I have just received a beautiful orchid as a gift. How do I care for it? No tag or info provided.?

Question

It has 2 flower spikes, one with 6 blossoms, the other with one opening and one growing. The petals are white and the septals and the column are white and vibrant purple with yellow. Roots are mostly white, but some are green. White roots are slightly wrinkled, a little dried up at the ends - should I be concerned about this? Also, it arrived in what seems to be a white plastic container jammed into a clay pot - will this provide enough air circulation? I don't want to try to remove it unless necessary since I 'm not too sure what I'm doing. I have pics which I guess I can't upload, but could send. Any responses are greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance. :)

Answer 1

From your description it sounds as if it could be the Phalaenopsis, or Moth Orchid.  This has thick fleshy oval leaves,  and has round fleshy roots that can photosynthesize, hence some of them being green.

If you take your pot from the clay pot it will help the roots get more light.  This plant does best in bright indirect light, which will enable it to keep reflowering.  Beware of it getting scorched in harsh direct sunlight.  

Do not overwater, or let it stand for periods in water, as this will encourage the roots to rot.  I submerge my pots for a couple of minutes, in clean rainwater every week or two, when the growing medium is mostly dried,  I then let any loose water drain away quickly.

Feed every couple of weeks, in the growing season,  with a fertiliser, preferably a specialist type for Orchids.  Half strength feed is fine, as they don't like to be over fed.

The flower spikes will often resprout additional buds, so don't automatically cut them back after their first flush of flowering.  Sometimes they will produce flowers for 6 months or more!  Once it starts to die back, remove this, as well as removing any spent blooms as they die.

It likes a warm position, 70-80 degrees F, and hates drafts.  Add some humidity around it, by having a saucer with water containing pebbles that will evaporate around the plant.  Misting generally does not do that much for the plant, and can cause some of them to rot a little.  If you have the saucer/pebbles underneath the plant, ensure the roots do not sit in the water.

There are some pictures of the many Phalaenopsis hybrids here:

http://www.picsearch.com/pictures/plants...

Hope this helps.  Good luck!  Rob

Answer 2

Lucky you! I have 15 orchids and they are blooming like crazy,I just love them.Green roots are healthy ones.wrinkled ones are dead and can be cut off.Let the air roots grow.Even while they are blooming you can transplant it.I put mine in that wood chip type stuff not moss.They aren't fussy so just make the adjustment...you don't have to right now but it looks nicer.Don't be shocked at the lack of plant,they are so different from others.Put some chips in pot then set plant in.Fill with the chips and press plant in firm.What I do when the weather is warm,is spray surface with water each morning for moisture.If you forget don't do it later in the day.Once a week you can run water through the woodchips just to give it a good drink.The flowers should last a few months amazingly.Be patient when it's done because they will eventually grow more from the bumps along the stem(or a new stem)You will look forward to each new flower so enjoy!

Answer 3

First identify what type of orchid you have.

See source for information on how to take care of the most popular orchids.

Answer 4

I don't know the answers to all of your questions, but I can tell you that they like light--put it near a window for sure. Also, they like to be moist--so don't over water or let it get dry.