set out in Pacific Northwest patio - too much moisture

[patwister]

Had 5 orchids that did well all winter in the house, and decided to set them out "in nature" for the spring. Of course it rained and rained, but I figured rainforest, right?
Well, the leaves turned ugly and fell off. I brought them inside, and looked them over like some of the posts say, and it looks like the roots are salvageable. Took them out of the bark, and will dry them out a little. But will they make it without leaves? Will new leaves come? Are they totally lost or shall I hold out hope? Some are Phal. and some are Dend. but I am still a new beginner. Kept them alive but that was it!

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

I'm not trying to sound condescending when I say this, but...

Unfortunately your assumption of a tropical rainforest is what a lot of people's assumption of a tropical rainforest is like when they are really, really new to the orchid hobby and they've never lived or visited a real tropical rainforest before.

Real tropical rainforests are a lot more diverse and complicated than just it rains a lot and it's warm and humid. There are tropical rainforests that are cool and humid because they're situated in high elevations. There are tropical rainforests that are seasonally wet. There are those that have specific niches within the rainforest itself, for example, a tropical Asian rainforest can contain an area with swampland.

The point being is that as a beginner there will be certain assumptions about an orchid's natural habitat. As you go along and do far more research than the casual hobbyist does, you'll find out how different that perception is from the truth.


That aside, if you read the sticky, "The Phal abuse ends here", it does discuss the topic of Phals that have lost all its leaves but still has roots. Another member has experience with this as well, and he had made a fairly recent post about it.

A leafless Dendrobium isn't dead until the canes are dead.

[MrsSky]

I mistreated my first orchids also-some survived and others did not. My failures prompted me to learn more because I was hooked.
If you have time, you might want to post pics of your orchid survivors...that way others can recommend treatment.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

I forgot to mention...

Not all orchids come from tropical rainforest habitats.

Be careful in assuming the orchid you have or would like to get has origins in a tropical rainforest, they may very well not be from a tropical rainforest at all, but rather they are from a savannah type environment, for example, you never know until you either ask someone else who is knowledgeable or do your own research.

[WhiteRabbit]

The Phals might have crown rotted - the cool damp weather, and moisture in the crowns. I have had a crown rotted Phal which had good roots grow a basal keiki. Probably be a few years before it's bloom sized again tho But worth a try if you care to - just grow as normal, (allowing media to become nearly dry before watering), tho lower than usual light is ok, as there is no foliage to use the light anyway)

Dens are pretty tough usually. Like king said, if the canes are looking ok, despite being leafless, they can certainly still grow - better still if the roots look ok.

Pictured definitely do help, if you are able to post some.

[haika]

I recently put several of my orchids outside for the growing season and I live in the Pacific Northwest as well. I've done this annually for decades with success. However, I stick with cool-growing species, so this works for me. I also have a covered patio area. Right now I've got my Pleione collection outside, in addition to some potted hardy Calanthes, Coelogyne cristata, and Paphiopedilum armeniacum. Later in the spring I put out other cool growing Coelogynes, some cool-growing Laelias, my Lycastes, Cymbidiums, and some Odontoglossums. Outside growing can work during the warmer months for us, but you have to pick and choose. I don't put ANY of my Phals outside at all....

[silken]

Even when they are from tropical rainforest, they are often on trees, where they get wet, but everything dries off quickly as well and they drain water from their crowns. Not the same as drowning in an orchid pot.

Definitely post some pics and good luck with their recovery.

[Ray]

This most frequent issue folks have when they move their plants outdoors relates to the fact that the potting medium that was so good for they way they were grown indoors, holds way too much water in between the medium particles, so it suffocates the roots, killing them.


Ray Barkalow
firstrays.com

[haika]

I tend to put my 'outside' orchids on a metal grated table. On that table I place upended plastic pots and metal dog exercise pen panels and the orchid pots go on the exercise pen panels. This provides LOTS of air circulation. I usually fill the clay pot about 1/3 with broken clay pot chunks and adjust potting medium to account for species preferences and preferred moisture levels (adjust % perlite/charcoal vs moss and bark particle size etc). Some of the orchids I grow would likely die if I tried to grow them inside during the growing season (spring-blooming Pleiones, hardy Calanthes like C. sieboldii etc).