Save My Mini-Orchids

[edarion]

Got some 5 new phals from the grocery store... not in great shape...

Here's pics of the roots. Not much left.... after i took off what was rotten... Some of them have blooms on them....

They all in moss. so i will eventually have to repot in bark.
Bark is in the bucket for their 24 hour soak... can i soak the roots too.... Otherwise they will just be in the pot with nothing else in there for the next 24 hours.

[edarion]

Here's the rest of them

[james mickelso]

You could just put the plants back into the pots with nothing. No moss. No bark. No nothing. And they will do fine. They need air, light, and water. That's all. Or you can take the bark out of the water and put the plants in the pots and carefully place the bark into the pots. It's that simple. Really. If you want to use moss, go right ahead. The only caveat is that it only needs to be placed in the pot loosely. Very loosely. Phals are epiphyts. Air plants that grow along tree trunks and branches. No media whatsoever. But.....it is very warm and humid where they grow naturally so we put in some form of media to help keep them damp. Not wet. Just damp. What we usually fail to remember is that they are native to the tropical lowlands in the far east where it is warm. Here they are cold and therefore suseptible to all manner of fungus and mold. So take your choice. Pot them into empty pots or bark. Or moss. It's easy. Really.

[edarion]

How to i take care of them in empty pots?

[james mickelso]

Get some RO or distilled water and water the plants twice a week. That's all that's necessary. It can be and usually is more involved than this but for all intents and purposes that's all you need to do. Phals, which arew what you have in the pics, are air plants. They grow on trees. No dirt. No nothing. But if you want to pot them up like most do, just pot them in that bark and let them dry. Also because they look very young I would cut off the flower spikes and let them recouperate. many people grow phals in baskets like vandas and they don't even put in bark or anything else. You just have to water more often. If you prefer to put them in a media just place the plant in the pots and place the bark or moss around the root. It's simple. If you can give your plants some warmth and a medium light level, they will grow. Just don't water the heck out of them.

[edarion]

How do I water the phals with no substrate? i mean, I can't just pour in the water... there's nothing to absorb it...

[jennifer.f]

The cooling and damaging effects of wind and frost can be discouraging in the garden, especially if plants are robust and beautiful before damage. Proper planning can diminish the inevitable risk of occasional gusts and chills associated with winds, and short-term solutions to retain soil warmth can prolong flower life when frosty night temperatures threaten. Protective windbreaks and staking can lessen the threat of wind damage and plant drying, and the use of cloth to cover tender plants, sometimes with an artificial heat source, can also protect flowers from damage.

[Ordphien]

Just soak them in a bowl of water for a while.


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[Vanda lover]

My neighbour has some of her phals growing in vase culture and doing very well. You can keep a good watch on the roots that way, they either pot them up once the roots grow back or keep them in the vase. My neighbour has one blooming in vase culture.

[james mickelso]

Edarion, phals are air plants. They don't actually need media. They normally grow on tree trunks and branches. Just water them just like they are in media. The roots will absorb the water yet dry out quickly. Then you can water them any time you want. But if you want you can just pot them in bark.