Flies all over my orchids

[silken]

You could also get some of the yellow sticky fly traps. Fungus gnats start as small translucent larvae in wet media and then fly around and lay more eggs in the media. So you need to trap the adults, but as long as more keep laying eggs in the media they will keep coming. I have sprayed Malathion on the media and it soaks thru and kills larvae.

I don't see the point of re-potting if you just did. I prefer a medium bark that is more chunky and a smaller pot for my orchids. This allows it to dry out quicker which makes a less likely home for the gnats and prevents root rot. But you have some healthy roots, so just make sure the media dries in between watering.

You likely still had adult flies around when you replaced the media so they just produced more larvae in your new media.

[George9999]

I decided to repot them one more time Unfortunately the roots were grey and soft That could explain the flies I cant take it anymore I DO NOT WATER PLANTS OFTEN I WATER THEM EVERY TEN DAYS WHYY????? this is hapening i dont know all the roots are soft i ve had enough That could also explain flies

[silken]

You have healthy roots so you can get this orchid back into good health. Is it your only one? Some of those orchid mixes are not very good. I prefer a mix of a bit of sphagnum moss which is sterile and some chunky medium bark for my Phals. Others do fine with all medium bark, or coconut chunks. To me your bark looks rather fine and kind of with little crumbs or bark dust. Take some new mix and pick out the larger chunks and rinse them well in a colander or dish so all the fine stuff can come off. Then find a much smaller pot than what you had. I like clear ones with good bottom and side drain holes. Pot and stake the plant in the much smaller pot and put bark just up to where the root are coming out of the stem. First I would cut off that old dead stuff at the bottom of the stem. Water it well, but let it get nearly dry before watering again. You may need to set it in a larger heavier pot to support it because you will have a large floppy plant in a small lightweight pot. Eventually those roots will grow into the media and fill the pot and then you could move up to a larger pot. Wet media and too big and deep of pots causes root rot very often so this will help prevent it. I choose the pot based on root size, not plant size. Good luck.

I'm editing to add that because your roots are all very short at the moment, you may just want to mist the top around the roots for a while until they get longer. No point having wet media with nothing in it as that too will encourage fungus gnats. But let them dry in between misting and let the surrounding bark dry or very close to dry.

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[estación seca]

Hi George, in my opinion, Phalaenopsis orchids are not the easiest plants to learn how to grow. Your plant is making new roots and it should survive.

Hydrogen peroxide can damage roots. I would not use it on roots. There are a lot of people recommending it on the Internet but I don't think it's a good idea. If something would burn your eye, it will burn the roots.

I would cut the old dead roots off the stem of the plant. Repot the plant so the new roots are just touching the bark. The plant should not move, so a stake like you have is a good idea.

Until the roots grow down into the bark, I would not water the bark. I would use a spray bottle and spray only the roots, one or two sprays. I would do this once or twice per day. Don't begin watering the bark until the roots grow into it.

[George9999]

13 is the smallest pot i can find

[silken]

I assume you mean 13cm but if so, that is pretty large. The plant can sit out bare root for a couple days and just mist the roots. Then go shopping and find a smaller pot. It doesn't have to be clear, but the roots do like light and have it in nature. I like to see what is going on. An unglazed terra cotta pot works well for some also. Over potting for new orchid growers spells disaster most of the time.

[estación seca]

You can also use a small plastic food container until the plant grows bigger. If you don't like the look, you can slide the plastic container into a more decorative one for display.

[silken]

A food container as mentioned would work but you need to punch some drainage holes in it.

[George9999]

i ve ordered via ebay 6cm pot I think that this size is good Lets hope the best THANK YOU

---------- Post added at 11:54 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:49 AM ----------

In addition i ve used(and still) root fertilizer I hope it helps

[silken]

It depends what you mean by root fertilizer. You can use a balanced fertilizer in weak amounte =s on your orchids when you water them. Now and then flush the pot thoroughly with clear water to remove fertilizer salts. In this case, I would not use much fertilizer till the roots get a bit better established. However some kelp (seaweed) or some other rooting hormone like K-L-N or Superthrive used occasionally in a weak application may help promote root growth and won't burn them. Some rooting hormones are too strong for orchids so stick to the ones known to work well on them.