need help please

[RosieC]

Oh and finally. My first one spend a long time doing nothing. Do what you can to keep the remaining roots hydrated but also getting plenty of air (this is where a tiny pot comes in as it dries quickly allowing you to water more often which helps keep it hydrated). It will finally get going. Another thing which may help if you can get one is a seedling heat mat to put under the pot. These are designed to help get seedlings going but are great for orchids with root problems as well.

[Freddie]

Hi Rosie, thanks for your long post.
I definitely think it was the CHC. I had been advised it, but it really wasn't drying out fast enough for me (it would definitely stay wet for over a week in the summer, that is why I repotted all the orchid back into bark). I think the fact that they got cold on the windowsill did not help.
I have since moved them to a warmer place. The strongest ones seem to do a lot better already, their leaves are firmer. As for the weaker ones, wait and see... One of the phals seems ok but has seen better days. It was growing a flower spike, I have decided to cut it off. I am a bit sad I won't get flowers on it, it is a beautiful deep purpler. But I guess it is for the best.
Will look into a heating mat. And your advise on repotting to a smaller pot for the worse hit one, though I dread touching it at all :/

[Anisa]

Nice advice Rosie and good luck to you Freddie!

[Freddie]

Thanks Anisa. It's sort of heartbreaking, but I like your words "
Failure does not count. If you accept this, you'll be successful". I won't make the same mistake next time.

[Vanda lover]

I find that certain potting mixtures, such as bark or coconut fiber make it very difficult to tell weather a plant is dry or not underneath. You have to rely on timing and the weight of the pot. I light spagnum, because you can poke your finger doen into it to feel if it is dry. I also use styrofoam peanuts for drainage.
I read in my orchid book that most orchids do well in a mixture of peat moss and pearlite. I imagine it would be easy to tell how dry it is with that mixture.

[Freddie]

Great news. All my orchids seem to be recovering slowly. My phals are growing roots again. The old roots that haven't rotten still look odd and brown, as opposed to the usual silvery green, but it looks like they are in a good enough state to help the plant grow more roots. On a more negative note, one of my oncidiums started growing a flower spike which I have broken while watering it Although two beautiful phals (the ones I never repotted in CHC) are now blooming.

Vanda lover, I find I do very poorly when using peat moss. I find it stays wet too long and becomes soggy. Then again, I am no expert, but I have had terrible experience with it. Of all the potting mediums I have used so far, i do think bark is the best, although it is hard to find where I am...

[Vanda lover]

peat moss by itself is not good. Spaghnum [loose stringy moss] with a layer of styrofoam peanuts [so it drys at the bottom] and a few holes part wat up the pot [or an orchid pot] are great!
I have read that some orchids are happy with a mix of peat and pearlite, but I haven't tried it. Again, lots of drainage, so the bottom will dry.

[Freddie]

Well, just a quick update, after nearly a year of care and patience, my orchid are doing great. The one that was completely hopeless is growing new roots. It even grew a flower spike this spring, but I decided to sacrifice it as the roots do not seem strong enough yet. I have even undertaken rescuing a friend's orchids (what did I get myself into???) And have built a little collection, even if I still have ups and downs. But I will open a new thread for that. Just a great tip that I had remembered from my gardening years when sewing seeds, I just put my sick orchid in a plastic bag with a bit of damp moss and just left it in a dark warm place for a couple of months. Worked miracles!
Just a little thank you to all who shared their time and knowlege. I will try and post photos of my formarly sick and new orchids (technology is hard to master though...)

[RosieC]

Great news, glad it's going well