Winter is in full swing this month but so is the Moth Orchid (Phalaenopsis and Doritaenopsis) flowering season. These brightly colored, easily grown beauties help to add a burst of seasonal color during our cooler winter months. Years ago when I first started growing orchids, Phalaenopsis were sort of like Henry Ford’s early cars. You could have any color you wanted as long as it was pink or white (black in the case of the Ford Model A). Today, phalaenopsis hybrids are available in virtually every color of the rainbow including blue and green and every combination of spots and stripes you can imagine.

Phalaenopsis species and hybrids make excellent houseplants and their ready availability makes them a likely choice for your first orchids. They will be happy in temperatures that are comfortable to humans and a drop of a few degrees between night and day will prove beneficial to growth and flowering. Phalaenopsis should be watered like many other houseplants; not kept soggy but watered just as the potting medium begins to dry out. Correct watering is critical to a healthy root system and subsequent growth and flowering. Phalaenopsis need light levels similar to African Violets to flower well. A bright eastern exposure or somewhat shaded southern exposure is ideal for phalaenopsis grown as houseplants. The plants should be given as much light as possible without burning the foliage. If you are unsure, you can experiment on weekends following the sun’s path and feeling the foliage of your plants. If the foliage feels hot, move plants further from the windows. It is essential that you watch your plants as the sun’s angle changes with the seasons and trees either grow or shed leaves. An ideal exposure during the winter may turn out to be either too dark or too bright by mid-summer. If you are growing your plants under lights, the use of two 4 foot, two-bulb fluorescent fixtures placed side-by-side and suspended about a foot or so above the plants will prove adequate for a fair number of plants. The plants can be placed on commercial pebble trays to increase humidity or you can make your own from rectangular seedling flats.

January brought the beginning of the phalaenopsis flowering cycle and constant, mild air movement is essential to avoid Botrytis-spotted flowers. Botrytis is a fungal infection that is fostered by cool temperatures (typically below 60F) and high humidity. Water carefully to keep the flowers dry and to minimize the risk of soft rot in the fleshy leaves. Fertilize sparingly and only when the potting medium is moist. If the medium has dried since your last watering, water the plants the day before and then apply fertilizer. This is the season to carefully watch for scale and mealybugs on your plants. Be sure to inspect the flower spikes as well as the undersides of the leaves. Alcohol and a cotton swab are effective at controlling these insects if found early. As an added benefit, many Phalaenopsis can be induced to reflower from the old flower spike. It’s a wonderful plant, and January is a great month to give it a shot!