VLoveof Nature

Moth orchid

Phalaenopsis amabilis

Back to the plant library
Moth orchid · Phalaenopsis amabilis

Arching sprays like a flight of butterflies, lasting weeks indoors.

Care and placement

Needs bright indirect light (east window), an airy bark mix, soaking then drying for 7–14 days; cooler nights for a few weeks trigger flower spikes.

Draft mature dimensions

Maximum height (cm): 60 cm · Maximum spread (cm): 40 cm

Things to consider

ASPCA lists moth orchid (Phalaenopsis) as non-toxic to dogs, cats and horses. Still discourage pets from chewing leaves or roots.

Unknown evidence does not mean safe. Decorative plants are not automatically edible.

Information is compiled from multiple reputable sources for reference. If you spot an error, please contact us so we can check and update it.

Send feedback

How to grow and care for it

  1. Planting and pot

    Use a loose, chunky mix: fir or pine bark with perlite and charcoal, NOT regular potting soil, in a clear, vented plastic pot. Repot every 1–2 years or when the mix breaks down, best after flowering; pick a pot only slightly larger than the roots and do not bury the crown; wait 7 days before watering after repotting.

  2. Light

    Bright indirect light (roughly 1,000–1,500 foot-candles, an east window); low light keeps it alive but it will not rebloom; harsh sun scorches leaves.

  3. Watering

    Soak, drain fully and wait until the mix dries: about every 7 days in a warm dry home, 10–14 days in a cooler humid spot. Silvery roots mean thirst. Water in the morning so leaves dry by night; water trapped in the crown causes crown rot (usually fatal). No ice cubes and never let the pot sit in water.

  4. Feeding

    Balanced fertilizer at 1/4–1/2 strength (one source suggests 30-10-10 for bark) every 2 weeks while growing; none when cool.

  5. Pruning

    A still-green spike may branch again; a fully brown spike is cut near the base. Trim dead or mushy roots when repotting.

  6. Propagation

    Propagated mainly from keikis on flower stalks or by dividing multi-crowned plants; most people buy established plants. (The sources checked give little detail on keikis; seed needs laboratory methods.)

  7. Pests and common problems

    Root rot from overwatering (brown mushy roots); buds shrivel and drop from chill, drafts or ethylene from fruit; crown rot from trapped water; mealybugs (insecticidal soap, neem or alcohol). Moving the plant once spikes emerge can drop buds within hours.

  8. For more flowers

    To rebloom: enough light comes first; for a mature plant, nights of about 15–18 °C for 2–6 weeks in the cool season trigger a spike; then return to a warm spot with normal watering and feeding; the spike takes about 3 months to open its first flowers; do not move the plant once spikes emerge.