Orchid dying, how do I save it?!?!

[ChanLee]

I'm very new at growing Orchids, I've been working with this Orchid for almost a year now. I don't know what kind it is. I've been watering it by simply spraying the roots with distilled water with added orchid food, I thought that would be better than using my tap city water. What can I do to bring it back to life?

[vanda2020]

The orchid you are attempting to grow is called a moth orchid or phalaenopsis/ Lots of info on internet. I grow mine in pure sphagnum moss for orchids ( can buy at Lowes Home Improvement Store, or online) never had luck in bark. I water really well and then let dry out before watering again. Now not really dry you have to check often when moss gets a little crunchy it is time to water. When they are in flower you want to water a little sooner seems flowers need more water. Putting a wooden skewer into the moss is a good way to tell if water needed wet no, dry yes. If you follow the wet dry cycle you should never have rotted roots. This plant if placed in a cooler window in fall will help it go into bloom. Like I said lots of info on internet. Never give it sunshine. These grow at the forest floor.

Now your main problem right now Is you have it over potted. You should have it in a tiny pot that will just hold the roots. I like the clay pots with holes. Put the moss loosely around the plant. Do not cram a lot of moss till the plant can not breathe. These plants like to breathe. Roots at top look good , so there is hope. Just get it out of the too large of pot. Good Luck

---------- Post added at 01:22 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:07 AM ----------

One last comment. You will hear you should never let these dry out, if you do this you invite root rot.. You do not want to go many days dry, but a wet dry cycle will not kill this orchid at all. I have grown it for 20 years and currently all mine are in spike or bloom with lots of roots. All grown in moss in clay pots that have room only for the roots no more. They grow like weeds.

[AnonYMouse]

Do you know what the roots look like?

[ChanLee]

The only roots are the ones on top of the soil that you can see in the picture, there are only three living roots.

Thanks for all the help! What about the water I give it? Is distilled with added Orchid food a good option or should I just use tap?

[Cym Ladye]

I think you may find most if not all of your questions answered if you go to the top of this Beginner Discussion and read "The Phal abuse ends here".

Cym Ladye

[vanda2020]

example of how I grow. Tight roots and moss that is allowed to dry out. In Texas in summer I am watering them everyday or two. They dry out fast in hot weather. I sometimes add in lava and hard wood charcoal BBQ bought in the stores as untreated no chemicals added BBQ mix.

In fact mine need to be watered today I will take a spray bottle in the winter and spray the moss till it is wet. In winter I keep them not so wet. This is common sense stuff. You want to moisten the moss. The key is do ot pack the poor plant so tight with moss that it can not breathe. Your plant has hope with underpotting and wet dry cycle. It is going to take time to heal it. The top roots look ok a little dry but they are not going to die. the biggest thing that kills this orchid is over watering. You also do not want to underwater it so badly that it shrivels. Even twenty years of growing I still have problems. Recently I am trying to grow a Chinese cymbidium for the first time, and I made the mix too open with no coir or peat and it really started to die. I thought that was it.It is going to make it, but it was a real close call.

[vanda2020]

Since you only have three roots left it is dangerous and close to death, so buy the tiniest clay pot you can find. Put plant loosely in it and add a little moss around roots. Only a little moss. Then start the wet dry watering cycle. Keep this up and it should recover. I love moss very easy to see when dry....

Mediums I grow my orchids in lava with charcoal not treated, moss alone, or moss with charcoal and lava.

Water hungry orchids I use lava, charcoal, and add in coconut coir or moss for more water retention. All is a lear as you go. It takes time.

[NYCorchidman]

I don't think your phal is dying at all.
It is not in the best conditions, but it does have leaves and roots.

It looks very dry to me.
What you want to do is, find a smaller pot that fits the root zone, which is not that much.
Then you probably want to put a stake to set the plant firmly until more roots grow and the plant stays unwobbly on its own.

Keep the plants well watered. Do not keep it wet all the time, never let it dry out for too long.

As the weather warms up in the spring into summer, you should see some activity and in about two years, it will look amazingly good if everything goes well.

Good luck!

[Optimist]

I think it wants a good drink of water. Only once a month would you use fertilizer. Water the whole pot like a drenching monsoon rain to remove fertilizer salt build up and moisten the wood chips. Water at least every week to ten days. Read the many good posts on phal care. Good luck.

[Orchid Whisperer]

I agree with NYCorchidman. Not close to death at all, but needing a change in care.

The bark it is growing in is a fine choice for a Phalaenopsis (Phal), but sphagnum moss recommended by vanda2020 can be good too. This is the critical concern in deciding which one to use: how do you normally care for plants? If you like to water, or if you sometimes find that you over-water, stick with bark. If you under-water, or often forget to water, or it is arid where you live, try the moss.

The recommendation given by both NYC and vanda (to move it into a much smaller pot) is a good one. I like clay pots, use one that barely fits the roots. If you stick with bark, pot the roots inside the bark, but don't cover the crown of the plant with bark. When you water, don't spray, take it to the sink and run water through that bark, water should run out the bottom. Allow the plant to dry a bit between waterings, but not bone dry. In winter, watering may be every couple of days, less often when the air is humid. Try to keep water out of the crown of the plant.

Some tap water is fine for orchids. It depends on where you live and where the water comes from. If you don't mind me asking, what city are you in? Cities are required to test their water, and most cities now post test results on the city's water department web site. If they give total dissolved solids (TDS) or electrical conductivity, that is the most important thing to know about the water. TDS below 200 is usually OK for orchids, lower is better. The distilled water is probably not needed, but check that city water report (if your city does not post the report, call and ask for the report, or the total dissolved solids data at least; your taxes pay for the testing, by law it is a public record, and they must provide it to you if you request it). Fertilizer is OK, but I would only give fertilizer when it returns to actively growing (new roots, new leaves). The key with fertilizer is to give much less than is recommended on the package, 1/4 or less of the recommended amount is fine.

As recommended, http://www.orchidboard.com/community...ends-here.html is a good thread to read for basic information about what to do and what not to do.