Mother’s Day Orchid Care
With brilliant colors and fascinating shapes, orchids have become favorite gifts for Mother’s Day. Don’t worry if you don’t have a green thumb; most orchids don’t deserve their finicky reputations. A few care basics can help you enjoy your tropical flowers for a long time.
To get the most out of your gift, check these helpful care tips:
- Identify your orchid to better understand its light, temperature, and water needs. You don’t need to find its exact name, just its orchid family. Phals, or Moth Orchids, are the most popular (shown in the three photos above.) Cattleyas, Dendrobiums, Oncidiums, and Paphs are also favorites.
- If you cannot identify your orchid, use these general care tips.
- To water, soak roots and potting material thoroughly. Let the excess drain out of the holes in the bottom of the pot. Don’t allow the pot to sit in water for more than a few hours, or the roots may rot.
- When you water, remove ribbons, wrapping paper, or decorative containers if they block drainage holes.
- All orchids need high humidity and good air movement. Dry, stagnant air can cause blooms to wilt.
- As cut flowers, orchids don’t need any special care. Keep out of direct sun, and change their water every couple days to keep blossoms fresh.
- Browse AboutOrchids for more growing tips, FAQ, and beautiful photos. Enjoying orchids has never been easier.
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May 10th, 2015 at 11:45 am
Perfect! This blog is just what I needed. My daughter gave me a wonderful phalanopsis gorgeous, has a nametag so I did not need to be a plant detective 🙂 I will try my best to keep it happy.
May 10th, 2015 at 12:24 pm
Love the pics, esp the orange ones
great blog and I look forward to seeing
it develop over time.
May 16th, 2015 at 8:06 am
hi…nice pictures and info. i have a phalanopsis that has developed some green spots. any ideas as to what it is and what to do?
thanks much,
kim
May 16th, 2015 at 11:39 am
Hi Kim. Thanks for your message. Are the green spots on the leaves? If so, they may be a sign of cold water dripped on the leaves, insect damage, or disease. If you can be more descriptive, i.e. where the spots are, how big they are, are they perfectly round or irregular, then I may be able to give you a more complete answer.
May 17th, 2015 at 11:19 am
hi…thanks for getting back to me. the spots are the size of a pen point, are bright green, and on the white part of the flower
May 17th, 2015 at 9:36 pm
Little green spots on flowers may happen when the air is too dry, or when the flowers get older. It’s probably not a problem, just a sign that the orchid is finishing its bloom cycle.
May 18th, 2015 at 9:14 am
good to know…thank you !! 🙂