not sure what to do

[jenmcd03]

the first orchid i bought, phal. wedding promenade, seems to be dying. my other 2 are ok. i took a look at her roots again and discovered 2 plants.

one, with the blooms wilted and the buds about to fall off has healthy green roots, but one of her leaves was yellowing. the other, which at some point, the sprout was cut off, looks completely dead with no green roots at all, but the leaves are so healthy looking.

what should i do? separate them? put them back together and hope for the best? is the one with dead, dry roots salvagable?

thanks in advance.

jen

[Royal]

Hi Jen,

Pics would help. Did you say one plant became two? I've had a Phal put out two growing points, but only after ALL of the leaves were lost to crown rot.

If these orchids (one with leaves and no roots, and one with roots and no leaves) are in the same container, I would repot. I'd use fresh media and soak the pots in a bleach solution first. Cut away any limp brown roots and dab the cuts in cinnamon. Keep them humid, but reduce watering until you see new root growth.

Leaves will sometimes yellow and fall without a whole lot of harm. Loosing roots is harder on the plant. They both may be ok, but a fresh pot will do them good for sure. Flowers and buds are pretty sensitive to direct sun, drafts, water, your fingers, change in environment, etc. so don't worry too much about loosing them. The next time around they are sure to be a bit more healthy!

[jenmcd03]

trying to get pics that explain what i am trying to say but not working so far.

[quiltergal]

Jen, it's not uncommon to find two plants potted in one pot. I see that frequently at the big box stores like Lowes and Home Depot. I'd separate them (shouldn't be hard if the little one is rootless). It sounds like the change in environment has pretty much blasted your buds and flowers. Where on the plant is the leaf that is yellowing? If it's a lower leaf that's completely normal. All three of my standard phals have just shed the bottom leaf within weeks of each other. That's usually accompanied by new growth activity. Check for new root nubbins and/or new leaves. If it's not a lower leaf, then something else is going on.

[jenmcd03]

ok, here are the pics:

first 3 show what looks like healthy roots, but the blooms are falling off, even the buds.







the next 2 are from the 2nd plant that i discovered. the roots are all gray in color and are hollow feeling, but the leaves look healthy, no stem as it appears to have been cut off.

[Ross]

A bit fuzzy, but I get the idea. Can you try an experiment? You still need to trim off the old dead roots (the ones that feel hollow or mushy) and if that's all of them, then so be it. Also clean up the plant as best you can (dead or dying leaves). Then soak it in KLN if you have it, if not, don't worry about it. Place it in a large zip-loc bag (way bigger than the plant) along with a wad of wet sphagnum, or even a chunk of wet sponge, seal up the bag and place it in a shady location. This means some light, but no sun! Keep watching it without opening the bag to see if root nubbins (yes that's an Orchid Board term) appear. If you see any white stuff developing, immediately open the bag and clean the plant and then re-seal it. That would be mold. If you were careful to clean the plant totally before the original bagging, you shouldn't see any mold, but sometimes it happens. This hopefully will get you some new roots without losing any more leaves.

[Dorothy]

He said 'nubbins'

[Royal]

Jen, I have your answer!

1. Re-pot or do the sphag-in-a-bag thing (maybe pot the one with roots and bag the one without).

2. Go to your favorite nursery or get online and treat yourself to a couple new orchids! Maybe a defferent genus. While you are recouping the Phals, you could be loving on some lonely Paph!

Go for it. I'm sure you deserve it!

[jenmcd03]

i did the repot thing with the one with healthy roots but not so much blooms, then cut off all the icky stuff from the other plant, which was simply everything and put cinnamon on it and put it in a zip lock bag.

now we will just have to wait.

[Dorothy]

Just passing on this link to those in need - Roots