Remove it from the container and gently remove the remnants of the old orchid mixture. Replant with a new moistened orchid mix so that the bottom leaves are above the bark and the surface of the bark is ½ inch below the edge of the pot. Add pebbles above ½ to 2/3 of jar height. You should keep the water at a constant height at the bottom ⅓ of the jar, preferably by making a mark on the glass.
Keep watering daily (or every other day) to keep the water at ⅓ (lower this to ¼ during the winter) of the height of the pebbles, away from the roots. Do not feed orchids while they are in bloom and do not feed them if they are stressed or unhealthy. Growing orchids in water can be a new experience for the orchid lover and can often provide them with a way to save a plant that might otherwise die from rotting roots. In some places, cities have added a lot of chemicals for water treatment and purification (which actually help humans), but for the orchid they are not pleasant.
Terry says he'd love to make plants his full-time job one day, but for now, he just wants to help people keep their orchids alive and blooming with a few simple tips. The best orchids to transfer to a hydroponic culture are those that you have recently purchased or that are still young. Orchids perform best in warmer temperatures ranging from 60 to 75 F, and their preferred humidity range is 40% to 60%. However, orchids cannot be removed from their pot and placed in a dish of water; if this is done, the roots will most likely rot and the plant will die.
With butterfly-like flowers that last for months at a time, Phalaelnopsis, or moth orchids, are beautiful indoor plants. If you have orchids that you've kept for years in a potting medium, and they've adjusted well to this, I wouldn't try to change the medium. Plants provide the oxygen that keeps us alive, so learning to respect and maintain them is essential. Sphagnum moss along with charcoal, peat, leca pebbles (sometimes called hydroclay pebbles) and styrofoam peanuts are generally the most common potting media for orchids.
For full water hydroponics, transplant the orchid into a pot where the roots will reach the bottom and the leaves will lie outside the top, next to the basin. However, even though they are resistant plants, they still require some primary care to stay alive and healthy. The second method, sometimes referred to as semihydroponics, is when the orchid pot has a layer of water present all the time at the bottom of the pot, since the orchid sits on a layer of leca pebbles (organic expanded clay pebbles). Orchids grown in water are just as likely to bloom as any other, and can be given a rest period by lowering the temperature slightly.
