Its flowers look so much like fluttering insects that the phalaenopsis is also called the butterfly orchid: a tropical plant that settles happily indoors and blooms for most of the year with only very little care. Exposure decides everything — give it a luminous spot with no direct sun, and the flowers keep coming.
From planting and repotting to watering and exposure, here are our tips on proper care to trigger and maintain nice blooming in every season.
It is also called the “butterfly orchid” because its flowers look a lot like that fluttering insect.
Widely grown phalaenopsis cultivars such as ‘Sogo Yukidian’ (V3), ‘Liodoro’ and ‘Mini Mark’ all ask for the same simple routine — a luminous location with no direct sun, at around 65 to 70°F (18 to 22°C), plus frequent misting of leaves and roots.
Bright light without direct sun decides the flowering
Exposure is a very important factor in getting your orchid to bloom well.
Light for an orchid:
Too much sun can be fatal, but not enough of it means it won’t ever bloom.
The ideal temperature is around 65 to 70°F (18 to 22°C).
The Phalaenopsis orchid will also be quite happy outdoors during the summer months.
You can bring it out starting from the month of May.
In any case, select a luminous location but without any direct sun.
Among orchid growers, leaf colour is often used as a rough guide to light: grassy green suggests suitable levels, very dark green too little for flowering, and yellowish or reddish leaves possibly too much, though nutrition, water and disease cause similar colour changes.
An east-facing window is usually the best indoor spot for a phalaenopsis, while a south-facing one needs a sheer curtain or a step back from the glass to filter the midday sun that scorches leaves.
For many flowering houseplants, such as gardenia, hibiscus and Christmas cactus, growers advise keeping pots away from cold draughts, unheated hallways and the dry air above radiators, since abrupt temperature swings are a common cause of bud drop.
When moving an orchid outdoors, acclimatise it over a week or two in deep shade before its final spot, since leaves grown indoors are prone to sunburn if exposed abruptly to direct sun.
Watering orchid
Phalaenopsis orchid cherishes moisture, and needs to be watered often but without forgetting that the root area must drain well or the roots will rot.
As a consequence, it’s important to avoid soggy substrate while ensuring it always finds the moisture it needs.
Never let water pool up and sit at the bottom of the pot, it’s important to let water drip out completely after watering.
Watering frequency:
Water often, but let it drain out completely
In spring and summer, water 1 to 2 times a week
In winter, water only twice a month.
Mist water often on leaves and roots. If done often enough, you won’t need to water at all.
If the tap water in your area is very hard, best select rainwater or mineral water because orchid is very sensitive to it.
Adding special orchid fertilizer will help extend the blooming.
Again, remember to mist foliage and leaves very often, once or twice day is great if you can manage it.
This recreates the moisture present in its natural environment.
After a few weeks of nice blooming, the flower wilts. You might wonder if it will ever bloom again! Don’t worry, if your orchid has bloomed once already, it’s a good sign that it can bloom again.
This is normal, since blooming can last for several weeks, but there comes a time when it must end.
Sometimes, you might wait for weeks before seeing new flowers on your orchid.
After flowers have wilted, there is a special technique to trigger a new round of blooming.
How to make an orchid bloom again
Phalaenopsis orchid can bloom again after its first blooming:
Cut the stem which has just finished blooming at about mid-length. Snip it just above a bud (there’s a swell along the stem where buds are).
If this is already the second time the flower blooms, cut the flower scape all the way back to the main stem.
As long as your orchid lives, you’ll be culling the stems that have born flowers.
Phalaenopsis enjoys the summer outdoors from May onwards
If your orchid isn’t blooming but it still has lush, green leaves:
Place it in a cooler spot (around 55-60°F / 14-15°C) for a fortnight (two weeks)
Only water half as much as before.
When these 2 weeks are up, bring it back to its normal setting and wait – a new floral scape will appear!
Standard orchid-growing guidance is to repot after flowering has finished rather than during bloom, since a plant not supporting flowers can channel energy into new root and leaf growth, and handling risks shortening the display.
Phalaenopsis are epiphytes with air-loving roots, so avoid dense ordinary potting soil; use a coarse, free-draining medium such as bark chips, sphagnum moss, or perlite blends that keep air around the roots and reduce rot.
Choose a pot with generous drainage holes; a transparent one is optional, since although phalaenopsis roots contain chlorophyll and can photosynthesise, clear sides mainly help you check root colour and moisture at a glance.
When repotting an orchid, use a blade wiped with alcohol to trim away roots that are mushy, brown or hollow, keeping the firm, plump ones, which look green or silvery.
What to do, and when
Its flowers look so much like fluttering insects that it is also called the butterfly orchid: the phalaenopsis is a tropical plant that adapts very well indoors, blooming for most of the year with only very little care. Give it a luminous spot with no direct sun — too much is fatal, too little and it never blooms.
What to do, and when
Situation
What to do
Timing
Flowers have just wilted, first blooming
Cut the stem at about mid-length, just above a bud
As soon as blooming ends
Flowers have wilted, second blooming
Cut the flower scape all the way back to the main stem
As soon as blooming ends
Leaves lush and green but no flowers
Move to a cooler spot (55-60°F / 14-15°C) and halve the watering
For a fortnight, then back to its usual spot
Plant growing normally
Mist leaves and roots; misting can replace watering altogether
Once or twice a day if you can manage it
Roots filling the pot
Repot to support the root system
Every 2 or 3 years
Between these steps, the plant asks for very little beyond light and moisture.
Smart tip
The orchid is a perfect houseplant: it will bloom for most of the year with only very little care.
