PlantFiles: Orchid, Phalaenopsis Leopard Prince
Phalaenopsis

I've had this plant for a couple of years, growing it outdoors in a basket. About a year ago, some of my orchids were not doing so great, so I decided to transfer them all from their baskets directly to my palm's trunks. Most did fine, however this particular plant "died". After losing all it's leaves and looking as if it was completely dead I decided to remove it. At the last minute, feeling guilty as if I was "pulling the plug", I decided to leave it alone. A few months later I noticed a tiny growth and since then it has become a beautiful healthy plant, and has since bloomed twice. It has survived temperatures down to around 34F and above 98F. I water and feed it when I think about it, and it gets some direct sun in the morning. I'm sharing this to keep you from getting discouraged, if you think your orchid is dead, or that you may not have the recommended conditions to grow one. I live in Fort Lauderdale, and if it has survived under my care, anyone can grow them.

Good luck, and enjoy!

Medium sized orchid, white flowers with magenta spots/stripes. This was my very first orchid, and I nearly killed it by potting it outside during a Texas summer. It got fungal infections, scale, and bacterial infections. It lost almost all it's leaves, and the one remaining is covered with holes from the infections.

Now it Is kept inside in a Northwest facing window where it gets filtered sun in the late afternoon. I have it in a bark/peat mix. The roots gets misted every couple days, and it gets a full watering in the sink about once every 10 days in winter and once every 5 or so days in summer. I cut the stalk down to about 2-3 inches after the blooms have fallen off. A much happier plant; still has the damaged single leaf, and grew a new flower stalk last summer. It has also formed a brand new baby plant next to it. Yipee!