Slipper orchid (Paphiopedilum Maudiae) care

Flowering · needs attention to keep

Last updated 26 October 2026

Slipper orchid (Paphiopedilum Maudiae) wants medium indirect light — less than most orchids want. Water it weekly. Keep the mix lightly moist. Slipper orchids have no pseudobulbs to store water, so they shouldn't dry out completely. Pot it in a fine orchid bark mix that holds a little more moisture. A weak orchid feed with every second watering while in growth, and repot every 1.5 years. Humidity: above 50%. Not on the ASPCA's list of toxic or non-toxic plants, so we don't call it pet-safe: not being listed is not the same as being tested.

Maudiae-type slipper orchids: mottled green leaves and a single waxy flower with a pouch-shaped lip, in green and white or deep red-purple, lasting for weeks. Slipper orchids want less light than a moth orchid and should never dry out completely.

Quick facts

Water: Water weekly. Keep the mix lightly moist. Slipper orchids have no pseudobulbs to store water, so they shouldn't dry out completely.
Light: Medium indirect light — less than most orchids want.
Humidity: Above 50%.
Soil: A fine orchid bark mix that holds a little more moisture.
Feeding: A weak orchid feed with every second watering while in growth.
Repotting: Repot every 1.5 years.
Toxic to pets: Not on the ASPCA's list of toxic or non-toxic plants, so we don't call it pet-safe: not being listed is not the same as being tested. Keep it out of reach of a pet that chews.
Difficulty: Needs attention.
Mature size: Leaves 15–25 cm; flower stem to 30 cm.
Native to: A cultivated hybrid.

Watering a Slipper orchid

Water weekly. Keep the mix lightly moist. Slipper orchids have no pseudobulbs to store water, so they shouldn't dry out completely.

That cadence is the one PlantParlour sets for this species when you name it, and it is deliberately on the cautious side — a plant that asks a day early is safer than one that asks a day late. Log each watering and the reminder moves with the plant rather than with the calendar.

Light

Bright indirect light — an east window, or a metre back from a south one. A moth orchid's leaves should be a mid grass-green; dark forest-green leaves mean too little light, which is the usual reason one never reflowers.

Humidity and temperature

Above 50%. Central heating in winter is what turns a comfortable room into a dry one, and it is the usual reason an established plant suddenly browns at the edges or picks up spider mites.

Soil and potting

Never compost. Phalaenopsis roots are photosynthetic and need air: coarse bark, or sphagnum if you water carefully, in a pot with drainage. The clear pots they are sold in are useful — you can see the roots.

Feeding

A weak orchid feed with every second watering while in growth. Stop feeding in autumn and start again when you see new growth in spring — feeding a plant that isn't growing just builds up salts in the pot.

Repotting

Repot every 1.5 years. Every two years, into fresh bark, after flowering. Old bark breaks down into something that holds water and kills the roots.

Common problems

No new flowers
Too little light, or no new growth to flower from — each growth flowers once.

Fix: Give it bright indirect light; a plant that is growing well will flower.
Rot in the centre of a growth
Water left sitting in the crown.

Fix: Water the mix, not the leaves, and tip out any water that collects in the fan.
Brown leaf tips
Salts from fertiliser or hard water.

Fix: Flush the pot through with rainwater monthly, and feed weakly.

Brown tips and edges: how to read it on any plant

Propagation

Occasionally a keiki — a baby plant — forms on an old flower spike. Once it has two or three roots of its own, cut it off with a short piece of spike and pot it up. Otherwise they are not propagated at home.

A cutting taken in PlantParlour keeps its link to the plant it came from, so a propagation years later still traces back to the mother plant — which is the point if you ever sell or trade it.

Toxicity and safety

Not on the ASPCA's list of toxic or non-toxic plants, so we don't call it pet-safe: not being listed is not the same as being tested. Keep it out of reach of a pet that chews.

If your pet has eaten a plant, call your vet, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center on (888) 426-4435, or the Pet Poison Helpline on (855) 764-7661. Both are open around the clock and may charge a consultation fee. Take the plant or its label with you.

This is general information, not veterinary advice. We don't test plants: what we say about toxicity follows the ASPCA's published plant list as it stood on 26 October 2026, and that list can change. "Non-toxic" means not poisonous — a pet that eats enough of any plant can still vomit, and fertiliser, pesticide or leaf shine on a plant can harm it. It also only helps if the plant is what you think it is. It covers cats and dogs only; ask your vet about rabbits, birds, reptiles or anything else, and a doctor about children. Read our terms.

Every houseplant in the library the ASPCA lists as non-toxic to cats and dogs

Questions people ask

How often should you water a Slipper orchid?

Water weekly as a starting point — that is the cadence PlantParlour sets for Paphiopedilum Maudiae. Keep the mix lightly moist. Slipper orchids have no pseudobulbs to store water, so they shouldn't dry out completely. Light, pot size and the time of year all move that number, so treat it as a reminder to go and check rather than a rule.

How much light does a Slipper orchid need?

Is Slipper orchid toxic to cats and dogs?

Not on the ASPCA's list of toxic or non-toxic plants, so we don't call it pet-safe: not being listed is not the same as being tested. Keep it out of reach of a pet that chews. If a pet has eaten part of a plant, call your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center on (888) 426-4435 straight away.

How do you propagate a Slipper orchid?

Or browse every plant in the library.

Keep this plant's record

PlantParlour gives your Slipper orchid its own page: a photo timeline, reminders set to the cadences above, and every watering, feed, repot and problem written down. Trade or sell it and the whole history goes with it.

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