RHS Collections

Phalaenopsis 'White Willd Orchid' - moth orchid & pot combination

  • Position: bright but indirect light
  • Soil: these plants do not need to grow in compost, but if potting up, use a specialist orchid compost
  • Rate of growth: average
  • Hardiness: tender (indoors only)
  • Current height: plant approximately 30cm
  • Pot cover: includes a 14cm glazed Porto dark blue pot

    The flowers of this orchid may be small, but there are loads of them (we lost count!), so the overall effect is really impressive. What's also impressive is the length of time the flowers last - we had one in the office last year that flowered non-stop for virtually the whole year. They are relatively easy to grow - ours did not get too much TLC, and even got neglected at times, but it still soldiered on pumping out the flowers regardless. If you give it as a gift the recipient will be thrilled!

  • Home care: Keep the compost moist during the warmer months, but in winter you should reduce the amount it gets, and only water them occasionally. Ideally when watering, you should let them stand in a tray of water (or kitchen sink) so they can soak up as much as they like for an hour or two. Afterwards, let the excess water drain away completely. It is always best to give them a good soak when they get quite dry, rather than watering little and often. Their preference is for soft, tepid water.

    They love humidity, so a bright kitchen or bathroom would be ideal, and mist the leaves with water occasionally, especially if they are in a heated room.

    Don't worry if the roots grow outside the pot. In their native environment, they grow in the crooks of branches, and use these aerial roots to absorb water from the air. They do not mind being overcrowded in their pots, so you only need to repot them when the growth starts to suffer. They usually only send up flower spikes once a year, however you may encourage a second flush of flowers to form more quickly if you trim back the stem to just above the first node immediately after they have finished flowering. They prefer even temperatures, so try not to have big drops at night time.
Phalaenopsis 'White Willd Orchid' - moth orchid & pot combination
Buy all items for £34.98
Availability: In stock (shipped within 3-5 working days)