Do I have it all wrong?

[greenpassion]

I am going to lay out as briefly as possible my situation, and I'm doing so because I wonder if I should just give up on having orchids....

I have several phals, all of which have finished blooming months ago. I have several oncidiums which also have finished blooming. They are all grouped on a humidity tray, and all are in the correct potting medium for that species, they are under led lights at the correct height from the bulbs, and I have yet to see any new spikes beginning. I bought some of the phals at a grocery store, and some were gifted to me by friends. Anyway, on 2 of them I see good new root growth, and on 2 others, new leaves are slowly (and I mean SLOWLY) coming out, but that's it. No trace of anything else.
I was just carefully rooting thru the bark mix on one of the phals that is growing a new leaf, and found a mushy root. I have found several 'bad' roots on a few of these guys, even when at the same time they are still putting out those silvery white roots with the bright green tips.
What am I doing to get bad roots? I have been clipping them off at the junction of where the root looks healthy, and where it's gone bad. Is this right?
I have so many plants, tropicals, bananas, elephant ears, etc, and am sucessful with them. I worry I am a failure at orchids...

[cythaenopsis]

It's very common for non-garden center retailers (like grocery stores and Home Depot) to sell orchids that have been cajoled into blooming without a rest period. So, when the current blooming is over, the plants may skip a season or get started later on new growth, because they need more rest time. Also, phals may bloom once or twice per year, or even continuously if they're one of those smaller hybrids. If your plants are pretty much healthy right now, just keep taking care of them as you are. When they're ready to start the flowering cycle, they'll go at it. I don't like the idea of 'tricking' an orchid into blooming, because I think it affects the zest of the plant for the subsequent flowering cycle. And who knows, perhaps even lower its resistance to fungus and other ailments.

Anyway, that's my take on it. I'm not an expert nor forum guru... I'm sure others will eventually chime in.

[Otis226]

One thing you need to remember when working with orchids; Patience is the watchword! Some them won't do anything, and I mean NOTHING for months at a time. As for a few dying or mushy Phal roots, if I judged my ability to keep orchids by that parameter, I'd have quite almost before I started I suggest you just hang in there. Be thankful for each and every new root and leaf your plants put out. If they remain healthy and happy, blooms will follow in good time.
Cheers,
Tony

[tucker85]

When you talk about 'mushy' or 'bad' roots that probably indicates that the medium is not drying out enough between waterings. Try letting the medium dry out more before you water again.