Moldy Soil

[S.D.E.M. Holler]

It had been a a long time since I had checked my orchid's roots, and one day I noticed that the spot on my orchid's leaf, which had been there ever since I bought it, had small brown spots around it. So I checked the roots, and when I lifted the plant I immediately smelled mold and found plenty of moldy moss. I pulled some out, but stopped because I did not really know what I was doing and decided to get some advice. I haven't watered it in a very long time because it's soil felt moist. What should I do? Is there anything you can do for an orchid that's soil is moldy? I would post pictures, but I don't quite have five posts yet.

[butterfly_muse]

Originally Posted by S.D.E.M. Holler

It had been a a long time since I had checked my orchid's roots, and one day I noticed that the spot on my orchid's leaf, which had been there ever since I bought it, had small brown spots around it. So I checked the roots, and when I lifted the plant I immediately smelled mold and found plenty of moldy moss. I pulled some out, but stopped because I did not really know what I was doing and decided to get some advice. I haven't watered it in a very long time because it's soil felt moist. What should I do? Is there anything you can do for an orchid that's soil is moldy? I would post pictures, but I don't quite have five posts yet.

Is your orchid actually in SOIL? What kind of orchid is it? Very few orchids are terrestrial. They do not belong in soil.

[Bud]

Does your orchid have a name or a tag?
Can you give us a history as to how you acquired it, what light direction it is in, the percentage of humidity that your room has, the room temperature and your grow zone. Those are important factors for us to help you better.
The media mix must have decayed and decomposed to produce molds even without watering it. Check that your pot have holes to drain water out easily.
I suggest you get fresh mix and repot your plant.
Get rid of the moldy media and clean the roots under running water in the sink.
I don't know why you refer to the media mix as 'soil'. Ordinary potting soil will kill your orchid.

---------- Post added at 12:12 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:11 AM ----------

is it potted in moldy moss or soil?

[RosieC]

If it's in soil it needs re-potting anyway. Unless it is some sort of terrestrial orchid (there are some but most of the common ones beginners buy aren't) then it should not be in soil.

If it's in moss and the moss has gone mouldy then it's also time to repot. If it's gone mouldy then it sounds like it was staying too damp in the centre even if it was dry on top. This is one of the problems with moss it can stay wet in the centre a long time while being dry on the outside and you can over-water without realising.

Once it's re-potted try using a wooden skewer pushed into the medium to gauge watering. If the skewer is damp (cold on your cheek) when pulled out then it's not time to water yet. Keep the skewer in the pot and just pull it out when you want to check.

[S.D.E.M. Holler]

Sorry I meant to say media not soil. My orchid is a Phaleonopsis that I bought from a rather refined grocery store. It sits in a window that gets approximately thirty minuets of morning sun, because there is a tree near the window it receives very little light. The window is usually open, and it is very humid here, plus it has recently been very rainy. My house is usually around eighty degrees, sometimes a bit hotter and sometimes a bit cooler. My plant is in a plastic pot with holes on the bottom, which is in a clay pot with no holes, but I usually take it out of the clay bowl to water it. Thank you for the advise.

[butterfly_muse]

Its probably too packed into the moss and its roots are rooting. Read the thread here "the phal abuse ends here", it will teach you more than you need to know about repotting and caring for your phal