Bought my first orchid the other day - says it needs "food"?

[agoutihead]

I just bought a white orchid with pink highlights a couple of weeks ago from my local grocery store for $10. It was a great deal as it had probably 10 heads on it.

But now the flowers are starting to look a little wilted. Does it need more water? Or does it need this "food" that it suggests on the tag it came with?

[Jmerk]

If it were me I'd give it water and if there still is a problem, fertilizer (food).

[agoutihead]

hmm. They were selling this "food" as something that was needed to keep it alive. So its just fertilzer? What would require you to need to use fertilizer vs. just regular water & sunlight?

Whats the lifespan of the bloom?

[Jmerk]

From what I've seen, food is fertilizer. Fertilizer should be used every few waterings. It is different for each genus. Bloom lifespan depends on genus as well.

[Ranchnanny]

Have you checked the roots? It could be potted in moss.
I always check every orchid I purchase when I get it home sometimes even in the store. Check the roots.
If its in moss I repot it right away. It could have been blooming for some time before you bought it that's why some of the flowers are wilting.
Moss keeps the roots to wet. Remember fertilize weakly weekly. Cut the strength down.

Good Luck with your new orchid
Sheridan

[RosieC]

Well fertiliser (food) is good but not necessary for keeping it alive. You get a healthier plant with fertiliser though.

I don't think the wilting flowers is related to that and I agree with Sheridan that you should check the roots.

Assuming it's a Phal (a pic would really help us know that) then the flowers could be wilting due to the change in enviroment from the store to your house. Phals are well known for doing that. They would be fine in either enviroment but they don't like the change.

Also if all the flowers were open when you bought it then they could just have reached the end of their life. Lifespan of the flowers depends on the genus, but if it's a Phal then you would expect a couple of months, but you don't know how long they have already been open for.

But on there other hand there could be more of a problem and that's why checking the roots is a good idea. If it has been overwatered the roots could be rotting and that could be a serious problem.

Upping the watering is not a good idea unless you know that the roots are good. If the roots are rotting then more water will just make the problem worse. On the other hand if the roots are fine then you may want to up the watering, just remember that most orchids like air arround their roots and will rot if they don't have enough.

Probably some pics of both the plant and the medium would be a big help for getting more advice.

[aesir22]

Check the roots, post pics if you aren't sure what you are looking at. Is it perhaps just the end of the blooms lives? Or a change in environment? If it is the end of the blooms time, let them drop, cut the spike near the base and continue to care, watering as needed and fertilizing every week or two depending on the strength. In a couple of months hopefully another spike will start up

[ardera]

Just out of curiosity, how often are you watering? My phal is in moss (Going to get him out of that soon though), and I was told to water him once a week, under running water, for 30 seconds. This seems to have worked well for him, I've had him for a year with no problems! Moss holds the water longer, so while the top of the moss looks dry, it usually doesn't need to be watered yet. I also never fertilized him, until about 3 months ago. My method was just water and light.

[agoutihead]

Alright, unknown to myself, this thing was literally sitting in a cup of water. I pulled it and it smelled pretty bad, so I dumped it and rinsed the 2nd pot really good.

Here are a few pics. I'm not sure what to do.

It almost seems as if there is mold or something on the soil/root leaves?

Should I change the soil?

[nutgirl]

It looks like it's potted in very saturated moss. It needs to be repotted into something that breathes better. It looks like there are some good roots in there (plump and green), that's a good thing.

The roots above ground are often discolored and shriveled like yours, it's perfectly natural. It's the ones in the moss that you need to take care of. You can take it out of the pot, clean it off, remove any rotten roots and repot into the same pot.

If you can't repot right away, at least watch your watering and make sure there's enough drainage. Don't let it sit in water.

Maureen