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Orchids have always caught my attention. Maybe thats because I should have been born in the tropics instead of the tundra that is Ohio. It could have been their colorful blossoms, or their bizarre finger-like roots, but what ever started me, I always knew that I had to grow them. Out of all of the orchids that I have ever grown or killed, the Phalenopsis, or moth orchid, was always the easiest and hardest, respectively. The leaves might not be anything to get excited about, but what other plant can you buy that whose blooms can last for 6 months each? (Besides one manufactured from petroleum by products in some third world Asian country?)

Most of the phalenopsis varieties available are complex hybrids in between several different Asian species. Their flowers can range in size from about an inch in diameter to about 4 or so inches. They come in nearly every colour with the exception of blue, although I have never seen a bright red one, just duller shades. The patterns on the blossoms can range from plain to spotted to striped, and the amount of blooms per stem can range from two or three up to nearly two dozen. With such a large choice, the hardest thing about owning a phalenopsis is selecting it in the first place.
As for care, the most important thing for any orchid is proper watering. Phalenopsis prefer to be watered every seven to ten days. This all depends on your temperature and light of course, but the key thing to remember is not to over water your orchid. If you do this you will cause the roots to rot off of your little moth and if not caught early enough, not even amputation of the gangrenous material will be enough to save her from orchid purgatory.
I usually put my orchids outside in a cracked birdbath for the summer. It sits under a mildew infected lilac tree that beckons to be replaced by something useful. Since they're out of sight, the orchids happen to also be out of mind. I rarely remember to water then from May until October, but somehow they manage to survive. Maybe they feed on the feral sparrows that plague my yard, maybe not. But what ever they do it keeps them nice and fresh until its time to take them in around Halloween. I should probably take them in sooner but that would require me to realize that I left them out in the first place.
A diluted fertilizer should be used every time that you do water due to the fact that bark really doesn't contain enough nutrients to nourish your plants. If you forget to do this

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