How to Grow Nun Orchids

Phaius tankervilliae, or nun's orchid, gets its name from its hooded flowers. This orchid is easy to grow and hard to kill. It is hardy in USDA zones 8 through 11, but may not bloom the following year when exposed to repeated frosts. Its pleated, sword-shaped leaves and abundant, showy flowers that appear in early spring make it a fine specimen plant. The nun's orchid is a favorite passalong plant due to its ease of propagating by division or rooting of the faded flower stalks. This is truly an everyman's orchid that a novice gardener will love.

Things You'll Need

• 10- to 12-inch deep clay pot
• Humus rich potting mix
• Perlite
• Pine fines or fine orchid bark
• Fertilizer
• Organic pesticide and fungicide (optional)
• Sand

Instructions

Culture

1. Add 1 part pine fines or fine orchid bark and 1 part perlite to a 3 parts humus-rich potting mix. African violet mix works well. Fill the container to bring the orchid up to within 1 inch below the pot rim. Place the orchid in the pot and finish filling. Tamp the soil down well with your fingers to eliminate any air pockets and water the plant well.

2. Place your potted nun's orchid in bright, indirect light indoors or in light shade outdoors. Keep moist, but not wet. Apply a slow-release orchid fertilizer every 3 months, supplemented by compost tea or fish emulsion every two weeks during the growing season.

3. Check periodically for pests or diseases and treat with insecticidal soap or organic fungicide. Nun's orchids rarely have pest or disease problems.

4. Bring the plants indoors if temperatures drop below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Nun's orchids can be killed by temperatures below 32 degrees.

Propagation

1. Remove a root-bound plant from its pot after flowering and separate the pseudobulbs. Place the plant on its side and cut the bulbs apart with a sharp knife. Pot each clump in its own pot or share with friends.

2. Remove faded flower stalks from the plant and lay them in a tray of damp sand placed in low light. Keep the sand moist. New shoots with grow from the nodes in two to three months.

3. Cut flower stalks into sections between the nodes. Dip the lower cut end in rooting hormone and insert in damp spaghnum moss or sand. Keep the sand moist for two months until shoots emerge.

References

• University of Florida IFAS Extension; Nun's Orchid; John McLaughlin, et al.; 2001
• Texas A&M University Extension Service; Cymbidium Orchids; Joan Blackstone