By Kimberly Casillas, Bexar County Master Gardener
March 2024
In July 2021, I received a Phalaenopsis (Moth orchid) arrangement which has remained in perpetual bloom or growth for more than two years. In 2023, I discovered two growths on each bloom spike which became keikis, or baby orchid plants. When their aerial roots were long enough, I cut the keiki off the plant and placed it in a perforated orchid pot filled with orchid potting mix.
Moth orchids are readily available locally and come in a variety of sizes and colors. To ensure success, choose a blooming plant with smooth, shiny leaves and green to white-green aerial roots; avoid plants with rubbery, wrinkled leaves or brown aerial roots.
To keep a Phalaenopsis indoors:
- Place plant in indirect sunlight from the east or west, or under a grow lamp.
- Submerge the pot in water and allow it to fully drain. Mist the aerial roots weekly with a fertilizer mixture, such as 20-20-20. Orchids do not like “wet feet” so keep potting material damp, not soaking wet. (Or place a few ice cubes in the pots weekly.)
- When a bloom spike turns brown, cut it off. If it remains green, cut it above the next node down the stem to promote further blooms or keikis.
This year is proving to be another success, as I discovered another bloom spike and keiki on this prolific orchid.
For inspiration, visit the Lucille Halsell Conservatory at the San Antonio Botanical Garden where countless orchid varieties of all colors thrive planted in the ground, in hanging baskets and nestled into tree branches.
View additional information about growing Orchids in Texas.
All photos by Author