Need some Encouragement

[Wyldwytch]

Today I talked with my boss and got to take home her two orchids that haven't bloomed since she got them. They need some major TLC of which I am more than happy to take my time and do because I would really like to be able to give them back to her in 6 months or so with flower spikes on them. Call me a glutton for punishment...LOL So here is the situation:

1) overwatered as in soaked with some root rot
2) leaves look healthy
3) no air roots to speak of, but one does have a new healthy air root
4) keikis on both of the flower spikes, one looks like it is growing a root (I certainly hope so)


This was going to be my plan of action with them over the weekend:

1) change media and get rid of whatever root rot is there, there are some healthy roots in each plant
2) start them on a regimen of proper watering and fertilizer

Now here are my questions...

1) The keiki with what appears to be root growth..when can it be cut from the mother plant? I would rather the plant put energy into creating more good healthy roots then growing the keiki, but I also don't want to lost the keiki.

2) How long should it take for the keiki with no roots to sprout a root so that can be removed?

I will attach pictures below of what I think is the keiki with the root. Other then what I outlined above is there anything more I should be doing to get these 2 orchids back into blooming health? Also, they are phalaenopsis orchids, NOID. They were given as a gift to her when she got her position as our director 3 years ago, so figure that was probably the last time they were in bloom...

Thanks in advance,

Rose

[emg53]

I "babysit" both of my daughter-in-laws' phals. One plant I only got a few months ago and it was very dehydrated. I never thought it would bloom this season but sure enough it has a spike coming up. I don't think you will be able to get them to bloom this season so you have plenty of time to let them grow healthy. For this reason I wouldn't cut off the keiki just yet.
Phals start to send up spikes in the fall when the weather begins to cool off. Just get them on a good schedule of watering and fertilizing and they should do great.

[Wyldwytch]

Thank you EMG53, nice to know my thinking was on the right track. I think the repotting will do a world of good and might even run out tonight to go grab what I need to do it tonight. Fridays are usually my up all night try to get things done nights...LOL

So I will leave the keiki's on for now and see how they are come spring. If they look healthy and ready to come off, that is when I will take them off and allow the plant to have a bit of a rest before hopefully throwing some flower spikes.

Rose

[Wyldwytch]

Well it was driving me bonkers having to wait until tomorrow to do anything with the TLC phaels that I have to work with. So, I removed them from the pots and the bark, cleaned the roots up (no where near the amount of rot I thought there was), rinsed the bark really, really good to remove any that was deteriorating (rinsed until water ran clear), then replaced everything back in the pots. I also rinsed the roots of each plant to remove any stuck bark and detritus. They are now just sitting in the plastic pots with holes on top of towels to help wick the water away.

These guys will not be watered until the bark is completely dry. Once dry I will probably replace the bark with fresh media and a bit of fresh moss on top since I keep a rather dry house. Hoping now the roots will start to green up and more will grow.

It's all a waiting game from here on out. I will allow the keiki's to grow until the end of June at which time they will be removed to allow the plant to rest. Hopefully this will be enough time to allow some flower spikes to emerge.

Rose

[jcec1]

I would be wary of taking the plants out of media, back into it and changing it again. Every time a plant is re potted there will be some damage to the roots which will put some stress on the plant. I would do it all in the one go in the future. New bark does not absorb water as well as old bark, so it will dry out more quickly. Finally, I would leave the keikei on until the roots are about three inches long before removing it, yours looks too small. Good luck with the plants, saying that they are pretty resilient and you should have luck.

[No-Pro-mwa]

Good luck, I have nothing different to add, you have gotten good advice.

[Wyldwytch]

Thank you, for all the advice, I really appreciate it. Lst night the only thing I could think of to try and salvage is to get all the media rinsed so that what had broken down would be gone. I definitely have to add more bark, so perhaps instead of doing a total change I will just add fresh since what is in there has been rinsed. Sorry just thinking out loud at this point, been a long day and I am still going.

Rose

[snowflake311]

Phals are really tough plants don't let the pretty flowers fool you. It would have been fine in the pot it was in for another day or week. What you need to do is get it in some better light. I think in My experience with them they like like and need more then some people like to admit.

Good light water them the right way and the plant will be ok till you can help it more.

You are off to a good start don't see why it would not bounce back quickly.

Good luck.