Wilted and limp leaves

[Jennyd70]

I am new to orchids. Long story short a client gave my work an orchid and one for myself. I ended up taking the work one home as I thought it was being over watered. It's been months of trying to 'fix it' but the leaves still look wilted and sad. I almost gave up on it until a few weeks ago I noticed new growth on the stalk (even the stalk was dying when I brought it home and I had to remove a large portion of it).

I do not know if I should leave the plant alone and not worry with the leaves or if there is something to do to remedy the wilted leaves.

Please help!

(Ps. Tries to attach pictures but it kept saying token error?)

[catherinecarney]

Hi Jenny--

Welcome to the board! You need to have five posts before you can upload a picture, so that's probably where the "token error" message is coming from.

A few thoughts on your wilted orchid:

1: What kind is it? Phalaenopsis hybrids are the ones that people seem to have most often due to their availability in grocery stores and the big box stores. Once you let us know what you're working with, I'm sure the brain trust on here will be able to help!

2: Have you checked the condition of the roots? Healthy roots on orchids are silvery grey/white when dry and turn green when wet. If the roots are soft/mushy or brownish, they are probably rotted (really, really likely if the plant was overwatered).

3: What has your care regimen been since you brought it home? How much and how often have you watered? Has the media been allowed to become almost dry before watering again? What's it potted in? Have you repotted it? How much light? What about temps and humidity?

I know by now you feel like you're getting the third degree (sorry!), but all this information will help us to help you get your orchid back to health.

I have found a few things really helpful in learning how to grow orchids:

1: It's very, very easy to overwater. The epiphytes that are most commonly available (phals, cattleyas, and so on) like humidity around their roots, but they don't like their roots to be wet for long periods of time. I found using a bamboo skewer in the pots helpful (pull it out to check--if it's still damp, wait another day before watering), and clear plastic made it easy for me to see how the roots were doing.

2: Most of the common orchids appreciate both humidity and airflow. Stagnant humid air is a recipe for rot. Ditto for humidity and cool air conditions.

3: Lighting really, really varies depending on type of orchid. Phalaenopsis prefer less light (though I have most of mine in an east window that gets direct light for several hours in the morning and they're happy), and some cattleya alliance orchids prefer light approaching full sun (though they will sunburn during the summer without dappled shade during the heat of the day).

4: There is no one way to grow orchids--a lot of learning to grow them is learning how to "read" your plants and find a system that works best for you. My house is humid and on the cool side in the winter and I found I was losing plants due to root rot, so I grow many of my orchids on bark mounts--it's something that's supposed to be harder to do in home conditions, but it works better for me than growing in pots. But that doesn't mean my system will work for everyone....

Bottom line, there's an incredible wealth of knowledge on this site (please take some time to read through threads that interest you) and I have found the people here to be both kind and generous.

Hope this helps!

Catherine

[Jennyd70]

Thank for the post. I will try to answer all questions.

1. I am assuming it is a Phalaenopsis, seeing that she purchased about 25 orchids as gifts to those who attended a luncheon for her mother.

2. When I noticed it struggling at work, I took it home and removed it from the orchid soil I had purchased and the wood like chips were SOAKED with water. Assuming that it was over watered I replaced it with new mulch/soil and let it dry out for about 3 weeks
Since then I water both orchids the 1st and 15th of each month. My original orchid is thriving. Already has 2 new stalks growing and it's on its second bloom from the original stalk.

Just removed the plant from the soil and there are a few green/healthy looking roots, but many of them look withered and feel hollow/flat to the touch. (Should I remove these roots???)

3. As I mentioned I water on the 1st and 15th of each month and it seems to be helping. I only water each about 1/4 a cup. The pots i use have hiles in the bottom letting excess water come out. I was about to give up on this orchid until I saw new growth on the stalk 2 weeks ago. They both sit in front of a window facing south, but due to the house next door they might only get 4-6 hours of sun. Not sure on humidity, but as I said before my other orchid is doing awesome!

I hope I answered all your questions. Thank you for responding!

[Orchid Whisperer]

Hi Jenny
When you say that you repotted into mulch/soil, do you mean orchid bark? Orchid bark is easily purchased at big-box home improvement stores (Home depot, etc.). The pot should have good drainage holes.

I recommend that you water differently. Each time you water, run as much water as you want through the orchid bark and around the roots. Water at the sink. More water actually gets rid of excess salt buildup. Typically I run water through the pot for roughly 15 seconds per plant. Although less frequent watering is better than watering too often, twice a month is probably not often enough. You want the bark to be almost dry, but not quite, before watering again. This is usually equal to once or twice a week, but can vary depending on how the plant is potted and because of environmental factors.

[silken]

Welcome to Orchid Board.
If they are Phals, and they most likely are, they don't need bright south sun. They are a fairly low light plant. Without pics, it is hard to say for sure, but the plant sounds dehydrated. I am also assuming you bought some orchid bark. New bark dries out quickly. Your plant likely came from a pot of soaking wet moss as seems to be very common for Phals when they are newly obtained. So the roots would be suffering from a drastic change of very wet-which will cause root rot, to the other extreme of new dry open media that is likely dry before 2 weeks. Also 1/4 cup of water is not enough. It should be flushed thoroughly under the tap at the sink so water is pouring thru the pot. But not getting into the crown of the leaves. Then let all excess drain out and leave it until it is nearly dry but not bone dry,to water again. If you are fertilizing, you can flush it well like that and then water with 1/4 cup of fertilizer water, but it should be a weak solution, 1/2 to 1/4 the dosage recommended on the fertilizer package.

There is a thread here on the skewer method, if you aren't familiar. It is a handy way to tell when the orchid is approaching dryness and needing water. Just use an inexpensive thin bamboo kebab skewer. Place down into the bottom and near centre of the pot. Leave it there and pull it out to see how wet or dry it is before watering. Replace into the same place so you aren't always poking holes in roots. Pull it back from the bright sun in the window. Especially until it can recover and grow some more roots.

Any mushy or hollow roots can be removed. when potting, make sure the crown is above the media and that the plant is solid and stable in the pot. Don't use a pot that is a lot bigger than the root base. It will take too long to dry and cause root rot. I hope this helps.

There is also a thread called the Phal Abuse ends Here: The Phal abuse ends here.

---------- Post added at 09:22 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:21 PM ----------

Originally Posted by Orchid Whisperer

Hi Jenny
When you say that you repotted into mulch/soil, do you mean orchid bark? Orchid bark is easily purchased at big-box home improvement stores (Home depot, etc.). The pot should have good drainage holes.

I recommend that you water differently. Each time you water, run as much water as you want through the orchid bark and around the roots. Water at the sink. More water actually gets rid of excess salt buildup. Typically I run water through the pot for roughly 15 seconds per plant. Although less frequent watering is better than watering too often, twice a month is probably not often enough. You want the bark to be almost dry, but not quite, before watering again. This is usually equal to once or twice a week, but can vary depending on how the plant is potted and because of environmental factors.

Looks like I was busy typing my comments while you just posted yours!

[estación seca]

Welcome! We look forward to photos of future flowers.