An Occasional Soak can be Good for Us and Our Phalaenopsis Orchids

Once again, we find that what’s good for Phalaenopsis orchids can be good for you too. Sometimes we need a good soak to rejuvenate us – whether it’s in the bathtub, a hot tub or just a plunge into nice cool pool on a hot day.

For how to care for orchids, it may be more akin to Darryl Hannah’s character in the 1984 movie Splash. She played a mermaid whose colors were fading to a lackluster brown, and she needed a good soak in a tub to restore her health and color.

If your orchid plant seems a bit soft and droopy, you may also want to try adding a 4th ice cube to your weekly watering. Use the orchid roots as a water indicator - well-watered orchid roots should be a healthy green color, while grayish-white roots indicate more water is needed. Be sure to let the water drain out of the pot before returning it to its display location.

You can also add mixtures to the water so your plants are soaking in something that improves their health, like we might add Epsom salts to a bath to soothe aching muscles. In the case of orchids, this would be orchid fertilizer or medicine for various ailments.

For fertilizing, we recommend you fertilize every two weeks to a month once your orchid has finished flowering. Buy a balanced fertilizer (ex: 10-10-10) and mix the fertilizer with water at half the recommended strength. With your plant over a drain, pour the fertilizer over the plant until it starts to run out the bottom of the pot. You won’t need to do your weekly watering of 3 ice cubes when you’ve done this. Once the water stops dripping from the bottom of the pot, it can be returned to its location.