HELP!! Are they a lost cause have i killed them?

[Optimist]

Over watering is really under-draining. If you have pretty high humidity, and you still overwater, you might keep your phals mounted on wood, or in a basket with very little medium.

[shushu45]

And don't worry is u kill them. We all have killed a few when we first started out. I've killed about 10 now so don't be scared.

When I first started out, I found out my tax lady like to grow them as well and I asked her how she does it. She said to just ignore them. Water about once a week or so and forget about them. Well at the time I couldn't resist not forgetting about them. Then September hit and I was swamped with work and I did neglected them till January. All but two were fine. So I strongly say try to forget. Don't do it as long as I did; the only reason I could pull that amount of time off was cause of it being fall and winter. So now I'm going back to them about a week or so and look at them. Check to see it they need water using the skewer method.

[sarah12beetle]

Originally Posted by shushu45

And don't worry is u kill them. We all have killed a few when we first started out. I've killed about 10 now so don't be scared.

When I first started out, I found out my tax lady like to grow them as well and I asked her how she does it. She said to just ignore them. Water about once a week or so and forget about them. Well at the time I couldn't resist not forgetting about them. Then September hit and I was swamped with work and I did neglected them till January. All but two were fine. So I strongly say try to forget. Don't do it as long as I did; the only reason I could pull that amount of time off was cause of it being fall and winter. So now I'm going back to them about a week or so and look at them. Check to see it they need water using the skewer method.

"skewer method" what that please?

---------- Post added at 12:55 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:49 PM ----------

I have bought myself a new one, checked the roots cut off any rotten ones and dusted with cinnamon and made sure I didn't over water but some flowers shrivelled and fallen off and one of the leaves is yellow what did I do..? I will add pics

[sarah12beetle]

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

For the future…

It is generally not recommended to put cinnamon on plant roots. Root cells are too sensitive to chemicals.

Cinnamon contains a growth inhibitor called cinnamaldehyde which can damage the roots.

The reason cinnamon works well on stems and leaves is because those cells not only have hard cell walls, but they also have a waxy coat to them. This waxy coat is the plant's defense from anything that it doesn't want going in its tissues.

Root cells don't have this waxy coat because they were designed for absorption of water and minerals.

[RandomGemini]

Some phals, not all, but some, will drop blooms when repotted.

The yellow leaf is normal.

Have you read this thread? If not, you really should.

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

[sarah12beetle]

Originally Posted by King_of_orchid_growing:)

For the future…

It is generally not recommended to put cinnamon on plant roots. Root cells are too sensitive to chemicals.

Cinnamon contains a growth inhibitor called cinnamaldehyde which can damage the roots.

The reason cinnamon works well on stems and leaves is because those cells not only have hard cell walls, but they also have a waxy coat to them. This waxy coat is the plant's defense from anything that it doesn't want going in its tissues.

Root cells don't have this waxy coat because they were designed for absorption of water and minerals.

what should i do? wash it off this orchid looking after is harder than I thought

---------- Post added at 03:20 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:09 PM ----------

Originally Posted by RandomGemini

Some phals, not all, but some, will drop blooms when repotted.

The yellow leaf is normal.

Have you read this thread? If not, you really should.

Do the pics look normal that I have posted?
Should I let completely dry out before I water again?
sorry

[shushu45]

Originally Posted by sarah12beetle

"skewer method" what that please)[COLOR="Silver"]

Its where u take a wooden shish kabob Scewer and easily insert it into the middle of the medium without damaging the roots. Take it out and touch it to ur lip or cheek. If it feels damp don't water it if it doesn't feel damp wait one day and water.

[RandomGemini]

Originally Posted by sarah12beetle

what should i do? wash it off this orchid looking after is harder than I thought

---------- Post added at 03:20 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:09 PM ----------



Do the pics look normal that I have posted?
Should I let completely dry out before I water again?
sorry

Relax! You're panicking! There's plenty of time. Nothing in orchid growing happens quickly. I just rebloomed my first orchid and that took a year to do. So take a break. Have some tea and relax.

Read the thread that I posted the link to. Actually, the answer to ALL of your questions about your orchid are in that thread.

I would not water this plant again for 7 to 10 days. The plant seems fine to me though it does not have very many roots that I can see. I'm concerned you may have gotten a little overzealous with the knife after your previous experiences with rot. King gives excellent advice regarding cinnamon, it's great for leaves, not for roots.

DO read that thread. 90% of the questions I had about growing Phals were answered in that thread when I first joined this forum. You will still have questions after reading it and you might have questions about the things you read in that thread as well, it's perfectly okay to ask those questions, but do read the thread first.

Be prepared for a long read, but you only really need to focus on the first twelve pages of the thread and really only focus on the posts by King of Orchid Growing. His posts are excellent and packed with good information.

[Orchid Whisperer]

Ditto what Random and King said.

I would read the "Phal abuse" thread - Look back through the history of replies to your original post, you will see a post from me that summarizes the "basics", and also recommended that you read that thread.

Orchid care is really not complex or difficult. It is a bit different from caring for other plants, but not THAT different. Most Phalaenopsis orchid plants that experience a tiny bit of benign neglect do just fine (meaning, you should water the plant every 7 to 10 days at first, later go to twice a week, but skip any temptation to use fertilizer, root stimulants, seaweed extract, additives, cinnamon, etc. etc. until the plant seems to be growing on its own, and then use the "extras" sparingly).

Where most beginners have problems is when they try to do too many things at one time.