Orchid leaves yellowing/browning and limp- Help w/ diagnosing and treatment planning

[jkofferdahl]

Originally Posted by Dollythehun

Great instructions. Very thorough! You're right, killing a couple taught me a lot.

Killing a few orchids is, sadly, how we learn. A doctor isn't a doctor until he kills the first patient.

---------- Post added at 12:49 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:47 PM ----------

Originally Posted by charlesf6

In other words this dehydrated plant would never pick up the water that is left in this large pots basin?

Nope.

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by charlesf6

In other words this dehydrated plant would never pick up the water that is left in this large pots basin?

Epiphytic orchids like Phalaenopsis need a wet-dry cycle. Roots sitting in that stagnant water at the bottom of the pot tend to rot - if they're water-logged, they aren't getting the other ingredient that they crave, air. When you water, you want to flush the pot thoroughly, letting the water run out the bottom, That not only flushes out salts that build up from fertilizer and hard water, but also pulls air though the root zone. As the pot dries out, air is pulled into the pot. But these plants want humidity (air with water vapor), not to be sopping wet for long periods.

[estación seca]

Orchid roots take up water slowly compared to other plants. It make take two weeks for a dehydrated Phal to lose the wrinkles once correct watering resumes. Don't try to shorten the time by overwatering - it doesn't work, and it makes rot likely.

[rbarata]

Don't try to shorten the time by overwatering - it doesn't work, and it makes rot likely.

A good way to avoid overwatering, with the benefit of meeting what your orchid likes, is to reduce pot size. Smaller pots dry faster so overwatering probability is reduced.