Phalaenopsis synopsis- I cannot bear to lose another orchid.

[2vocal 0rchid]

Hello. I am Cynthia, a newbie, but inclined to research and full of good intention. Orchid care was minimal till now. I find myself desperately seeking skills to keep my original orchid (around since first baby) after just loosing the second Phal. (sent after my miscarriage last year). A few days ago I saw leaves dropping. A closer look at both plants, under the same conditions, revealed one had no more signs of life in the base or roots, yet the other shows lots of healthy roots and plenty of leaves. I am going to wander the garden centers for sphagnum moss or bark or coconut hull chips, whatever I can find to cover this now-naked but thriving Phal. in my kitchen sink. I am a little scared, but hopeful.

[cbuchman]

Until I realized that commercial phals are often in packed sphagnum moss which doesn't work for me (!!!), I killed so many phals. The packed moss is good for the commercial grower and stores, but not so good for the home grower. When I get a phal in bloom I remove about half the moss (just slip the plant out of the pot and pull out some of the moss with your fingers) in order to get air to the roots. Packed moss just holds too much water and my water is so hard that the sphag breaks down into mush really fast - which ends in massive root rot!

One the orchid has finished blooming, I re-pot in bark with some moss/perlite or other moisture retentive material added. My phals now survive and re-bloom regularly.

Good luck!

[RandomGemini]

Lowe's carries phalaenopsis bark in their indoor plants section. Buy this.

Also pick up a bag of Better Gro Orchid Plus fertilizer while you're there. Is it the best orchid fertilizer? No. But the price is right and it will do the job! Mix up a gallon of this with one quarter the amount of the powdered fertilizer they say to use on the bag. I use empty milk jugs for this purpose.

When you get home, measure out the amount of bark you think it will take to fill your pot, minus a little to make room for your plant's roots. Then drop this into a bucket or a large bowl. Go get your tea kettle out. Fill it up, and boil the water. When it whistles, take the tea kettle to the bucket and pour the water in. Let this sit in the bucket overnight.

Next morning, pot your orchid!

This article should help you do that:

Orchid Repotting Clinic - Phalaenopsis

Then, I would leave it alone and don't mess with it for at least 7 days. Then you can stick a bamboo skewer into the center of the medium in the pot and leave it there for a while. If it's moist at all, repeat this again in two or three days. If it's dry as a bone, time to water your plant. After watering, you can apply a splash of fertilizer. I just allow the fertilizer to go straight through the pot. I do not allow it to sit on the roots for an extended period of time. I'm not sure if this is best, but it's been working for me. I'm seeing new leaf and root growth on all of my phals this way.

While you are waiting those 7 days after potting... read this:

http://www.orchidboard.com/community...ends-here.html

That should be everything you need to know about keeping your phals alive, in one convenient spot.

[WhiteRabbit]

I don't know ... my fresh bark always dries quickly, and I water newly repotted plants normally...

[RandomGemini]

Originally Posted by WhiteRabbit

I don't know ... my fresh bark always dries quickly, and I water newly repotted plants normally...

My thinking behind that 7 day wait, is to give the plant some time to adjust to the new medium. I find, in my zone, the media dries out pretty quickly too, but watering more often when the plant is freshly potted seems to make the plant take longer to grab the medium than it does if I just leave it alone for the first 7 days after potting.

[MattWoelfsen]

Originally Posted by RandomGemini

My thinking behind that 7 day wait, is to give the plant some time to adjust to the new medium. I find, in my zone, the media dries out pretty quickly too, but watering more often when the plant is freshly potted seems to make the plant take longer to grab the medium than it does if I just leave it alone for the first 7 days after potting.

For new plants, I also wait seven days before doing anything major like repotting it. The new plant is in quarantine with only light watering applied--if necessary. Since these plants have been in this environment for awhile I use the seven day rule to apply to newly repotted plants, letting the plant get used to the new media and letting it dry out. When I repot, my media is wet, the roots are wet, because I wash away as much as the old media as possible, and then when the plant is in its pot, I rinse the whole thing off--pot and plant--pretty wet.

[RandomGemini]

Originally Posted by MattWoelfsen

For new plants, I also wait seven days before doing anything major like repotting it. The new plant is in quarantine with only light watering applied--if necessary. Since these plants have been in this environment for awhile I use the seven day rule to apply to newly repotted plants, letting the plant get used to the new media and letting it dry out. When I repot, my media is wet, the roots are wet, because I wash away as much as the old media as possible, and then when the plant is in its pot, I rinse the whole thing off--pot and plant--pretty wet.

I do the same thing when repotting. Rinse off old media and the mix is usually freshly drained when I put it in the pot so it's plenty wet. Also I find that I have less drying of the fresh bark if I pour boiling water on it and then allow it to soak. It opens it up somehow.

[RosieC]

Welcome to Orchid Board.

Some good advice above. I've just moved this post to to the beginner section in the hope more see it and can advise further.