Orchid - Phalaenopsis amabilis

Orchid -

                            
        ID#662
 
 

I found this plants, 2- attached together by a stem at a local nursery. Forgotten behind a shelf, spilling from a ceramic pot about 3”x4” oval. Leaves wrinkle, a second plant with extensive roots had grown from a stem. Both plants show infestation of scale.

Paid $3 dlls. including the nice tiny ceramic pot. Both plants flower 4 weeks later. It is the most wide-ranging species, native from Java to Papua New Guinea, north of the philippines and south of Queensland, Australia.

HEIGHT X SPREAD: medium

PLANT TYPE: Orchid -Evergreen
GROWTH RATE: Moderate
TEXTURE: bold
LIGHT: filtered light, medium. Most light tolerant of the species

WATER: moist at all times, well drained. 
high humidity 60-70 %

SOIL: Pot in coarse chunks of fir or 
redwood bark and/or hardwood charcoal
As observed in Coastal NC.

BLOOMS:   white flowers are offset be variable yellow and red lip marking.

FRUIT  AND  SEED: N/A, propagate by  division.


KEY FEATURES: most strains of the species have a degree of red pigment, and a slight reddish cast to the leaves indicates that the plants are receiving proper light levels.
A year cycle in the life of ...... at Mooring Hitch

Plants came together in a small ceramic pot. Separate plants and mount on wood trellis A & B, originally with little medium around them. They need more moisture than I anticipated so I added shallow wooden baskets around them that can hold some bark and sphagnum & spanish moss mixture to hold moisture. Plants are doing well. It is not usual to mount Phalaenopsis, but if they make it well thru the hot summer, they will do well.
Scale problem is solve. I sprayed plants with water/joy detergent solution several times until I found no more scale. It seem to work and does not damage leaves. Do not spray flowers. 
 Sept. 18, 2012. Plant on Trellis A dry out/ lost lots of leaves. Re-mount with cedar plank backing and a layer of Sphagnum moss, two plants. Old plant root section place in Orchiata  in 4” pot.
Plants did not grow well mounted, 3/25/13 removed 2 plants and potted individually in plastic pots with orchiata.
January 6, 2014: both plants did very well in pots. Today, moved both plants into (2 plants) 1 ceramic pot (med./aqua green/oval). Both plants are in spike. Wth Spikes Jan. 2015
Jan. 2016: one plant has 6 spikes, some blooming now. Doing great.
Feb. 2017: plants deteriorated in shallow ceramic. Moved to individual pots to promote new roots. (1) 3.5” & (1) 4.0” Aircone pots.
Nov. 2017: both plants combined in(1)ceramic/ red/ medium.
Jan. 3, 2024: Plant DEAD/ removed from Ceramic/ Dark red/ Med circle combo. In combo remains #804 with keiki growing/attached.
          Mooring Hitch Gardens       
 

January 2024

Dec.. 2011

Additional Information: purchased at Pinecone Perennials in New Bern, NC

April  2012

December  2011