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Originally Posted by citydweller
thanks for the info. this and other plants receive a western exposure which is really good as all the trees in the back yard have shed their leaves thus I have great sunlight during the winter. during the summer i usually pull down the blind to filter out the scorching sunlight and provide indirect light. i was out of orchid food so i just used miracle grow which hopefully is ok.
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Miracle Grow should be fine as a "stand-in", but as si33 said...don't over-do!!
I used to advise clients that orchids will do better if you "ignore" them more than "coddling" them.
(not to say ignore them totally, & I am talking about every-day orchids like your Phael & not exotic collector's items!!
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People have a habit of "loving them to death" if you catch my drift!! They fuss & coddle them & end up killing them with kindness!! Growing them indoors, the most important factor is to keep the humidity level up. This can be done by setting their pot on top of a tray of stones & keeping water in the tray just below the level of the pot's bottom & by misting. Heated house interiors have the humidity level of a desert & will cause orchids to start "drying up" with brown leaves & lack-luster growth.
Most are NOT the "tender little fusspots" that they're rumored to be....they are tough plants!! In nature, they have to be tough to grow in trees & be at the mercy of rollercoaster Mother Nature!!
I have tons of orchids in my jungle that are growing on the trees & in containers on the jungle floor. They've gone through 3 hurricanes, & when I was cleaning up all the debris in the aftermath, there they were, happily blooming away under piles of plant debris!!
Indoors, the worst enemy of an orchid is overwatering!! A lot of orchids come growing in moss instead of orchid mix, & water-soaked moss rots their roots fast!!
You're doing good if your Phael is green & sending out more flowers!!
You're keeping it happy!!
If you look on my profile, I have albums of the orchids in my jungle...