Newbeei - Orchid care

[UDC]

Hi I am in need of some help regarding my orchids, over the past year I bought about 3 flowering orchids from florists. Now that they have completed flowering etc, I require assistance taking care of them.

The very first orchid I purchased showed signs of flowering again, a new stem even developed and began to bud but stopped prematurely then dried up basically. The original two stems also began to bud and flowers almost began to open but seem to dry up and die as well.

I use a water bottle and spray them lightly every morning and the plant is kept indoors.

Please advise

[wintergirl]

Welcome to OrchidBoard
What type of orchid is this? Is it a phalaenopsis? If so it is better to water well then let it dry instead of misting everyday. What type of media is it in? Pictures would be helpful too. After you have 5 posts you can insert pictures.

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[UDC]

Hi thanks for the reply, I believe they are the phalaenopsis orchid.
A few months ago removed all the potting material and rinsed the roots out as I noticed that some roots and potting material was showing signs of decae.
So currently the orchids are sitting in the pot loose with no potting material etc and only after doing this did they start showing signs of life so hence I thought I was doing something right but now the opposite seems to be happening.
How do I water them well, should I remove from pot and hold under the tap ?

[wintergirl]

I did not know they were bare rooted, so misting the roots daily is probably ok. But since you said the buds dried up, maybe your plant got too dry at some point. You could fill the pot with water and let the roots soak for about 30 min then drain all the water. When the roots are hydrated they are green, after they dry out they are white or silver. How often you deep water depends on your environment. It is good to let the roots dry after the soak, then when they turn silver/white soak again.

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[WhiteRabbit]

You may wish to read the first few, to several pages of this thread The Phal abuse ends here..

The American Orchid Society care sheet for Phalaenopsis is here Phalaenopsis Culture for Beginners

[Leafmite]

Hello and welcome!
Phals do not really mind being bare root as long as you are willing to give those roots a good soak once a day. The ancestors of most of the ones found in shops and big box stores grow clinging to trees, roots completely bare, in very warm, humid climates. The medium's purpose is to provide humidity around the roots.
I actually prefer them potted (easier care than having them mounted) and pot them in LECA (these little clay balls) in a basket pot. This arrangement allows plenty of air to the roots while the medium keeps the air around the roots humid.

[UDC]

cool thanks for all the info
with regards to my other phalaenopsis orchid after about 3 months since its last bloom, my wife decided to cut the stem since it had no more flowers, thinking that the next time its due to bloom it would grow new stems but this yet to happen and its been over a year now.....so not sure what to do there, roots are also bare with me just misting it in the mornings.

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[WhiteRabbit]

Originally Posted by UDC

cool thanks for all the info
with regards to my other phalaenopsis orchid after about 3 months since its last bloom, my wife decided to cut the stem since it had no more flowers, thinking that the next time its due to bloom it would grow new stems but this yet to happen and its been over a year now.....so not sure what to do there, roots are also bare with me just misting it in the mornings.

Do the roots look good? How much sun/light does it get?

[UDC]

not much roots present, two new roots developing and about 2cm in length and new leave starting to form. Roots do seem to have a greyish plastic coat.
Not much sunlight because kept indoors but they are next to a huge window that has no curtain.

[WhiteRabbit]

A lack of roots could prevent blooming.