what's up with my plant? Help.. no idea about orchid's

[moshmomma]

Hi all, I've had my orchid since mother's day and it was doing good and blooming. now one of the stems has turned yellow, now black at top. Also one of the long things at the bottom of plant near green leaves looks broken (for lack of a better word).

I have tried to figure out through web what's wrong, but I don't think I have right terms down.

Please help.. here are some photos.

[Paul Mc]

If you could post pics of the leaves that would help as well. My firsttwo thoughts are as follows. It is time for phals to start loosing flowers and for the flower stalks to turn brown and die off. Also, is it potted only in spagnum moss? A lot of people have difficult times growing phals in that so you might consider repotting in a bark medium. Also, arethere drain holes in the pot it is in? Phals should not be sitting in water as they grow on trees in nature.

[moshmomma]

hello, thanks for following up. Here is a picture of the leaves and a pic of the squiggly things that stick out from pot.

as you can see the leaves are nice and green, but a few of the other things are dry and cracked.

Yes it is potted in moss and yes there are drain holes and I checked and there was water in pot at bottom keeping moss moist.. so too wet?

So the stalks that hold the flower actually die? and what it all re-grows at some other point?

bark medium, I just get that at a flower store?

[calypsoB]

I would suggest repotting as well. I find that the moss that they are sold in is packed way too tight and will retain too much moisture for long periods of time. This has ended in hidden root rot for me a few times.
Yes you can get orchid potting medium at most garden shops- even walmart and some grocery stores.

[Daethen]

The squiggly things are aerial roots. I would chech the roots in the pot for rot. Anything mushy or hollow is dead. White or green is good. I would leave the outer pot off.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Originally Posted by moshmomma

Here is a picture of the squiggly things that stick out from the pot.

They're the orchid's roots.

Orchid roots are green because the cells contain chloroplasts, which contain pigments of chlorophyll; which in turn means they can photosynthesize. Surprise! A fact that not a lot of newbies know about concerning epiphytical orchid roots.

Need verification of what I'm saying about epiphytical orchids having photosynthetic roots?

Here's one bit of evidence...

The following is a link to a blog of someone named Phil Gates who is a botanist at Durham Univ. in the UK. Scroll down the page and look for the Thursday, May 6, 2010 blog entry entitled "Orchid Roots: Botanical Sponges". The info is brief and very basic, but it gets the point across:

Beyond the Human Eye: May 2010

Originally Posted by moshmomma

...as you can see the leaves are nice and green...

That's good...

Originally Posted by moshmomma

but a few of the other things [roots] are dry and cracked.

They get mishandled at the nurseries or garden centers sometimes.

How do I know about the mishandling of plants in nurseries or garden centers?

1. I've seen it before as a shopper.

and

2. One of the odd jobs I had was working at a specialty orchid nursery where the main crop plant was Phalaenopsis.

Like I said, it doesn't happen often, but it does happen occasionally.

A few cracked roots or leaves will not do significant harm. A lot of cracked roots is bad because it can cause the plant some stress and may disrupt its blooming cycle.

Originally Posted by moshmomma

Yes, it is potted in moss...

As was mentioned earlier, a large number of people do not succeed w/ growing Phals in the long run using full on moss as a potting media. The reasons why have already been stated, and you seem to understand, so I will not continue on.

Originally Posted by moshmomma

...and yes there are drain holes [on the pot]...

Excellent. Those drain holes allow for proper gas exchange to the roots and allows the water to drain out of the pot better.

Proper gas exchange to the roots is particularly important for a plant (or in this case, an orchid, that grows on trees w/ its roots exposed to the air).

This is a link to someone's blog about the person talking about the habitat of wild Phalaenopsis, complete w/ color photos! I highly recommend you read the blog and take a gander at the photos.

Sarawak Lens: Phalaenopsis Habitat

Originally Posted by moshmomma

...and I checked and there was water in pot at bottom keeping moss moist...

Not good. Not good at all. :/

Originally Posted by moshmomma

...so, too wet?

Most definitely!

Originally Posted by moshmomma

So the stalks that hold the flower actually die?

Yes.

The "stalk" you speak of is generally called an inflorescence.

There are different kinds of inflorescences. The kind of inflorescence that your particular Phal has is called a raceme.

Here's a link to a glossary and table of the different inflorescence types for your reference:

Australian Biological Resources Study - Glossaries Flora Inflorenscence Type

Originally Posted by moshmomma

And what? It all re-grows at some other point?

If you mean "...some other point [in time]"; then, yup.

Originally Posted by moshmomma

Bark medium - I just get that at a flower store?

As was mentioned, you can get bark medium at garden centers and nurseries. Medium or large grade bark is the one you want to look for.


I decided to attach a link here that shows you what actively growing root tips and what non-actively growing root tips look like on an epiphytical orchid.

http://www.cloudsorchids.com/doctor/dormant.jpg



There is a sticky about Phalaenopsis in the "Beginner Discussion" forum called "http://www.orchidboard.com/community...ends-here.html" I highly recommend reading it from the start. It could make sense of a lot of things.



To further help you along on orchid basics...

Here's a YouTube vid from one of our members here on the OB. His screen name is "Tindomul". He had made this video a while back and it shows the basic anatomy of a Phalaenopsis flower. In the case of this video he specifically uses the flower from the Phalaenopsis species, Phalaenopsis lobbii.

YouTube - ‪Phalaenopsis lobbii‬‏

Enjoy!

[tim abbott]

Thanks King & Tindomul,

Most of my small orchid collection are phals. This board had has been a tremendous help to me since I found it several years ago, a wealth of knowledge & information.

Tim Abbott

[moshmomma]

what a wealth of information, thank you.

I will re-pot it in medium bark then.

And I guess I should not freak out when the raceme dies all together (flowers and all) do I just cut it to the roots?

How long does it take grow back?

Thanks again! the links were helpful as well.

[Paul Mc]

I would cut it as close down as possible. Your orchid will regrow the flower stalk once it has the energy to do so which may not be until next year, generally in the late winter to early spring. It is all part of the natural process of orchids to have their flower stalks die out (except for a few exceptions that are sequential bloomers).

Be sure to look for 3-dimensional bark as opposed to flat pieces. This will help to increase air circulation.

[moshmomma]

Do I still water it the same when it's in hybernation mode?