Summer is often a worrying time for plant parents. Who will look after your beloved green housemates while you’re away? Caring for houseplants isn’t for everyone, and “you water mine, I’ll water yours” may work out — or it may not. In fact, many plants struggle or die during the summer holidays: not because they dried out, but because the stand-in gardener meant a little too well and drowned them. Plant care is a matter of trust.

How to get your moth orchid through the holidays

Luckily, some plants make it easy for us. The moth orchid, Phalaenopsis, is the most popular flowering plant on the windowsill. It looks exotic and isn’t remotely fussy about being left alone for a couple of weeks. With a few simple tricks, it will even greet you after the holidays as if nothing had happened: “Good to have you back!”

 

What should you do?

• Submerge the orchid’s plastic pot in a bucket of lukewarm water for two minutes.
• Let the orchid drain in the sink for two minutes.
• Place it in a tall glass vase or container, lined at the bottom with three layers of damp kitchen paper or a damp napkin.
• Put the container with the Phalaenopsis in a semi-shaded spot – definitely not by the window.
• Away for longer than two weeks? Ask a neighbour with green fingers to dampen or mist the kitchen paper or napkin again.

Thanks to this microclimate, the orchid comes through the holidays just fine.

Source: GPP

 

Read also: What to do with an orchid with yellow leaves?