Q I bought a moth orchid but the blossoms have faded. How can I encourage it to bloom again?
A Phalaenopsis, or moth orchid, which has exotic-looking blossoms on gracefully arced stems, is the most popular and easiest-to-grow genus available.
Blooms can be shades of white, magenta or chartreuse, and the plants range in size from dainty miniatures to multistemmed specimens reaching nearly 3 feet. When kept moist in cool conditions with bright, diffuse light, the blossoms can last up to four months.
Once the blooms fade, you can encourage another round by cutting the stem properly and keeping the plant in a location that is cooler at night. To do this, look for papery bracts encircling the stem every few inches. These cover nodes, small bumps from which new stems may emerge. Cut the stem one inch above the second bract (counting up from the base); a new stalk will grow from this node, usually in about six weeks.
If this produces no growth from the node, place the plant in a spot that more closely mimics its native environment: a room with bright light (west-facing windows are ideal) during the day and a 20-degree drop in temperature at night.
Although the new stem will probably have fewer and smaller buds, it will give you several more weeks of flowers.
Orchids do best when fed "weekly and weakly." Every seven days, use a 20-20-20 fertilizer diluted to one-quarter of the strength recommended on the box.
Distributed by the New York Times Syndicate. For more information on the topics covered in the Ask Martha column, visit www.marthastewart.com.
