EasyBloom Forum

Hi I was wondering when to transplant the Orchids I bought own from Walmart and it was blooming just great they said to put three ice cubs in and that did the trick but know the branches are getting yellow and no flowers are blooming and what soil do I put when transplanting and what pot please and thank you for your time. Michelle.

Hey Michelle...The Orchid family is arguably the largest family of plants in the plant kingdom (some botanists argue that there are ~35,000 species of orchids; others argue that the Aster family has more species). With so many species, there is definitely varied cultivation needs for the many, many different plants. Since you said you purchased this orchid from Walmart, I am going to assume you purchased a Phalaenopsis orchid (commonly known as the Moth Orchid). As I'm writing this, I can see one such orchid sitting on one of my colleagues desk, and it is in full bloom. Anywho, I think you were given some bad advice with the ice cubes. Moth Orchids are native S.E. Asia, N. Australia and some of the lowland forests of the Himalayas. In these climates, they will rarely be exposed to freezing temperatures if at all. The thinking behind using ice cubes to water a plant is for two reasons. First, it will give a constant supply of water until the ice is fully melted, which can take some time. Second, the cold of the ice could induce another flower spike to develop. It is true that cool temperatures can induce flower spikes, but I'll get into that later. Let me explain why using ice cubes can be bad in a second post...

Moth Orchids are mostly what are called epiphytic plants. This means that they grow on top of other plants. In nature Moth Orchids are mostly found on the branches of trees. Since these orchids are clinging to a tree and have little "soil" to sink their roots into, they get water only when it rains. In other words, they don't have much soil that will soak up water and provide moisture to the roots over long periods of time. To emulate what nature provides for these plants, it is best to water them and then let them mostly/completely dry out before watering them again. This is why you will see these orchids planted in bark. Bark provides extremely quick drainage and provides an environment similar to how they grow in nature. At most garden centers, you should be able to find orchid mix or some other growing medium that is more or less ground up bark chunks. This is definitely an acceptable potting mix for the Moth Orchid....As for low temperatures and causing them to flower, in commercial greenhouses where these orchids are produced for market, this is generally the method used to get them to flower. (Of course when I say "this method", I mean temperature control). A grower will change the temperature in the greenhouse so that it stays consistently between 65F and 77F. If it gets any hotter even for a short period of time, this will prevent the flower spike from developing. Additionally, the orchids will need fairly high light (not full sun though). Dropping several ice cubes in the pot will most likely cool the microenvironment around the plant, but will only do so until the ice melts. After the ice melts the temperatures may increase above the high temperature threshold....

I would also recommend using a balanced liquid fertilizer once per month. Moth Orchids also do well with a decent amount of humidity. If you live in a low humidity climate, you can either mist your plants with water or provide a pebble tray. A pebble tray is like any normal tray you would place under a potted plant, but it is lined with large pebbles that the pot will sit on. Fill the tray with water so that the bottom of the pot does not get wet. This provides some water for evaporation that will create a little microclimate of higher humidity around the plant. I would recommend when you water the plant that you do not let the water drain into the pebble tray, as this will result in the water in the tray getting dirty....If you were to repot the orchid, you can use any pot really. I've seen some people use slatted baskets so that the roots can pop out the bottom, but I've also seen some very successfully grown Moth Orchids in terra cotta or plastic pots. I hope this was helpful. Please let me know if you need any more info. Happy Gardening! --Robby