Help...first time owning orchids and i am trying to rescue...

[melissaluedi]

hello all....
so i am new to orchid ownership and i have taken on some rescues. I bought 3 at the grocery store that were pretty much dead but they were a dollar so i decided to take the challenge on. When I got my 3 home i repotted them and trimmed away all the brown roots. The leaves are very soft and floppy and wilted looking. I have been keeping them in the kitchen window near the dishwasher and sink. They get filtered sunlight never direct. About a week into it i went to check on them and one just completely broke off from the roots so sadly that one got tossed. Oh btw the way one says it is a little sunny and the other says dtps I-Hsin Panada. I have no idea what either one is suppose to look like. I have had these orchids for a few months now and the roots look good....nice and white and green and i have been watering every few days never going longer then a week. I had to trim the spike basically to the leaves because it was brown all the way down.

So my question is what else can I do? Today I transfered them to the bathroom window in hopes that the humidity from the shower will do them good. I am planning on going to get some fertilizer for them too. They are in clay pots and I read to start the humidity tray too. I started that this morning and the water has been drying up fast. I have had to put more in 3 times...given that it is a small clay saucer so there is not much room anyways. There does not seem to be any new leaves attempting to grow or a spike.

I also have another one that was given to me when I told someone I bought some. This one looks good as far as the leaves and roots. Nice and green and shiny are the leaves and nice looking roots. looks like there is a new leaf trying to grow. One leaf ripped/broke and fell off. The roots seem to be growing but there is no evidence of a spike trying to form at all either. The person said before they have almost had it a year and hasn't changed. I think this one is just a phal orchid.

Also would I would like to know is when to repot again? I read something that will young new plants to possibly repot every 3-6 months. I have all of them in the orchid mix with charcoal, bark and styrofoam. The 2 pitiful looking ones have moss around them. I am very careful to water with warm water and no to let any get on the leaves and to let the water drain through. sigh....any advice is very greatly appreciated. My grandmother had a gorgeous one with multiple blooms and she says she does nothing to it and I am sitting here all worried about mine. i do not know what i am doing wrong....

thanks for all the help....melissa