Newbie needs some guidance

[LittleOnion]

Hi guys!

First of all, love this site.

I was given this 4 year old orchid by my Mother-in-law's friend. She had it potted in soil and told me to just water it twice a week.

One day I noticed the pot had worms so I freaked out and repotted with a Better-Gro orchid mix.

Fast forward a few weeks, now some of the leaves are wilted so I hope I'm not killing it.

I've always loved orchids but never really had one of my own so I'm not sure what to do. How much and when to water it, where to place it my house, etc.

Anyone have any tips to make this plant thrive?

Thanks!

[SP2340]

Good thing you took it out of the soil! Though I wonder if that was just old bark mix because I don't think it could have lived 4 years in soil.

I water and feed mine once a week. Try to get as little water on the leaves as possible to avoid disease.

Does that pot have holes on the side as well as the bottom? B/c they make pots for orchids which allow for better airation and drainage.

Placement in a house should be near a window. You should also placesome small stone between the pot and it's base and put water there to give the orchid some humidity.

[Royal]

Sure. First of all, welcome. I'm sure you'll find this place to be very friendly and laid-back. Great info too.

Is that one or two plants? Looks like two potted together. They don't look too bad, I've seen (and had) much worse. These are both Phalaenopsis or Phals. They are relatively easy to care for. They like bright indirect light. No full, direct sun, but not in the dark either. Early morning sun from a steep angle is ok, like an east window. A bright north window will do as well.

They love warm and humid conditions, and love moisture, but they are epiphytes. Growing on tree limbs, their roots get LOTS of air flow. So keeping the medium soggy will rot the roots away. You did the right thing getting it out of that old medium.

So - here's what I'd do:

First, I'd get two smaller pots. I like the plain old terra cotta orchid pots. You want them to have a little room to grow for a year or two. By then the new medium will have broken down. Then I'd unpot the new orchid(s). Look to see if there are any mushy brown roots. You'll want to cut those off with a clean tool. Pot up the two individually, or closer together so you can use a smaller pot. Oversized pots will dry on top, bet stay wet on the bottom where there are no roots. You can probably use the same media since it's really still new, but this is kind of a no-no. They say to use fresh stuff every time, but your'e just re-doing it so it should be ok. I'd soak the medium overnight too to help really soak it.

Water just about once every 5 to 7 days. Mine love the heat outside, but they dry out faster. If you put them outside, be careful of direct sun, it can melt a leaf in minutes. Whew! sorry for the lengthy response, 5 people may have responded by now!

[addictedcountryman]

your phal looks wilted because it looks dry (the roots). I would increase the humidity. You can do this by putting it on a humidity tray. a homemade one would just be like a casserole dish with pebbles. put water in it just under the pebbles so that when you place the pot on the pebbles, the water cannot wick up the pot. i water mine once a week and i soak it for 30 minutes. make sure you do this earlier in the day so that your phal has enough time to dry out before night, or else you might get rot. to go off what SP2340 said, avoid splashing water in the crown (where the leaves join) because any standing water will cause crown rot. Also, if you are going to trim the roots, make sure that you either spray the cut areas with hydrogen peroxide (let it dry before you repot, it will turn into water and cause further rot) or sprinkle with cinnamon to sterilize and kill fungus. Phals typically do well indoors, but it depends where you live.

As for fertillizer, you can purchase shultz' orchid fertilizer at Home Depot. I have some that i purchased off of firstrays.com. follow the directions. I usually fertilize every 3rd week, but some do it weekly at a weak amount. if you have any questions, ask! hope this helps. abby

[Ross]

I like Royal's advice the best. The wilting may be due to the stress of going from one environment to another. Don't be too tempted to water real frequently, thinking you'll get rid of the wilt. The roots that are on the plant are accustomed to the situation they grew in. I believe the "soil" was decomposed orchid bark. Seperating the plants or not is your choice. Two pots or one. Don't overpot, though. Stick with same size pot. Actually I wouldn't even repot, since you've just done this. If you can get some DynaGrow KLN (Product Listing - Dyna-Gro K-L-N Root Growth Stimulant - 8 ounce Bottle) then drench the whole pot and plant in a "transplant strength" mix. I use R.O. water (Reverse Osmosis) but distilled will work well also. This will encourage the plant to soak up the nutrients and grow new roots accustomed or adapted to the new potting mix. All of a sudden, the wilted leaves (the ones that haven't fallen off) will fill out with the new moisture coming in.

[LittleOnion]

Thanks so much everyone. I was pretty worried that I was killing it. I'm so excited to grow my first orchid and I appreciate everyone's help.

Does that pot have holes on the side as well as the bottom? B/c they make pots for orchids which allow for better airation and drainage.

The pot only has a hole in the bottom. I placed stones in the bottom of the pot too (about 1/4 of the pot).

i water mine once a week and i soak it for 30 minutes.

Do you soak it once a week when you water it, or is this something you do in addition?

I use R.O. water (Reverse Osmosis)

What's this?

I am worried about the temp. My house is air conditioned so the temp is pretty consistent. It's 75 during the day, and 78 at night. Do you think it would be best to put it outside during the day? The woman who had the plant before me doesn't have air conditioning so I was thinking it was doing better in that environment.

I'm printing this thread out so I can go to the store this weekend.

[Royal]

Phals like it warm, but they'll do fine indoors. The main worry with AC or heat is that it is very drying.

Reverse osmosis is a method of purifying water by forcing it through a membrane. It's like a really good filter.

[LittleOnion]

Thanks Royal. So do you think I need to water more often, or is the suggested 5 - 7 days okay?

Sorry so clueless

[addictedcountryman]

i only soak once a week. this is my watering.

[LittleOnion]

Thanks Abby!