Feeling guilty -repotting and over-pruning mania

[LadySoren]

Are there any other noobs out there that have repotted multiple times in one year out of paranoia like me?
I hate to admit this...

My mini kept falling out of its pot (in bark so it's loose) and I finally rubber-banded it to stay down.
And I was checking out how my regular size Phal was doing in the root department and PLOP. And I am very sad to say, it has literally 4 green/silver roots and like 3 yellowish brownish roots and that was IT. And they are all 4 inches or smaller. Lots of rotten bits.
So I peeled away old leaf bases and cut old root stubs as far back as I could and dabbed cinnamon whereever an open wound was.
I know I probably cut too many healthy-ish roots when I first repotted last winter, but apparently I butchered the poor thing!!!! No wonder it's poor leaves are drooping.

I have a feeling I'm going to end up killing all 3 of my first orchids.
Maybe this isn't meant to be?
Now I'm depressed. I thought I researched enough, but apparently that didn't help.... I thought I was doing ok. :-/

I just started growing succulents too. If I kill those, I'm just pathetic.


While my plants are still with us-
What's a good way to know when to water when planted in bark? I thought they were dehydrated so I was keeping the bark moist, at least on top near new roots. Bad?

[Orchidgirl83]

A good way to tell when to water is to stick a bbq skewer down into the bark, as close to the center of the roots as you can safely get, leave it for a minute, and then pull it out. If it feels cool or damp when you touch it to your face, then it does not need water. You water when the skewer feels barely damp.

Don't worry, Phals are pretty resilient. If it has 4 good roots, then I think it will survive. It will probably not bloom next year, and it will probably loose some leaves, but it should live.

[RandomGemini]

You know, it sounds like you and I are in the same boat. Please, feel free to benefit from my experience and listen when I say: "RELAX!"

I am absolutely certain that there is no single way that is the absolute correct one for raising an orchid. I have seen that a lot of folks mount their phals somehow, so that they hang upside down, which is more natural and IMO, probably the "right" way to do it.

Am I doing that?

Nope.

I like the portability and convenience of pots. I may put up shelves in my office and stop staking the stems, but that's probably as far as I am gonna go. I expect that my orchids will bring me as much joy and pleasure whether I plant them hanging pendulously, or in a pot.

So relax! If you screw it up, that's okay. It will be sad for your orchid and for you, if you lose your 'chid, and hopefully, you will catch your mistake before it goes that far, but that doesn't mean you should give up or stop trying to learn how to find the method that works best for you.

[fishmom]

RandomGemini is spot-on. You will find a method that works for you and the kind of care you give.

One suggestion though: it sounds like your plant may be over-potted, or else you did not firm up the planting medium enough. A well potted phal should be able to be lifted by its main stem without coming out of the pot. You can push really hard on the bark mix to firm it up, using your fingers or a stick to get the bark in between the roots. If your pot is too big, it is harder to get it firm. But if the roots are not stable in the mix, it is harder for them to attach themselves and anchor the plant. Wiggly roots don't grow very well.

[WhiteRabbit]

Skewers! Using skewers has help me immensely! I just leave them in the media all the time.

I also like putting some styrofoam in the center of the root mass. Helps media to dry evenly, and the roots love the air pocket!

[LadySoren]

You are all so encouraging. Thank you!!

For some reason I assumed the skewer method was just for moss? I have no idea where I got that. Good to know it is not true.

Fishmom::
I have only owned orchids for less than a year. I know what you mean about picking them up. When they were in their original moss, I could do that.
Since I have repotted (all of the bazillion times this year), I have not achieved this. I assumed I wouldn't be able to with bark (it's actually bark, charcoal and that white particle stuff).
Me and my assumptions.... you know what they say...
The pots are definitely too big for the sad size and amount of roots even though they appear to be the correct size for what roots you'd hope would be there. Can I still have them in the big pots as long as I pack in more bark?
I assumed (again) that looser was better for air flow and drainage.
HOW do I pack it in there? I have tried and I really can't see me getting it so tight as to be able to pick up the orchid by the plant instead of the container.

oy.

[LadySoren]

PS while we're on the topic,
here's some pix of my "regular" sized phal (as opposed to my 2 minis)

Do you see that long part that extends straight down from where the leaves come from? (first pic)
It is woody and seems to be where other, now gone, roots come from.
Is that like the plant's core? Is it important or should it actually be chopped off?

Any other thoughts about my orchid since I obviously can't judge for myself?

[LadySoren]

oh and that's cinnamon on there

[vapyle]

I was just wondering about the woody stem below the growing roots, too!

I've done the same things that you're asking about, LadySoren. I'm also a fairly new grower (since February or March) and have found that so long as the crowns stay dry the plants will be fine. It seems that the less I worry and fuss,the better the plants do. But, I'll be honest, I have one phal that I've potted,unpotted and repotted all since June. It's totally ok. It started out as a leathery, neglected plant with one aerial root left after removing the dead and rotten roots. It's grown new roots and new leaves - so resilient, yes. Finally, now that I think about it - the plants that have been in tightly packed medium have grown much more quickly than those which I potted loosely (so loosely that they didn't stay in their pots, because I thought too that was better for air flow).

Im no expert yet, but I think don't give up; don't feel guilty, and soon you'll have strong healthy orchids.

Tori

PS I cant keep alive any other houseplant!

[fishmom]

LadySoren, I have seen potting demonstrations where a person used a piece of dowel, a pencil, a ruler, or a bamboo stake to push the medium down, but I personally just use my hands. Don't be afraid to use some force, though. I thought I might damage the roots when I first started doing this, but that doesn't really happen. You are compressing the medium pieces against each other and around the roots. Don't worry that you will eliminate air flow; if you are using a bark mix that won't happen.

You will use more medium than you expect to fill a pot, as you are filling up some of the empty spaces left by the odd-shaped pieces. Your potting will also work better if you size the pot to match the amount of roots you have, not necessarily the size of the top of the plant. A finger-width around the outside of the root ball is about right for the pot size.

Regarding the woody stalk in the center, it looks from your picture that you still have some viable roots from that area at the bottom, so if your pot is deep enough I wouldn't trim it off. You are correct, though, that after all roots are gone from the center stalk, it can be cut back to a productive area.