Has your phalaenopsis apparently stopped growing? Are its leaves drooping? I hope my advice can help you. For some 20 years, in my home, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, I have been growing phalaenopsis, most often, in bark and/or sphagnum moss.
First let’s rule out insects sucking on leaves, especially tender new leaves. Use a jewelers loupe to inspect tops and undersides. If you see “critters” then check the American Orchid Society’s advice.
If you are new to phalaenopsis, the most likely cause for drooping is under hydration. Entirely remove your orchid from its container, remove the media, and inspect your orchid’s roots. If they’re firm, then you’ve likely been under watering. If they’re mushy then you’ve either been watering too frequently or you’ve over potted your phalaenopsis and surgery is appropriate.
Surgery: Removing the Spike and Mushy Roots
Yes, you are reluctant to remove the spike from your phalaenopsis for the spike may have beautiful flowers. But you want your stressed phalaenopsis to direct its resources to growing vital new roots rather than to maintaining its spike.
Cut the spike as close as possible to your orchid’s crown and keep the spike in a tall, water-filled, translucent container. If the spike has flowers they will continue to bloom and the buds might continue to develop.
Perhaps, even, a baby orchid could develop on the spike! To achieve this, remove the spike’s growing tip along with all mature buds and blooms. Then treat the spike as above but keep it in sunlight and change the water to control algae. After several months you may see a baby (called a keiki) develop from an immature bud high up on the spike, or peak out from beneath a cuticle down below on the spike!
As for removing your orchids mushy roots, I use a pruner that I’ve either heated with a flame or on which I’ve sprayed 91% isopropyl alcohol to presumably kill microorganisms.
Repotting
Let’s consider: media, container, and positioning.
Media
I usually keep my phalaenopsis in either fresh (but not fine) fir bark, sphagnum moss, or a mixture of the two. BTW, these days, in the US, Lowe’s charges about $8 for 8 quarts of “Better-Gro Special Orchid Mix.” Of course, I don’t work for Better-Gro! Rather this brand works well and includes charcoal and perlite which enhance air flow.
Regarding sphagnum moss, it does retain water and so can be an excellent medium if you want to avoid frequent watering or live in a warm climate. But occasionally I read people complaining about that this moss kills their orchids. But the moss, I believe is not the problem. Rather problems include: too frequent watering, oversized containers, or moss that has been packed too densely about the orchid’s roots. All of these can keep roots soaking wet for too long. Remember, whichever medium you use, the goal is for the medium to afford the roots a highly humid atmosphere without keeping the roots soaking wet for days! To achieve this provide air pockets around your orchid’s roots.
Container
Container size is very important. If your orchids roots are sprawling then imagine them balled up. You can render deep containers functionally shallower by placing pieces of Styrofoam, an inverted plastic cup (requires space but does not store water), or small rocks at the container’s bottom. By the way, the rocks enhance the container’s stability.
I keep my orchids in repurposed, transparent, plastic containers with ventilation hole on their sides and drainage holes in their bottoms. To make these holes, I use a rotary tool (such as a Dremel brand) and cutting blades. But for less money and with greater safety you can form holes by melting the plastic with an inexpensive soldiering iron. Do check out “My Cheap Orchid Pots.”
Positioning
First locate the orchid’s lowest leaf. Then place the orchid so the juncture of this leaf with the orchid’s body is at least 1/4 inch above the medium’s surface. This way, if you water carefully, water will not collect between the leaf and the orchid’s body. With your orchid properly positioned you can insert the media. Remember, whichever medium you use, the goal is for the medium to afford the roots a highly humid atmosphere without keeping the roots soaking wet for days! Again, to achieve this provide are air pockets around your orchid’s roots.
Stimulating Growth with Heat
Below, I describe how you can use heat to stimulate root growth. But if you do not have a heat source then a repot may be sufficient, especially during the spring or summer when your orchid is in growing mode. Helpful also, is keeping your orchid in a humid environment with some sun but not direct sun.
If after say six or eight weeks, your your orchid does not appear better then remove it and inspect its roots. If roots are growing but some are rotting then perhaps you should have used a smaller container or have added more ventilation holes to shorten the “wet phase.” With experience you will come to best estimate appropriate container size.
