Is my orchid dying?

[becca22]

I am engaged to a Chinese name and my name in Chinese is Bai Lan (White Orchid). I want to keep one alive! I have had at least 4 and they all die. I thought maybe overwatering but now my new one has rotten spot on its leaves that weren't there when I got it. I have not watered it, i've had it about a week and it was damp when I got it at a grocery store with a lot of others. I picked the one with the healthiest leaves (the only one). Please help me keep this one from dying I am usually very good with plants x(

attached is the orchid, and the leaf spots

[bil]

The marks on the leaf could be cold water/ chill damage. What are the orchids otted in? If it is moss, then you have to be super careful to let them dry out between waterings so the roots can breathe.

I have to admit, as soon as I get an orchid, I repot it. Phals I put inn coarse bark and nothing else. I would rather water it an extra time in the summer per week, than use moss and risk the roots rotting.

[becca22]

It was within a few feet of a window so maybe it was too cold there even with blinds? Every other orchid I had I repotted with the same substrate you mentioned, bu tI always though that was why I killed it. What pots do you recommend? I usually use the ceramic ones with hols in the sides for the most air to get through. Right now its in a plastic drainage cup in a plain ceramic pot

[bil]

It is difficult to advise, because your conditions aren't mine, and I can't actually get my hands on the plant.

Phals are pretty straightforward, so if you are having them die one after the other, something pretty basic is going wrong, continuously.

The big killers are, too cold, too hot, too wet. Of those, the most likely suspect is the roots rotting. Remember, if you get one that is screwed before you get it, what hope do you have?

I use wide and shallow pots that I make myself. I make them big for phals, about 35 cm diam and 15 cm deep. Just coarse bark.

I really don't like small pots for phals.

[becca22]

I have a big clear glass square pot that size I could use, and the orchid mix planter material. Do I remove all of the old planting material from the roots? Do I leave any roots exposed?

[campchi]

Just a precaution, i would wipe the area with rubbing alcohol just to make sure no bugs and bacterial infection. I always loosen up the moss when i see them planted in moss when i purchase them. This will ensure the moss will dry out and plenty of air circulation. Anyways good luck with yours.

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[Orchid Whisperer]

Originally Posted by becca22

It was within a few feet of a window so maybe it was too cold there even with blinds? Every other orchid I had I repotted with the same substrate you mentioned, bu tI always though that was why I killed it. What pots do you recommend? I usually use the ceramic ones with hols in the sides for the most air to get through. Right now its in a plastic drainage cup in a plain ceramic pot

The ceramic ones with the holes in the sides are good. The holes, and proper drainage, are very important. Coarse bark is a good potting material, and you can repot even while in flower.

Water thoroughly (the bark in the pot, not the leaves) every time you water. Run a lot of water through all the bark in the pot (best done at the sink). Let it dry in between watering, not totally dry, but almost dry. Depending on your humidity, and how the bark is drying, water at the sink once or twice a week. Don't mist the leaves. Light should be moderate indirect light.

After your plant is growing well in the new pot, remember that a temperature drop, down to 60 F at night for a few weeks, will encourage flower spike formation.

[Leafmite]

Yours looks like it has an infection on the leaves. Here is a great place (an Orchid Society's website) to find what to do about it:

http://staugorchidsociety.org/PDF/Or...ySueBottom.pdf

If you have trouble growing them in plastic pots and bark or moss, try growing them in LECA or red lava rock and either a clay pot or a basket pot (they breathe better, thus helping to avoid root demise). If your home gets cooler during the winter, you could try a seedling heat mat and a cheap aquarium to help keep the Phal warmer.

If you lose this one, you could always try a Phal aphrodite (sometimes sold as amabilis) as they are pretty tough, don't mind a cooler home quite as much, and the right variety will have those lovely white blooms you seek.

Good luck!

[Orchidreamer]

If it's not spreading, and seems to be drying up a little, then it's probably cell collapse from the weather being too cold, or sudden changes in temperatures.

If it's spreading, and turning mushy, gooey, and exuding a foul smelling liquid, then it's a bacterial infection and you'd need to do some "plant surgery" right away.

From the pictures, it looks like mesophyll cell collapse, which is like sunburn - the damage is done, and as long as it heals and you maintain proper growing conditions, it shouldn't affect the health of the plant, apart from being a cosmetic defect.

[becca22]

I have only one ceramic pot with holes and would have to buy another because I'm trying a young orchid in it right now. I've seen huge orchids in glass cube vases, I have of them and would love to use it. Would that be possible?
Also when I repot it what are some important things to remember? Do I cut off the dried out roots? It came potted in a small bark/dirt mixture. I have the right potting mixture to move it to.

Thank you so much!