Leaves getting brown and dry, please help

[Monika23]

Hello,

I got this plant as a present in June 2018 and I would be grateful if someone could answer my questions about it.

First, I don't know what type of orchid is it and whether it actually is an orchid. Any ideas would be helpful (see pictures). The leaves are about 20 cm long and about 7 cm broad at the broadest point. I think that it used to have small white flowers in the summer but they got dry and fell of within couple of weeks.

There appear to be some problem with the plant, the leaves are getting brown and dry and they seem to be dying. One leave already got completely brown and fell. The stem is also brown.

I wonder what can I do to save it? how often and how much shall I water it? Does it need to be near window or far? What is the best temperature for it? I usually switch of the heater for night and during the day when I am at work, but I don't think that the temperature ever gets below about 18C.
I have been watering it a little bit about every four days. When I noticed that it has been getting brown, I started to water it every other day during the last two weeks, but it doesn't seem to help.

Also there appeared to be a little bit of mould on the soil, so I removed the top layer of soil with the mould. Is it possible that I need to buy a new soil and put it into a new pot?

I guess I should at least add some soil, but I am not sure which type of soil would be the best?

Many thanks



https://i.imgur.com/74SGtHE.jpg

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https://i.imgur.com/4RGDUou.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/B4ltRcN.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/cxO1GAm.jpg

[Lacie]

It is an orchid, a Phalaenopsis. The "stems" you are talking about are flower spikes. Once the flowers die, these spikes dry up, it does not mean your orchid is dying. You can cut them off and your orchid should produce new spikes in time.

It does seem you are not watering enough, though, the roots on top look shriveled. It looks like there is a clear plastic pot inside the decorative pot? Take the plastic pot out and check the roots, they should be plump and either green (wet) or silvery (dry), if they are brown and shriveled you aren't watering enough, if they are brown and mushy, you are watering too much (I suspect the former). When you water, water thoroughly NOT just a little bit. Then water again as the bark is just nearing dryness. It may also need a repot. Check out the thread "The Phal abuse stops here" it is a good one for new orchid owners!

[rbarata]

A photo of the "soil" would be of tremendous help.
BTW, these orchids die of you use soil...by that I mean .

The roots need to dry fast as they are epiphytes. So what you need is a type of medium with a lot of hollow spaces in between. A common medium is bark.

[aliceinwl]

Yes, you’ve got a Phalaenopsis or moth orchid. They do best in bright indirect light: no sun. They also appreciate temperatures on the warm side.

In nature these grow as epiphytes on trees. They do best if the roots can approach dryness between waterings. You can judge the need to water by looking at the roots. If it’s in a clear pot remove it from the decorative pot and look at the roots, if they’re silver water if they’re green don’t. When you water let any excess water drain out. Do not leave it sitting in a wet saucer.

Phalaenopsis (Phals for short), don’t do well in soil and are prone to root rot if kept in water logged conditions. With the mold you’re seeing you might already have this issue. When you pull it out of the decorative pot, it will likely either be potted in a bark mix or tightly packed moss. The moss can be tricky to water in the home environment because it holds too much water the bark mix may also be broken down. If either of these are the case or if you see lots of brown unhappy roots, you may need to repot. If the roots were killed through over or under watering this would be a likely reason for the plant’s decline.

If you’re able to remove it from the decorative pot and take some pictures of the root zone, people can advise you better. If you think a repot is likely going to be required you’re likely going to want a small to medium grade bark based mix. No soil.