Phalenopsis - Help needed :(

[Nach_]

Hello everyone, this is my first post in the forum and (unfortunately) I'm seeking for advice! I've been reading for a while all the resources around but I am really unsure how to make sense of my situation. I had orchids in the past but not where I currently live...

The situation is that I have 3 moth orchids, received from the shop 2 days ago. They are still blooming, with 3/4 buds each but the flowers are starting to wilt fast. The roots and the leaves look completely fine.

I do not know what can be the reason for such a fast wilting of the flowers, bearing in mind that there are still buds:
- I don't think it's lack of humidity as I also have a humidifier and humidity values tend to be high (>60). I live in Jakarta but avoid using aircon in the living room also to maintain these humidity levels constant...
- In just 2 days since receiving the orchids, I didn't do any watering as the roots are green, leaves are up, nothing indicates they need water...
- In terms of light, they are facing a south window with a sheer curtain, but light levels might be high due to it being a full wall window (see pictures). This is my only hypotheses on why they are potentially wilting fast but all I read is that's okay to have them near a window with a sheer curtain...

I'm attaching some pictures, in case you can give me some advice.

[aliceinwl]

Could they have been exposed to high heat / sun during transport? I’ve had that lead to flower wilting in mine before.

Moss can also be a bit of a tricky substrate: sometimes it’ll feel slightly damp and the roots will still look greenish, but the plant needs water. If they might be on the dry side, it’s be worth providing some water to see if they perk back up.

If neither of the above is the case, if your home represents a big change in environmental conditions relative to what the plant is used to, that can lead to flower drop too.

[Roberta]

First, Welcome!

Also, if they were in bloom in the shop, there is no way to know how long they had been blooming.

Anyway, to care for them so that you get flowers in the future, I think it is safe to assume that they would benefit from repotting. The visible roots may look OK, but the ones in the pot may not be so good. This is a good time to take them out of the pot, clean off the old sphagnum moss (gently... if a little remains that is fine) , and repot into a medium that works well for you - if you "forget to water" sphagnum may be fine... it stays wet longer than bark. Bark is probably better in your humid climate, to permit the roots to stay moist but not wet, and to get air (which is vital for healthy orchids)

[Nach_]

Thanks a lot for the welcome and for the replies! I really appreciate all the support.

I think it's not related to the transport to my place, as it took less than 30 minutes and they came very properly packaged. I still wonder, could this be too much light? I notice that only the flowers that are pointing to the windows seem to be affected (and even the petals that face more directly the window are the ones more affected).

Also, there are still remaining buds in the plants, so I guess this flower wilting is preliminary.

Thanks again for all the info. In the meantime, I have put them in a location where they get less light and will post another picture tomorrow.

[Roberta]

Phalaenopsis don't need a lot of light, but I suspect that heat more than light might be the issue. In bloom, they really don't like abrupt changes in temperature, or drafts. The sharp changes of conditions that cause the flowers to fade prematurely can also cause buds to wither (bud blast)

[KingKong]

everything looks really healthy an those plants.
Some phals don't like drying out and even just one day of dryness (your roots look on the dry side) can cause flowers to drop.

If you repot it now the flowers will most certainly drop. So not a bad move as such but just be aware what will happen if you do.

If the spagnum looks in good shape which it does from the pics then I would repot as soon as the flowers have finished flowering.

Avoid high temps, direct sun, even through a net curtain could potentially be too much. Flowers that are wilting won't spring back to life but with a more shady position the next flowers should flower for a good month still.

[WaterWitchin]

Originally Posted by Nach_

- In just 2 days since receiving the orchids, I didn't do any watering as the roots are green, leaves are up, nothing indicates they need water...
-

The only thing I would add is your comment on the "leaves are up." It won't work with a Phaleonopsis to see wilting leaves being a sign of needing water, as it works with many other plants. By the time the leaves appeared to have drooping leaves, it would be severely dehydrated.

Welcome to Orchid Board, and I see you have a Monstera adansonii. I've been looking for a replacement for quite some time, but they seem to be ridiculously expensive these days so I haven't purchased one. Nice plant.

[SouthPark]

Originally Posted by Nach_

I didn't do any watering as the roots are green, leaves are up, nothing indicates they need water...

Could it possibly be that the wilting flowers are a sign that this orchid actually needs water? That is - the flowers are high up on the stalk, and if not enough water, then the flowers would be the first to show signs of needing water?

It is important to add appropriate/suitable amounts of water, and to control the amount of water in and on and around the roots so that the roots don't run out of oxygen, which can happen if regular roots remain overly-wet for relatively long periods of time. So when we do get around to watering - a suitable amount should be applied for your growing conditions --- there's usually a range in amounts in the region of 'not too much' and 'not too little'.

There will definitely be uncertainty about the reason for the wilting flowers ----- it could be due to one thing, or could even be due to a combination of things.

Here - focus on temperature, humidity, and amount of water for the plant. Assuming the temperature and humidity are ok, just check watering.

[Nach_]

Hello, thanks again for the very detailed replies! Seems that so far there are no more flowers (or petals) wilting, but I think the new buds are starting to dry out.

I'm very tempted to water the orchid, but I think I should restrain myself from it because I can feel the media is moist when I put my finger a couple of inches inside. Roots are very green also. Hence, I received the orchids 4 days ago and did not do any watering thus far (again, Im really tempted but I guess that if soil is moist, should wait a bit more).

As promised, I'm sending a few pictures more. 1st two pictures are from the same orchid. 2nd picture the 2nd orchid that has more buds that seem to be drying. The 3rd orchid (last 2 pictures) seems to have healthier buds.

Regarding the Monstera, I live in Jakarta (Indonesia). Here, in general plants are quite cheap:
- Monstera Adansonii is ~2/5 USD
- Monstera Delicisiosa is ~3/7 USD
- Each Phal orchid is ~3/6 USD blooming

[SouthPark]

nach ----- with green roots, and looking at those photos, the plant does appear to have adequate moisture.

Also - what's the drainage like? ie. for that orchid pot, does it have decent size and number of holes at the bottom of the pot?

Aside from what we can see (on the outer side of the pot) ....... also need to be wary about the state of roots toward the centre of the pot. That is - beware of roots or moss being too wet and soggy at the centre of the pot.

Your flowers stabilising and not wilting further is a good sign. Just monitor the situation. Your orchid is probably ok.