid correctly. Planting the orchid correctly will keep you from overwatering so easily!
   • During this time, you may keep the orchid in a slightly more humid area, such as a bathroom (but make sure the plant gets a little light).
   • Butterfly orchids can be planted in many different substances, but the main thing is that the pot substrate slightly exposes the roots to the air and that it dries relatively quickly.
   • This means that you should never use houseplant potting soil for butterfly orchids. One of the easiest things to use is an orchid bark mix.
   • To repot your plant, choose a plastic pot or a clay pot (plastic retains water better so you need less water than a clay pot - if you tend to overwater, choose clay) .
   • Choose a pot size that best suits the roots and not the leaves. Smaller is always better and it also dries faster.
   • Place your flower in the center of the pot and fill the pot with the bark mixture. While filling, tap the pot against the floor to stabilize the bark.
   • It helps to soak the bark in water beforehand. Pots should always have holes in the bottom for good drainage.
   • If you wish, you can put a plastic pot with holes in a more decorative container. Then just take them out when you water.
   • Orchids don't like wet feet! It is normal that not all roots will fit in the pot.
     • Butterfly orchids have aerial roots that you can spray when you water the plant.
4. Do not place these plants in direct sunlight. Butterfly orchids are a strain that requires less light. They don't like direct sunlight as their leaves can burn easily.
   • Diffuse or early morning light from an east-facing window is ideal.
   • However, ceiling lighting in your home probably won't be enough, so you should always keep the plant near a window where there is some natural, diffused light.
   • Insufficient light will prevent the plant from flowering again. If you haven't seen a flower stem after 6 months, try placing the plant a bit more in the light.
5. Keep your plant warm. Butterfly orchids don't like to be too cold. Night temperatures should not fall below 16 ° C. Daytime temperatures of around 22-23 ° C are ideal.
6. Don't forget to feed. Butterfly orchids need plant food at some point.
   • Diluted once a month with a little water is ideal.
   • You should use about half the recommended amount on the label and avoid foods that use urea as nitrogen as this can burn root tips.
   • A 10/10/10 or 20/20/20 formula is ideal. There are different formulas especially for orchids, but they are almost all identical.
7. If your first flower doesn't survive, try again! Starting with a healthy plant is easier than trying to revive a specimen that has not been properly cared for at the store. Choose a plant with large, thick roots and beautiful glossy leaves that do not hang down too much.

Tips

• A good way to check if your butterfly orchid is getting enough light is to see what kind of shade your hand is creating where the plant is. If the edges of your hand are sharply delineated, then there is too much light for a butterfly orchid. If the edges are blurry then it's probably about right. If there is no shade at all, the flower may not be getting enough light to bloom.
• Butterfly orchids usually bloom around the same time of year, so if you bought a specimen in bloom, you can expect flowers around the same time each year.
• Flower stems without flowers may be cut to the base of the plant. If you cut them to about 2 nodes above the base, they will sometimes bloom again. If your plant is in a bad state, then you should let it rest and not re-bloom this way.
• Once a flower stem starts to grow, it can take a while for flowers to appear, so be patient!
• Some people don't like to grow in moss and many butterfly orchids are simply planted in moss. This can lead to good results if you know what you are doing (allow the moss to get almost crisp before moistening again) - if not, it can be easy to overwater, so opt for bark like you are not sure.

Warnings

• Orchids are addictive! It's hard to quit once you've experienced success!