I need help before I kill these beauties

[DenyseC]

Hi, I am totally new and inexperienced with Orchids. I tried many years ago with disatrous results. I bought 3 Phalaenopsis (not sure I spelled that correctly), because they seemed liked the easiest to care for. I have 2 planted in a bark mixture with saph peat just covering the top and I have one in a Miracle Grow Orchid potting mix with the peat on top, all are in Orchid pots with the holes on the sides. I have had them for 2 weeks and in that time most of the flowers have fallen off and the stems that were straight (clipped to a stake) have begun to droop at the top. The leaves are a rich green and feel firm, the roots look solid and white. I've been watering the ones in bark about every 7 days and the one in the Miracle Grow only once so far. I just don't know why the are starting to droop and the flowers are falling off. Oh, I have them indoors with indirect light and have feritlized them once so far with water soluble Orchid fertilizer. Any thoughts, or suggestions? I really would like to keep these beautiful plants alive =)

[Zoi2]

Hello and welcome to the OB.
Flower loss is fairly common on newly purchased plants due to the drastic environmental change from where they were grown to the home. The 2 that are potted in bark will probably be fine once they adapt to your home. The Miracle Grow orchid potting medium is a bit heavy and tends to sufficate roots, you'll need to watch it. Phals like bright indirect light and it's easiest to fertilize weakly weekly. If you can post pictures of your plants it will be easier to see if there is something else that needs to be addressed. It sounds like you're on the right track with these new guys.
Joann

[RosieC]

Welcome to Orchid Board

As Joann has said it can be common to have flower drop after the change to a new enviroment (from the nursary/shop to your home).

It could also be that if they were bought with all the flowers open, it could just be that it is their time to fade as you don't know how long they have been open for.

However it may be best to check the roots, as flower drop can also be the first sign of root problems. Sometimes the roots on the edge are fine, but you need to just gently ease it out the pot and see what the rest are like.

Miracle Grow Orchid Potting mix is not really good for Phals. They say it's good for all orchids, but actually it's too heavy for anything other than terestrial orchids (which Phals are not).

Phal roots like plenty of air and so the mix needs to be light and airy, otherwise roots are likely to rot.

[DenyseC]

Wow, thanks for such quick replies, I have attemped to upload a couple of pictures. I am not so computer savvy, either hopefully it works. The two together are the ones planted in bark, the one by itself is in the Miracle Grow mixture. I really appreciate your help !!

[Zoi2]

Your plants look nice. I have a suggestion though:
Your potting media is too high on the plant. The media should be just below the base of the plant. (where the roots attach). By having the potting media that high, you are very likely to get water in the crown of the plant which will cause crown rot.
Joann

[BobInBonita]

Welcome
Agree with comments above regarding general well being of plants and the depth of medium, but would like to add one more. You mention peat on top of the bark. That can really retain a lot of moisture and make bark almost like soil to grow in - if I understood correctly. Rather than disturbing the plant with a complete re-potting, if you can just loose the peat that might be an easy solution.

[RosieC]

I agree with Bob. I only realised the point about peat on top when I saw the pictures. The peat could really cause a problem and it's likely to slowly drop through the bark and block the spaces.

Phals really like an open mixture where the air can get in, and peat is likely to stop that.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

No peat with Phals. They will choke the roots out and kill them quickly (within days).

Pots are much too large. Phals need to be grown potbound.

Clay pots do 2 things:

1. Cool the root zones down.

This is a problem because Phals are intermediate to warm growing (60 F to 95 F).

They originate from low to midland tropical Asian jungles.

2. Dry out faster.

This is also a problem because of the amount moisture they need. There are a good number of Phals that originate from swamp forests within these low to midland tropical Asian jungles.

In my opinion, clay pots are not necessarily the best choice for Phals, particularly in cooler climates.

Phals, btw, are not the easiest orchids to care for in my opinion. I think there are far more easier ones (for example - Laelias).

They are most commonly sold because of their low light requirements, tolerance of moderate humidity, relative small size, and ease of manipulation in getting them to bloom out of season.

Phals are actually medium to high maintenance plants (depending on which one you own). Lots of people mess up with Phals because of the amount of attention they need, and because most people start off with them not quite knowing what they got themselves in for.

Here's a little something you may not have known...

The roots on Phals can photosynthesize.

[DenyseC]

Again, thank you all so much for your info. I have removed the peat from the tops of the two, I had a friend who has Orchids recommend this, but maybe she's just been lucky with it. Phillip, would you recommend ceramic pots instead of clay?

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Unglazed ceramic pots and clay pots (aka terra-cotta pots) have similar properties. The only difference is that ceramic is more difficult to break because of how it's structured.

Ceramic tends to break easiest in the areas with the highest surface area.

Terra-cotta pots will break no matter how it falls or where you hit it hardest.

I have no idea whether your friend is or was lucky or not.

But let's just say your friend did it through skill.

A lot of people who has mastered something or is good at something tend to forget what it was like for them in the beginning.

If your friend is highly skilled at growing orchids, she may have not thought twice about how she struggled with them at the beginning.

I still remember how I messed up with Phals. I still do with certain Phals. Phalaenopsis appendiculata being the toughest Phal for me to grow to date.

Why?

Because on top of being a slow grower, being slow to acclimate, being difficult to duplicate the growing environment in which they thrive, and being delicate because of their size; they absolutely resent being disturbed.

On the flip side, Phal x leucorrhoda is just chugging along.

The fact of the matter is, some Phals are just not all that hardy. Some of them are tough as nails. You gotta know which is which.