Regardless of the season, the key for promoting phalaenopsis growth is heat. I place the container on a heat mat. Currently, I use an inexpensive AC Infinity SUNCORE A5, Waterproof Seedling Heat Mat, available in many sizes and on many online sites. To adjust the heat level, I keep a thermometer on the mat and set the control for a temperature between 80 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit. (BTW, I have found that the A5 does not provide exact temperature control, so look for newer models that provide a “Digital Thermostat Controller for Exact Temperature Levels.”)
To make sure the roots warm up, I capture the heat rising from the mat by placing the container in a heat trap. If you don’t do this then the plant does not well warm during winter here in Milwaukee.
Above you can see a phalaenopsis resting in moss, in a clear plastic container. (For illustrative purposes, the container is set on an angle.) Supporting the container is an inverted green container whose bottom was removed and whose holes had been covered with duct tape. This inverted container is the heat trap. The trap is resting on a gray heating mat.
I’ve also made heat traps by removing the bottom of plastic containers salvaged from recycling bins. Ideally when inverted the diameter of the trap’s bottom should be greater than the diameter of the orchid pot’s bottom. Also, when inverted the diameter of the trap’s top should be about the diameter of the orchid container’s top. With these dimensions the trap well captures heat and is removable.
Before moving on, note well, that it is possible to provide too much heat. This has happened to me while using a shallow plastic container. I had followed the instructions above but had kept the heat at 100 degrees Fahrenheit. After about a month on the mat I did not see any new growth. So I checked the roots and discovered that the bottom-most roots were dead. The high temperature had worked in the past, but in the past the container’s bottom had not trapped as much heat as did these shallow containers. Given this lesson, the most cautious approach is to place a thermometer on the mat and verify that the temperature is between 80 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit. (You could place the thermometer in the container but I’ve had success by just setting the thermometer on the mat.)
When to Water
Orchids with roots adapted to growing in water or light expanded clay aggregate (LECA) can certainly thrive. That said, I rarely grow orchids in water or LECA. Instead, I use, as noted above, solid media such as fir bark, sphagnum moss, and I may also amend with perlite. One local orchid commercial grower successfully used only perlite and there are other “solid” possibilities including charcoal and pebbles.
To assess whether my phalaenopsis needs watering, I always keep a wooden skewer poked deep into the center of the medium. From time to time, I withdraw this “dipstick” to assess moisture level. If the skewer’s end is nearly dry, as revealed by placing the end on my upper lip, then most likely my phalaenopsis needs water.
Another clue is available if you keep your orchids in transparent containers. Inspect the roots. Dry roots are gray; moist roots are green. But visual inspection cannot reveal the moisture level in the container’s center. That’s why I use a wooden skewer!
BTW, if you use only sphagnum moss as the medium, then you can discern whether the moss is dry just from the tactile feedback produced by rotating the skewer!
If you are ever in doubt about watering, don’t water! When kept soaking wet for many days phalaenopsis with roots adapted to growing in solid media will likely perish. In contrast, phalaenopsis not watered for several weeks will survive!
How I Water and Fertilize My Phalaenopsis
I use two watering containers because I water my orchids twice. First, I very thoroughly water the medium with tap or rain water, at room temperature, to wash away salt accumulations. I am very careful to not water the orchid’s crown to avoid promoting an infection. If water enters the crown I use a napkin to absorb the water, a small fan to evaporate the water, or my breath to blow the water away.
Immediately after the initial watering, I water again using tap water because it contains beneficial minerals. To the water I have added fertilizer that has been diluted to about 1/4 the recommended level.
Which fertilizer to use? They all seem to work, even inexpensive Stern’s Miracle Grow with an analysis whose nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium designation is 24-8-16. Often recommended are fertilizers with balanced designations such as 10-10-10 or 20-20-20.
More Information
You can find valuable information about caring for phalaenopsis and other orchid species at the websites of the American Orchid Society, the St. Augustine Orchid Society, and if you live in the Midwest The Orchid Growers Guild. Also on YouTube check out the invaluable videos at “Brads Greenhouse and Gardening” and at “The Orchid Girl.” The latter, Danni’s creations, are amazingly helpful.
Carefully read the advice regarding when to water for over watering or over potting orchids is the most frequent mistake of folks who have just fallen in love with growing phalaenopsis orchids!
Please let me know how this page worked for you.
–Marshall Lev Dermer
Send mail to: marshall@dermer.com
6/25/2025