A Shy Hello From Singapore, - Orchid Board

Reinbowsheep · #1 07-14-2012, 01:34 PM

Hi Everyone, My Name is Janice and I'm from Singapore!

So this is my story, My Parents know that I've been wanting to get a pet for the longest time- yet are hesitant to do so because of the high maintenance costs in this country.

TODAY (like 5 hours ago), they went to a flower exhibition and bought me a baby ( I think ) orchid!
The tag says it's a ' P. Nobby's Amy "White Chocolate" ' and it's from "ORCHIS TW"

It's got white petals, no pink flushes, but a myriad of magenta looking spots in the center area. Two stalks (?), one stalk has 3 blooms and 1 bud. The other stalk has 8 blooms. The single bud is wrinkly and kind of yellow, is it dying?

It had 5 leaves to begin with, 3 good green ones and 2 yellowing ones. Being hasty, I plucked out the leaf that was yellowing from the base. Leaving my dear with 3 good green leaves and one tiny leaf at the bottom which is yellowing from the right side. I cleaned the 3 good leaves with a damp Q-tip.

So I've done my reading in the last few hours and found out that yellowing leaves can be attributed to root rot?! Additionally that soil is not the best medium for growing orchids?!

Honestly, I'm quite panicked. I don't want my first plant to die so soon on me. I received the darling in a filmsy plastic container thing with a hole at the bottom. I didn't know if i was supposed to let the darling stay in there so I removed it from the plastic and now it's sitting in a bed of new soil in a makeshift pot until I find a suitable one.

I heard that earthenware is good? I also read that wood is also good? How do I check for Root Rot? Should I change the soil? Buy moss? What should I do?

Leafmite · #2 07-14-2012, 02:59 PM

Hi! Welcome to orchid board. Is it a phal? Here is some help to answer that question.
Identifying orchids:

Orchid Identification

If the answer is 'yes', it will like very loose moss, large chunks of bark, being tied to a chunk of wood or cork bark (mounted), or you can use leca or rock. It likes to be kept damp only if it dries quickly (lots of air circulating around the roots) and is warm. I let mine, in lava rock, dry completely between watering. The pot can be anything that drains well and isn't toxic. If you are concerned about the roots, by all means, definitely check them. They should be firm. Good luck!

silken · #3 07-14-2012, 03:09 PM

Welcome! It sounds like a Phalaenopsis orchid. In the wild these grow on trees in a rain forest. So imagine roots open to the air and getting a rain and then gentle breezes drying them off. Then you can sort of imagine how you might want to pot this-not in potting soil for sure! I like a mix of sphagnum moss and medium bark chunks so that the fleshy roots can get good moisture but then air can get to the roots and dry them quickly so they don't rot. It should go into a pot that is only big enough for the roots and not a lot bigger. There should be good air and drainage holes. Water it and flush with water well, then let it drain well and get almost dry before the next watering. I like clear plastic pots and the roots seem to photosynthesize and do well in them.

WhiteRabbit · #4 07-15-2012, 01:09 AM

glad you found us!

RosieC · #5 07-15-2012, 05:47 AM

Welcome to Orchid Board. There is a good sticky in the beginners section if you've not yet seen it called "the Phal abuse ends here" that has a lot of good information on growing phals.

RosieC · #6 07-15-2012, 05:50 AM

http://www.orchidboard.com/community...ad.php?t=44792 here's rhetorically link.

RosieC · #7 07-15-2012, 05:53 AM

Stupid predictive text ... got rhetorically from "the". Should have been "here's the link" ;-)
Can't edit the previous post either from my phone!

Reinbowsheep · #8 07-15-2012, 09:53 AM

Hi Leafmite, Silken, White Rabbit and RosieC! Thank you all so much for the advice, I'll go read up more for sure

Today A petal on one of my blooms half withered up and the slightly yellowed leaf dropped off!
Is this a cause for worry?

Paul Mc · #9 07-15-2012, 10:20 AM

It might. It be a reason to worry. If the yellowing leaf is on the bottom, then it's an older leaf and it may just be time for it to shed. Otherwise, there may be a problem. As for the flower, it could be its natural time to die or it may have experienced just a bit of shock when it got to it's new home. This shock is not uncommon.

Leafmite · #10 07-15-2012, 11:24 AM

If you haven't checked the roots, just make certain they are okay. When you water, never get water in the middle of those top leaves. If you do, use a straw to blow the water out and maybe use a tad of isopropyl alcohol to prevent rot from starting.