Have I killed this little lady

[FlowerLoser101]

HELP!


This is my beautiful orchid that is dry and no longer growing... is it dead? Can it be revived... it was so beautiful... anyway I can cut the stem or give it some magical powder to regrow?

Thanks for all your help

FlowerLoser

[Kruger]

From what I can see from two pictures...

1) Why do you think its dead?

2) Flower spike looks dried, I'd trim it.

3) The media unless you just watered it could be changed. Make sure you get enough airflow around the roots, maybe keep it out of the decorative pot and make sure you have drainage / chance for air to get around the roots. My opinion is its better to have more airflow and require more frequent watering than to have stagnant damp media.

[FlowerLoser101]

Thank you Kruger for your help.

I thought it was dead as all the flowers fell off it roughly about three weeks ago, I recently read Orchids 'hibernate' before the regrow but, as a complete newbie to the flower world I am unsure how long this happens for or if the flowers return.

I will trim down the spike to wear it is not so dry and then take it out the pot to get lots of air.

Hopefully it comes back to life, it was a gift

[Kruger]

Not all flowers last forever. We'd never have seed generation if they did. Also something about beauty is enhanced by scarcity.

If your flowers didn't fall off, I'd be concerned.


Based on what I can tell, buy some sphagnum moss and bark chips (or other inert material available to you). Repot your orchid and in about a years time, it will bloom again for you if it gets enough light. Make sure the leaves are a light grassy green color and not dark evergreen.

Report back when you are ready, I'd like to see the flowers. Edit: That's a pretty big plant. Assuming it has or grows a healthy root system, it should put out a nice display of flowers again.

[Ray]

Looks perfectly normal to me.

Cut the flower spike close to its base.

That potting medium looks terrible. I recommend repotting, or you may very well lose the plant.

[Roberta]

After you cut that old dead flower spike and repot it, put it where it gets good indirect light for as many hours a day as possible. (A window with a sheer curtain to soften the light, for instance) Water well, let it drain completely before putting on a saucer, let it dry to the point where the medium is barely moist, repeat. (How often that is depends on your temperature, humidity, and the medium) It can take as much as a year for the next bloom (orchids don't do anything fast) so be patient.

[fishmom]

Welcome! Your beautiful lady is a phalaenopsis orchid. Follow the good advice given by others above. To learn more about the best culture you can give your plant, read this thread in the beginner section of the forum:
The Phal abuse ends here.