Photography And Half-Thoughts By Mitchell Hegman

...because some of it is pretty and some of it is not.

Friday, August 1, 2025

Proper Care of Your Moon Orchid

Desiree has a gift for the nurture and care of orchids. Her moon orchid, in particular, has thrived. I’ve been paying attention and thought I might offer others a helpful list of tips for proper orchid care. Here is my list of things to know when caring for your own orchid:

  • Give your orchid plenty of sunlight.
  • Water your orchid once a week. Placing a large ice cube at the plant's base and allowing it to melt is efficient and root-friendly. A word of caution: don’t short yourself on ice for Scotch when using ice as a watering method.
  • Don’t use a wire brush or industrial-strength cleaning agents when “washing” your orchid.
  • Refrain from swimming with your orchid—especially in the deep end of the pool. They’re not strong swimmers.
  • Don’t use your orchid as a pry bar.
  • Feed your plant orchid food every two weeks when it is actively growing. Never feed it dill pickles.
  • Avoid exposing your orchid to country music for extended periods of time.
  • Don’t baby-talk your orchid.
  • Your moon orchid is hermaphroditic, meaning the flowers have both boy and girl parts. For this reason, giving your plant a unisex name is helpful. Names such as Hank or Brock are not recommended.

Desiree’s Moon Orchid

—Mitchell Hegman

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