phalaenopsis dying!need help - Orchid Board

littleblue · #1 06-30-2011, 10:37 AM

. This is my first time posting on this site. I found a poor dying orchid at Lowes. It has no flowers,but flower spikes, limp leaves, and is really big. I picked it up out of pity but I want to know how to cure it. By the way, one of the leaves was dead so I clipped it off. Is that okay?

OrchidThief79 · #2 06-30-2011, 10:52 AM

Orchids are usually not given proper care at big stores. I would guess it was overwatered and has mostly rotten roots, so I would repot with fresh medium. Then just give it proper phal. care (low to medium light, keep medium moist but not too wet) and hope that it recovers. The old spikes can be cut off. It's usually not necessary to cut off dead leaves since they will fall off anyway. And i have no idea what a "long" orchid is LOL

piaffe97 · #3 07-01-2011, 09:30 AM

I agree, definitely repot and cut off all of the dead roots in the meantime. Don't fertilize or give it too much light until you see new root growth. They need a "recovery" period right after you repot them. Make sure the pot is just big enough to hold the healthy roots, they like to be hugged pretty closely! Also, make sure the pot has plenty of air circulation so the roots can dry out in between waterings. Get yourself a Phal culture sheet and follow the guidelines. If you're worried about repotting, just find a "how to" video on You Tube, that's what I did at first. Good luck with it! If you don't succeed, don't feel bad....these guys can be tricky! I have no luck with Phals at all lol

littleblue · #4 07-01-2011, 11:02 AM

Well, I repotted the orchid, and what I saw depressed me. There were almost no healthy roots, so after clipping the rotten roots and packing them with cinnamon, I snipped off the stem. However, I did not have fresh potting material, so I had to reuse the old one. Will pick up more material tomorrow.

Zoi2 · #5 07-01-2011, 02:42 PM

Hello and welcome.
For my 2 cents: Your plant would be better off if you rinse the cinnamon from the roots and just spray them with regular brown Listerine. Leave the plant unpotted instead of reusing the bad potting media.
Joann

beanluc · #6 07-01-2011, 05:11 PM

Sounds to me like you know all the right things to do. Good luck

I'll just say, expect to wait a while before seeing an obvious rebound. Could be six months to a year or maybe even more before you see new leaves, and a few months after that before you see new flower spikes.

Hang in there! As long as there's been no crown rot, there's a really good chance you can save it.