How to Care for Your Phalaenopsis Orchid

    Orchid care is a topic award-winning orchid breeder, Dick Wells, passionately promotes, and in his promotion he uses a word most of us wouldn't expect: easy. Wells claims that caring for orchids is simple, "fun science," as he calls it.
    But if you're like me the words fun and science don't mix, and neither do orchids and easy. If looks dictated what a plant required, orchids would need the royal treatment. Their sensuous curves and high-class blooms alone are enough to make one submit to any demands.
    Luckily, "fun science" doesn't work that way. In fact, it's quite the opposite. When it comes to "fun science" caring for one of the most exotic and beautiful flowers in the world is as simple as sparing less than two minutes a day.
    "[Orchids] are conducive to the home environment," Wells, the owner of Hilltop Orchids, said. "In terms of growing them, it's really quite straight forward."
    The following orchid care instructions are for the most common type of orchid, the phalaenopsis.

Orchid Care: Watering

    Watering your orchid is the toughest part of orchid care, but even watering is, you guessed it, easy. Wells recommends watering your orchid every seven to nine days, and as he showed me orchids tell you when they need a drink. A simple glance at the orchid's potting mix or a quick pick up of the pot will tell you if it's time to water. The key is thinking light. Light colored potting mix and a light pot means it's time to fill your orchid with water, and I do mean fill it.
      "When you water, water thoroughly," Wells said. "Don't measure out a half a cup of water or a cup of water, and pour it on and say, 'Well, I've done it.' You want to water [the orchid] thoroughly until it's really moist. Drench it. And let [the water] flood out the bottom."
    The easiest way to water your orchid is to take it to your sink and let the water run over it until your orchid's had a nice soaking. Do that about once a week, and your orchid will be well hydrated and looking beautiful.

Orchid Care: Fertilizer

    Orchids have a small appetite, which means you don't have to feed them all that often, and when you do, you can feed and water them at the same time.
    "We recommend that you fertilize [your orchids] every other watering," Wells said.
    Use a water-soluble fertilizer every other time you water, and simply pour it over your orchid drenching it as usual.

Orchid Care: Moistening the Leaves

    Unlike humans, to orchids humidity is a good thing. The easiest way to provide your orchids with the humidity they need is to spray their leaves once a day.
    "I would spray the leaves - especially during the summer months - about once a morning, and just a light spray," Wells said.

Orchid Care: Wind

    All glamorous things like a little wind in their hair, and when it comes to orchids they love it.
    "They need air movement," Wells said. "If [the orchid is] in a room with a ceiling ... run the ceiling fan all of the time."

Orchid Care: Lighting

    Orchids aren't overly picky about lighting, which is another reason they're easy to care for. Keep your orchid out of direct sunlight and rooms without windows. Wells suggests placing your orchid near an eastern or western window. A southern window that is protected from harsh sunlight is also a good place for an orchid. Orchids should be placed in northern windows only if they have an unusually large amount of sunlight streaming in.
    
Orchid Care: Repotting

    Repot your orchid once a year to keep it looking healthy and beautiful.
    "Repotting is the same as anything else you repot in terms of the plant world," Wells said. "It requires a little different media that is more open and has bark in it and perlite in it."