How to care for your Phalaenopsis: the definitive guide
The moth orchid is the beginner favorite — and the most mistreated by myths. Here's how Edwin cares for them.
5 min read · Edwin Orchids
Why Phalaenopsis is the best first orchid
The Phalaenopsis, known as the moth orchid, blooms for up to three months straight, tolerates indoor light and forgives beginner mistakes. In Puerto Rico's climate it feels at home: high humidity and warm temperatures are exactly what it had in its native Philippine jungles.
Light: bright but never direct
Mistake #1 is direct sun: it burns leaves within hours. Find a window with filtered light (east-facing is ideal). If the leaf feels hot to the touch, there's too much sun.
A well-lit Phalaenopsis has olive-green leaves. Very dark green leaves = it's asking for more light. Yellowish or red-tinged leaves = too much.
Watering: Edwin's method
Forget 'a small cup once a week'. The real rule: water when the roots look silvery, not green. In a clear pot you see it instantly.
Water early in the morning, soaking the medium thoroughly and letting it drain completely. NEVER leave water sitting in the crown (the center of the leaves) — that rots the plant. In PR, every 5-7 days is usually enough; indoors with AC, also watch the humidity.
After the bloom
When the flowers drop, don't toss it — it's resting, not dead. Cut the flower spike above the second node from the bottom: it often rebloom from a secondary spike.
Keep caring for it as usual and within 6-12 months you'll get a new bloom, often more spectacular than the first.