leaves a little soft

[butterfly79]

Hello All,

I was looking at my orchid and noticed that the leaves are a little soft in feeling. They aren't mushy but soft, they have always been a darker green since I got the plant.

I only water once a week and the roots I can see look good. 2 of the blooms are wilting but I am not sure how long in they were in bloom.

Could this be due to underwatering? Low light? It's been fairly gloomy this week.

[PaphMadMan]

You don't say what kind of orchid you have, but I'm guessing a Phalaenopsis. Soft leaves are a water supply issue. If the roots are healthy then its not enough water.

[johnblagg]

how many roots can you see....just the surface roots or is it in a clear pot and the roots in the pot look good?

[butterfly79]

Oops, yup it's a phal. The pot is clear so I can see surface roots and below. All look healthy, nothing is brown. All are green.

[camille1585]

You might just need to water a bit more often. The advantage of Phals in clear pots is that it's easy to know when to water, you just go by root color. When you water you'll notice that the roots turn green. As long as they are green, the plant has enough moisture. However, once they become silver/white and the beads of moisture in the pot disappear, then it's time to water.

I don't know how you're watering it, but if it's potted in bark, the best way is usually to let it soak for 10-15min.

[butterfly79]

do you soak it under running tap water? I will try this. I find that the bark dries out quickly.

[johnblagg]

I usually soak if I need to in a bigger container not running rater ....fill the sink and set it in for a little while and drain.

[butterfly79]

I took a look and I noticed a white fuzzy stuff growing on two roots. Is this mold? How can the roots go moldy? I have done everything right with this orchid. Didn't over water, used proper mix?

[camille1585]

It may or may not be mold. I have noticed that sometimes my phal roots produce a bit of white fuzzy looking stuff. However it doesn't really rub off and actually feels quite stiff. I have no clue what it is.

If it is mold however, one course of action is to unpot and spray the roots with original listerine (or the store brand), let it sit, rinse, then repot.

[johnblagg]

bayer mite insect and disease controll works well for me and its a systemic and last for a month ....kills on contact for bugs and systemic, plus controls fungus and such I had a white fuzzy mold in a new paph in the medium and on one fan ...took tow sprays a week or so apart but no more withe fuzzy mold