Complete Newbie Needs Help! - Orchid Board

ZephiesGirl · #1 09-10-2009, 05:05 PM

I found three abandoned plants in my college classroom last winter and took them in. All three turned out to be orchids as identified by my roommate. One has since completely died and the other two seem to be doing okay but they haven't flowered for an entire year and now the leaves are turning yellow on the healthiest plant.

I would very much appreciate some advice on them as I have no experience with orchids and know I could definitely be doing something better.

Plant One:
This plant has grown two new leaves since I found it but now one has turned yellow. The plastic pot is the pot I found it in and it is potted in what looks like landscaping bark with styrofoam packing peanuts at the bottom. When I found it it had a flower stem but no flowers. The stem was very dried out and eventually became a stick. I cut it off because I didn't know what I was doing and was worried it could have a fungus. Also under each leaf are small dew drops of extremely sticky excrement, is this normal? What should I do about the yellow leaf? Why hasn't it grown a new flower stem? I water it once every while when the bark it is in looks dry with mildly warm tap water.

The first three pictures are of the large plant. It also has some very small bugs in it and its bark, how should I get rid of them without hurting the plant?

Plant Two:
This plant has grown part of a new leaf since I've had it, lots of new roots and the two leaves it did have when I found it were very shriveled up. I cut off the yellow one but the green one I've kept since it looks kind-of ok. Should I get rid of this shriveled leaf and just keep the tiny growing one? I repotted it when I found it bbecause it's pot was cracked and the roots were spilling out. It's in a small clay pot with landscaping bark from outside that I microwaved to kill any bugs it could have had in it.

The last two pictures are of the smaller plant.

Again any advice for either plant would be much appreciated. They live indoors on a sunlit shelf in the Portland, Oregon area.

RosieC · #2 09-10-2009, 05:18 PM

Hi ZephiesGirl and welcome to Orchid Board

They both look like Phal type orchids. For general care information take a look here.

Phalaenopsis - Orchid Board

The bark used for Orchids is not the same as landscape bark. If the second one is in landscape bark it may not be very good for it. I think it's because of oils and chemicals that tend to be in it. You should probably try and get some bark intended for orchids.

RosieC · #3 09-10-2009, 05:26 PM

Sorry, clicked post before I intended.

You did the right thing to cut off the old flower spike. If it was dried up then it would not have been able to flower again. Sometimes they can reflower if they are still green, but once they dry up you might as well cut them off.

Mildly warm tap water is what I use as well. It's best to water by either standing the pot in water for 15min or so, or by running water through the pot. You want it to get thoroughly wet. Then let it dry out before watering again. As well as looking at whether the bark is dry you can look at the colour of the roots. When they are green it does not need more water, when they have gone silvery it's time to water again. Don't leave the pot standing in water for too long and make sure it can fully drain after watering.

The second one is looking almost dead, but it may be able to recover. I would advise repotting both in proper orchid bark. It's generally advised to repot every two years so it's probably worth doing the larger one as well as the smaller one. When you repot remove all the old bark and replace it. They can probably go back in the same pots, although I would personally put them both in clear plastic pots of a similar size to the ones you have. They smaller plant could probably go in a smaller pot, it depends what it's roots are like.

RosieC · #4 09-10-2009, 05:31 PM

I'm not sure about the sticky excrement, or the yellowing leaf. It might be normal and the leaf is just dying of old age, but the large dark round patch in the second pic worrys me a bit.

Don't allow water to be left in the leaves or crown (the center where the leaves grow from). This can lead to rot and I'm slightly worried that's what's happend on this. Hopefully someone else will be able to advise on that.

RosieC · #5 09-10-2009, 05:44 PM

I seem to be writing lots of replys I'm trying to cover all your questions.

What do the bugs look like. Could they be like these.
Royal Horticultural Society - Gardening Advice: Springtails

If they are like these then they are harmless in themselves, but are a sign that you need to repot.

Other types of bugs probably need treating but I've never had to do that so I'm not sure. It may be best to ask a question in the 'Pest and Deseases' sub-form. If you are able to get a pic of the bugs it would help.

nenella · #6 09-10-2009, 05:47 PM

I agreee with what Rosie says - I would also cut off the leaf on the first phalaenopsis (only because it has that black patch on it as it could spread) as near to joint as possible & dust the edges of the cut leaf with cinnamon.If you don't repot at least cover the top roots with a bit more bark so they don't dry up as fast (make sure you soak the bark for at least 24hrs first)I don't think the second one is a 'gonner' It could be saved. I too would repot, into a smaller plastic transparent pot like your other one and again cover those top roots... Good Luck!

Orchid126 · #7 09-10-2009, 05:50 PM

I agree with everything Rosie says. In addition, the dew may be happy sap or a sign of insects. You might run a damp cotton ball on the underside of the leaves. If you see little specs on it you have an insect problem, and the plant needs to be treated.

Don't be so quick to cut off leaves. It's okay if the leaf is black or mushy, but yellow is okay. You can also trim a leaf like the one in picture two, but the plant needs all the leaves it has.

RosieC · #8 09-10-2009, 05:53 PM

I agree with Nenella that the smaller one is not a gonner yet, especially as you say the smallest leaf is growing. I would leave the other leaf on that, let the plant decide when to drop it.

Good luck with them both, you must be doing something right if they are still alive since last winter

ZephiesGirl · #9 09-10-2009, 06:50 PM

Thank you very much for all the replies! I appreciate the help. I will re-pot both of them as soon as I can and make sure to cover all the roots. Any special instructions on re-potting? Do I trim the roots so they fit inside the new pots or buy a new bigger pot to accommodate the roots since they are growing out of the top of the current sized pots? Do I soak the roots overnight, the bark?

The bugs don't look like the ones in the photo you linked me. I tried to get a picture but they are very tiny and I can't get my camera to focus on them. It's not very scientific but I drew a picture of them in Paint. They are about this color ranging from this to more brown to almost black. They are about the size of a sharpened pencil tip, very very very small. I can't tell how many legs they have and I don't see any wings.

The juice is fairly clear with a few bugs drinking from it. Should I ignore the juice or keep the leaves wiped clean? What is it?

RosieC · #10 09-11-2009, 01:40 PM

The juice could well be what is termed 'happy sap' and is not a bad sign in it's self, but it can attract bugs which is then a problem.

I'm not sure what the bugs may be unless they are ants, these are known to be attracted to 'happy sap'. Hopefully someone else might have ideas, or it might be worth starting a thread in the 'Pest and Deseases' sub-form to ask just about this bit.

Don't cut the roots when you re-pot unless they are mushy/hollow. If they are firm then keep them. You may find there are not as many roots in the pot as you think, or they may be really packed in, it's always difficult to tell.

If you can't fit them all back in the existing pot get a bigger one. The smaller plant may actually need to go into a smaller pot than it's in now.