How to Care for a Potted Orchid (Weeks of Bloom, Not Days)
A potted phalaenopsis orchid blooms for weeks, commonly two to three months on one spike, if you water it about once a week with a thorough soak and drain, keep it in bright indirect light, and never let the pot stand in water. Almost every orchid that dies indoors dies from too much water rather than too little. Get the watering right and it is one of the least demanding plants you can keep in a Los Angeles home.
How to water an orchid properly
Take the pot to the sink, run room-temperature water through the bark for fifteen or twenty seconds until it drains freely from the bottom, then let it finish draining before it goes back in its cachepot. Roughly once a week suits most homes, less in cool weather. The roots tell you when: plump and green means watered, silvery grey means thirsty. Standing water in the outer pot is the one thing to avoid, since it rots the roots quietly and the plant only shows it weeks later.
The ice cube question, honestly
Ice cubes are sold as a foolproof measure, and it is fair to say that published trials on bark-grown phalaenopsis have not found ice to damage the plant. The reason we still do not recommend it is simpler than harm. Three cubes wet a small patch of bark and leave the rest of the root ball dry, and they never flush the mineral salts that build up in the mix. A weekly soak at the sink does both jobs and takes the same minute.
Light, warmth, and LA air
Bright indirect light is the target: an east-facing window, or a few feet back from a brighter one. Leaves should be a medium olive green. Dark green means too little light, and a yellowish or reddish cast means too much. Our afternoon sun here is strong enough to scorch a leaf through glass, so keep it off the sill in summer. Los Angeles air also runs dry, so a shallow tray of pebbles and water under the pot, with the pot sitting above the waterline, helps more than misting does.
Getting it to bloom again
When the last flower drops, the spike is either spent or reusable. If it is still green, cut it about an inch above the second node from the base and it will often branch into a secondary spray within a couple of months. If it has turned brown and dry, cut it off at the base and let the plant build strength for a stronger new spike. The trigger for that new spike is a run of cooler nights, around ten degrees below the daytime temperature for two or three weeks, which an LA autumn provides for free if the plant sits near a window.
Why we like sending plants
A blooming orchid is the gift that outlasts the occasion by months, which is why it earns its own place alongside cut work in our plants collection. We deliver plants across Los Angeles on the same schedule as everything else, with same-day orders placed before 11 AM, Monday through Saturday. See the delivery page for areas, or browse our everyday arrangements if you would rather send something cut.
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