Grow and Care for Ludisia

Grow jewel orchid in bright indirect light, in a mix that stays moist and drains. Jewel orchid here is Ludisia discolor. A grocery moth orchid sits in chunky bark; this one grows in soil.

Give it bright indirect light, keep the mix moist, and skip orchid bark

jewel orchid is Ludisia discolor, a terrestrial orchid from the forest floor in Southeast Asia. Creeping fleshy stems carry velvety dark green to purplish-brown leaves with gold or red veins. It stays low, about eight inches tall, and can spread about a foot or two in a wide pot. Set it in bright, indirect light. A north or east window, or a spot a few feet back from a brighter sill, keeps the leaves from bleaching. [1] Keep the room above about 59°F, and keep the pot off cold glass and away from heater vents. Average home humidity is enough if you water well. A pebble tray, a humidifier, a steamy bathroom, or a terrarium helps in dry furnace air. Keep air moving so wet leaves do not sit still and mildew. [2]

Keep the mix evenly moist, and water with tepid water when the top third feels dry. If the leaves go limp and the mix is dry, water until it runs through, then empty the saucer. If the leaves go limp while the mix is still wet, the roots are rotting, so do not add more water. Chunky bark made for moth orchids dries too fast for this plant, so use a houseplant mix that still drains. [3]

1. Place it in bright, indirect light, or a north or east window, out of hot midday sun.
2. Water with tepid water when the top third of the mix feels dry. Empty the saucer after water runs through.
3. Use a houseplant mix that drains, not chunky moth-orchid bark.
4. Keep the room above about 59°F. If the leaves go limp and the mix is dry, water it; if the mix is wet and it still wilts, check the roots for rot.

Water a little less in winter, and keep it above about 59°F

Growth slows in short winter days. Water a little less, still without letting the mix go bone-dry, and skip fertilizer until new leaves show. Keep the plant indoors. A summer holiday in outdoor shade is fine if nights stay warm; bring the pot in before the room would drop near 59°F.

Plant it in a shallow, wide pot with a hole

The stems creep sideways, so a shallow, wide pot with a drainage hole fits better than a deep cup of old mix. A terrarium with mix that drains works if you want extra humidity around the leaves. [4] Fill it with a houseplant mix loosened with perlite, or a terrestrial orchid mix with some peat or sphagnum, so water moves through and the mix still holds moisture. Set the creeping stems at the same depth as before, with leaves above the mix. Wait to repot until the plant is top-heavy or has filled the pot, and step up only a little wider. Rooting a stem cutting is a separate job on How to Propagate Jewel Orchid.

1. Choose a shallow, wide pot with a drainage hole.
2. Fill it with houseplant mix that drains, not chunky moth-orchid bark.
3. Set the creeping stems at the same depth as before, with leaves above the mix.
4. Water with tepid water until it runs out, then empty the saucer.

It can send a white flower spike in autumn or winter

A mature plant can send a thin upright spike of small white flowers, usually in autumn or winter, and sometimes at other times. A cooler spot in the room at that time of year makes a spike more likely. The flowers are a bonus. You bought this plant for the dark, veined leaves, so a spike that never comes is not a failed plant. Feed with a dilute orchid fertilizer every few weeks from spring through fall, and skip it in winter even if a spike is open.

Cut the flower stalk at the base when the blooms fade

When the flowers are spent, cut the whole stalk at the base with clean snips. Pull off yellow lower leaves as they age. If you want a denser pot of leaves instead of a spike, pinch the new stalk off as soon as you see it. To root a stem you cut, use How to Propagate Jewel Orchid.

1. Wait until the flowers fade, then cut the stalk at the base.
2. Remove yellow or brown leaves at the stem.
3. Pinch a new spike early only if you want more leaf instead of bloom.

Not a moth orchid — and not a gold-vein Macodes

A grocery moth orchid is Phalaenopsis. It has thick aerial roots and sits in chunky bark; see How to Grow Phalaenopsis if that is the plant you bought. Jewel orchid here is Ludisia discolor, with dark velvety leaves and pink or gold pinstripes. Macodes petola is also sold as a jewel orchid. It has brighter green leaves with lightning-bolt gold veins and wants steadier humidity; do not copy that terrarium-only routine onto this easier houseplant. Nerve plant is Fittonia, a small veined houseplant that is not an orchid; see How to Grow Nerve Plant. Native rattlesnake plantain is Goodyera, a woodland orchid, not this pot plant. A giant tiger orchid with spotted yellow flowers is Grammatophyllum, not the tiger-orchid alias on a Ludisia tag.

Keep it in bright indirect light, with moist mix that drains and no chunky bark. Take a stem cutting if you want a second pot.