Their lavish flowers and modest requirements make the butterfly orchid probably the most popular houseplant. The ambitious hobby gardener has to take a little closer look at the care. These instructions show how to properly water, fertilize, cut and overwinter a Phalaenopsis.
How do you properly care for a butterfly orchid?
A butterfly orchid requires regular watering or dipping with soft water, spraying of leaves and aerial roots, fertilizing every 3 to 8 weeks with orchid fertilizer, as well as cutting dried shoots and yellowed leaves for optimal care.
When and how should you water the butterfly orchid?
If the orchid soil dries, water the butterfly orchid with soft water. Please make sure that excess irrigation water can drain away unhindered so that waterlogging does not form. Until you as a beginner have the necessary sensitivity, you will be on the safe side if you dip the root ball once or twice a week. If no more air bubbles appear, allow the water to drain well before placing the plant pot in the planter.
Spray leaves and aerial roots
By spraying the foliage and aerial roots of a butterfly orchid, you simulate the tropical climate conditions in the native rainforest. Ideally, you should use filtered, lukewarm rainwater or stale, lukewarm tap water.
Can a Phalaenopsis survive without fertilizer?
Their epiphytic growth as an epiphyte of rainforest trees leads one to believe that butterfly orchids live on water and air. In fact, the aerial roots extract important nutrients from rainwater. In addition, organic material accumulates in the root network over time, the minerals in which keep growth going. As a houseplant, the Phalaenopsis depends on this supplementary nutrient supply:
- From April to October, add liquid orchid fertilizer (€7.00 on Amazon) to every third watering or dipping water
- Fertilize every 6 to 8 weeks from November to February
Can I cut a Malaysian flower?
The dead flower stalks branch out on numerous Phalaenopsis species and varieties. Fresh buds sprout from these extensions and soon develop into flowers. Therefore, only cut a shoot when it has dried up and died. Please do the same with the leaves. Only when a leaf has yellowed and drawn in is it cut off with a clean knife.
Tip
In winter, the butterfly orchid drives away all sad thoughts with its beautiful flowers. In a light-flooded location with temperatures between 15 and 25 degrees Celsius, dip the root ball in soft water once a week. Every 6 to 8 weeks add some fertilizer to the submerged water. Cared for so lovingly, your Phalaenopsis will overwinter in its magnificent flower dress.
