Too Much Water for My Phalaenopsis

Phalaenopsis

• Phalaenopsis orchids are epiphytes that grow in the branches of tropical trees. For moisture, they absorb morning dew and rainfall from wet tree bark. Mimic these steady but minimal moisture levels, for plant health. These orchids do well at normal home temperatures between 72- and 78-degrees F, but lower night temperature to near 60 degrees for a few weeks in autumn, to induce flowering. Plants thrive in bright but indirect light; an eastern or southern window is ideal. Foliage becomes dark green if light levels are too low, and bleached-out pale green if too high.

Improper Watering

• According to the Kemper Center, over watering and under watering are the main causes of orchid death -- and usually the problem is over watering. When orchid roots get too wet they are vulnerable to a variety of bacterial and fungal diseases, typically fatal. Limp leaves indicate a problem. The usually firm leaves of phalaenopsis will get wrinkly and go limp from under watering -- but the visible signs of over watering are the same, because once roots rot they can no longer take up water. By the time your phalaenopsis goes limp from over watering it's too late to save it.

Correct Watering

• Missouri's Kemper Center for Home Gardening suggests watering in the morning. Set the pot in a sink and run a stream of tepid water through the tree-bark planting medium and out the bottom. Don't water again until the bark is almost dry. You can eventually gauge "watering time" by how light a given pot is, because wet bark is heavier. Avoid watering too much but also don't wet flowers or let water settle in the plant's crown, where new leaves form. Ensure pots don't sit in drainage water; plants don't tolerate wet feet. However, placing pots atop gravel in water-filled drain trays can boost humidity. Just ensure the pot sits on the gravel and not in the water, to avoid unintentional over watering.

Soil Mix

• The growing medium for phalaenopsis can affect water absorption. Orchids are usually grown in a soil mix made of bark chunks, which won't absorb much moisture -- but which also means you'll water often, and risk over watering. Stony Brook Orchids and other growers prefer sphagnum peat moss, such as a mix of 4 parts peat to 1 part perlite, so orchids need less frequent watering -- every 10 to 14 days in winter and 7 to 10 days in summer. Peat also makes it easier to tell when plants need water, which is when the top 1 inch of potting soil is dry. Orchids need re-potting every year, and peat falls away from roots easily. But peat won't help if you tend to over water, because it retains more moisture than bark.