Too much water!!

[Bud]

I have seen Phals in the wild to be fully submerged in water during the monsoon rains (but then again it wasnt in a pot with media mix) attached on lower part of the trees while flooded for days....
if you have drained it and let it dry then you are fine.... just watch if the leaves have edema....
pictures of your plant will help us help you better.

[bettyespana]

Hope to get a picture out to you soon

[nenella]

You've had some very good advice.
JMHO and idea, If you don't want to take it out the pot right away- I would put a skewer in it so that you can more easily monitor the moisture level in the pot & decide what is best.

[bettyespana]

Originally Posted by camille1585

A porch sounds perfect, plenty of air flow to help it dry out! But 2 days in the water shouldn't kill it normally. Glad you're OK! Hubby may have nearly drowned the orchid, but it's the intention that counts.

Thanks to all of you whose tips I followed very carefully my Phal has come through & is thriving beautifully.

Thanks again !!

[nenella]

Thanks for the update!

[lostonthebeach]

Originally Posted by bettyespana

Thanks to all of you whose tips I followed very carefully my Phal has come through & is thriving beautifully.

Thanks again !!

Good news indeed.

[LuvPhals]

Hello. As a new person to orchids I figured out some of this over watering issue! When I first got my plants I had this urge to water what I saw was dry medium. I see plants that need water and now resist that urge to "mother" them to death by instead filling their humidity trays. That seems to quell the urge in me to water them! It works too!

[bettyespana]

Originally Posted by LuvPhals

Hello. As a new person to orchids I figured out some of this over watering issue! When I first got my plants I had this urge to water what I saw was dry medium. I see plants that need water and now resist that urge to "mother" them to death by instead filling their humidity trays. That seems to quell the urge in me to water them! It works too!

Yes,my friend only fills the humidity tray under hers & she has had it over 2yrs.It is most beautiful with lots of flowers albiet darker than the original color & quite a few new growths coming from the stems.There are still flowers on it but only about 3,all the others have dropped off.

[BeastSlayer]

Originally Posted by lostonthebeach

Get some air to the roots. Remember it rains days on end in nature and the orchids survive so don't give up hope.

I'm a newbie and I read this over-watering issue a lot.

But this type of orchid actually originated in the part of Asia with days on end of monsoon rains. In fact, the joke in that part of the world is that they only have 2 seasons: rainy and more rains.

Now, I have some orchids myself. One set is out being under sprinklers everyday early mornings.

The other indoors that gets watered twice a week.

Both are fertilized weekly -- weakly.

Now for comparison, the orchids being watered daily (both Cattleya and Phalynopsis) are thriving beautifully with multiple new leaves and roots.

If over-watering is bad, what gives?

P.S. - Bett - I hope you are now fine and I'm happy too for you and your orchids.

Sorry for the seeming hijack of your thread. No excuse that it veered into over-watering issues.

[Wynn Dee13]

Overwatering is bad when plants are in pots and they don't get to dry out between waterings. It rots the roots. If an orchid is mounted with the roots exposed to air you can water it everyday and it is fine because the roots dry out in a few hours. Many people get their first orchid from the grocery store which usually is a Phal and they come packed tightly in moss a lot of times. New growers tend to want to water a lot and don't let the moss dry out and it rots the roots. Roots need air circulation to survive.

The orchids in the wild might get a lot of rain but they also have their roots exposed to air at all times. Roots exposed to air dry out in hours. Overwatering is usually a problem when orchids are potted.