Need Help from the pros

[butterfly79]

ok, I will cut the spike, cut off the dead roots. Is there a way to search this site for water culture?

[RosieC]

If there are no roots left then it will be difficult, although if the leaves are still strong you have a better chance.

I agree that you should remove the spike first.

I have not had luck with water culture but I still think it's your best bet from what I have read here in the past. (My plant was not in the best of health anyway).

If you get it to root again then transfering to S/H may well be a good idea so it may be worth reading our info on that and seeing what you think. It does not use either sphag or bark and many people have great success with it. Phals rooted with water culture aparantly adapt to it the easiest.

[trdyl]

Originally Posted by butterfly79

Is there a way to search this site for water culture?

Here is a good thread. Just remember to keep the water out of the crown. If you do not it will rot.

Phalaenopsis in water culture

[Eyebabe]

I have had this happen to me "at least" once
At the point your plant is looking, I usually give up...I'm being honest.
I evaluate the effort I'm going to have to put into it for the root growth and then get it to flower again and whew!

In the past when my attitude was better, I tried the sphag in a bag and got it to work once. I did it a bit differently with a big old tupperware bin, wet sphag in the bottom and a dash of physan 20 on it. Set the rootless and spikeless orchid on a piece of saran wrap over the moss and closed her up with saran wrap (not the lid).
I tried it with three different plants and it worked for one. That plant grew some decent roots and two small leaves over about a year and then faded.

It is a very discouraging thing when one goes. But don't lose the lesson for the future. I have seen repotme recommended multiple times for their products and I use them with good satisfaction.

Good luck!

[butterfly79]

thank you so much. i will try and see what happens.

[quiltergal]

I would recommend making your own mix from whatever components you like to use. In other words buy your bark, perlite, and charcoal or whatever else you use separately and mix them yourself when it's time to repot. I think with any pre-mixed stuff you are going run into difficulties like you have already had.

If that plant were mine I would be tempted to toss it and start over unless it's really special to you. If you want to try and save it I would clean off the dead roots and put it in a plastic pot with some very loose sphag moss. The sphag should be damp but not wet. I never had any luck with sphag n bag. All I managed to do was rot the whole plant.

Good luck!