My milt Rouge seems to be dying on me!

[rw131]

Good morning! And thanks for your patience! I think I finally uploaded a photo correctly. Please let me know...thank you

[silken]

Yes, I see your photo! That looks like it is planted in moss and possibly for some time as it appears green. Is that what its in? Orchid roots need to breathe and it looks fairly compacted. Can you elaborate on what exactly its growing in and how wet it is. I do get some of my Milts from Paramount in moss and they are OK because it is fairly loosely packed. But moss breaks down within a year usually and needs replacing. I see a new growth so that's a good sign and the largest pseudo bulb doesn't seem to be shriveled. But I really think you need to check the roots and give us some details and a picture of the roots. The roots are often the problem when things start going downhill.

After a 2nd look at your photo I am wondering is it bark with moss on it?? Either way, it may be starting to break down with green moss on it so it is really time to check the roots. With a new growth it should be putting out some new roots and that is a good time to re-pot. In the UK some OB members get orchids including milts that appear planted in bark, but have a soggy ball of moss up in the crown. I just got one from our Safeway store here that was the same. That will cause root rot. You can't tell until you unpot it.

[rw131]

hi Silken, I want to say "thanks" for all your help! I took the plant out of the pot and the orchid was damp. And the plant seems to be in some kind of dirt.

[silken]

No problem rw131. We all just want to succeed with our orchids so if we try and help each other, we can all gain. Would you say it is bark chunks that have broken down to almost peat moss? I can't tell for sure, but that would be a guess. It does look like you have some healthy roots on the outside area. I would be more worried about the interior of the root ball. Was it in the green pot or the brown pot? The reason I ask is because the Milt I got from Safeway was in a green pot just like that. It had a little 'cage' around the top. My Milt was in very decomposed bark chunks with green moss growing on top and in the very centre was a wet moss ball up tight under the crown. Not good. Likely what it was potted in as a seedling! So you should start hunting for some potting material. Because of the fine roots, medium bark is usually a little too coarse for these. I usually use a mix of fine bark, some sphagnum moss and usually also large perlite and/or some charcoal. You can buy orchid potting mixes at the box stores but some of them are way too soil like for most orchids and not the best thing to use. I'm not sure what you have access to. rePotme Orchid Supplies - Orchid Mix - Orchid Pots - Orchid Care - Orchid Fertilizer is a good source that some members here use. I wouldn't un-pot it till you get some, but it likely should be re-potted ASAP. In the meant time if it's fairly damp, maybe don't water too often. I use a kebab skewer shoved down and left in all my pots and pull it out to see how wet things are before watering. It works well because it tells you what is going on deep down in the pot where it is last to dry out.

Keep us posted as to how you progress. Slide it back in it's pot for now but re-pot soon! It can likely use the same pot or smaller depending how the roots are. It should be in a container that only fits the roots, not larger. Air holes like the green one are good.

[rw131]

Thanks Silken, I repotted the plant with orchid soil from Miracle- Gro. is that okay? Also, now that it is repotted, should I water it? Or let it dry...

[silken]

I'm not sure what quality Miracle Gro soil is. So long as it is not fine and soil like and consists of small chunks of bark and likely charcoal and perlite, it should be OK. How were the roots? Were there rotten ones which would be mushy or just strings? If so, I hope you cut all those off as they just cause more rot if left on. If the potting media was moist already, I wouldn't wet it further. I really recommend getting a kebab skewer and just leaving it stuck fairly deep down in the centre of the pot. always put it back in the same place so as not to poke all the roots. Even tho the vendor said to water about once a week, everyone has different growing conditions and humidity and you need to do what works for you, not them in their greenhouse. so the skewer will tell you when its time to water. before it's bone try, but not when it is still fairly wet. Good luck and with any luck, this will be blooming again for you when the new growths mature!

[rw131]

thank you Silken! I am definitely going to grab one of my wife's skewers and stick it in! As far as the roots; they all looked good to me. Nothing rotten, so I left them all on. Merry Christmas to you !

[Carpe Diem]

I bought Miracle-Gro mix once and if I remember correctly, it is to much soil-like. Very small pieces of bark in it and it stays wet for a long time. I've since repotted in paph. mix. Maybe the Miracle-Gro is more for terrestrial orchids? I'm new at orchid growing and I'm sure someone with alot more knowledge will help you out.

[calypsoB]

Funny about the miracle grow being to small other places because it is big and chunky here...

[Carpe Diem]

Maybe what I bought was Schultzes and not Miracle-Gro? It was one of the 2, since those are the only brands they carry. But it was very small stuff and stayed wet forever. Maybe it was on the shelf for ages and was broken down? No matter, since my paphs are enjoying the good stuff now.