Is this root rot or a bacterial infection or bugs or all three?

[Roberta]

elaerna, there is so much information that it's easy to overthink this.

The outdoor humidity is not particularly important, since as it gets hot you will probably be running the A/C, which will drop the humidity. But I doubt that it will get low enough to be a problem. The important thing is to get a healthy environment (medium with plenty of air spaces) and then let the plant do its thing.

The link from estación seca, referencing a sticky in the Beginner's Forum , is a great resource. One way of getting a feel for watering frequency is also the sticky in the Beginner's Forum,"Using skewers to determine when to water"

Once you get a feel for how damp or dry your plant is, you won't have to do the test, you'll just know. When you water, do it so that water runs through the pot (and then let it drain). This flushes out any accumulated crud, and also pulls fresh air into the root zone - because what you really want is "humid air" around the roots. Also, as the mix dries out, the water is replace by air... which is what you want. This time of year - getting warm so the A/C is running - it will probably dry out fairly fast, so 2-3 times a week for watering is not too much - again if it is flushed well. Don't sweat the exact humidity... if the plant goes through that wet-dry cycle, there will be humidity around the roots, and that's mostly what matters. The "bag" trick can raise the humidity around the leaves to slow down transpiration while it's working on new roots, but you can accomplish pretty much the same thing with the watering scheme I suggested. Also, if the plant is kept on the shady side it won't lose as much water through its leaves - you can gradually increase light once you have roots and a healthier plant, to get flowers but you have to get it healthy first.

Then, just patience....

[estación seca]

I'm sorry to hear of your friend's passing.

[elaerna]

Originally Posted by DrDawn

Sending support, we will help you get this orchid back to blooming, even if it takes a little while.

Thank you. I just want it to stay alive. Since the orchid grower cut off the leaves yesterday it seems the remaining ones are yellowing a bit slower. I am noticing now that where he cut one of the leaves seems to be turning yellow. Is that indicative of crown rot? 06/09/2020 - Album on Imgur

It was watered yesterday by the grower but then I repotted it so I wasn't sure about watering today. It does feel dry both the roots and the bark (although of course the bark since it is new).

I will water tomorrow morning unless that doesn't sound like a good idea. I don't know what if anything to do about the yellowing at one of the leaves where it was cut. Is that normal?

---------- Post added at 01:50 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:45 PM ----------

Originally Posted by Roberta

Once you get a feel for how damp or dry your plant is, you won't have to do the test, you'll just know. When you water, do it so that water runs through the pot (and then let it drain). This flushes out any accumulated crud, and also pulls fresh air into the root zone - because what you really want is "humid air" around the roots. Also, as the mix dries out, the water is replace by air... which is what you want. This time of year - getting warm so the A/C is running - it will probably dry out fairly fast, so 2-3 times a week for watering is not too much - again if it is flushed well. Don't sweat the exact humidity... if the plant goes through that wet-dry cycle, there will be humidity around the roots, and that's mostly what matters. The "bag" trick can raise the humidity around the leaves to slow down transpiration while it's working on new roots, but you can accomplish pretty much the same thing with the watering scheme I suggested.

Can you clarify what is the watering trick you suggested? Just a medium with a lot of space so that water and air can flow through?

Does putting a bag over the leaves increase chances of crown rot by trapping moisture near the crown? I hear a plant basically cannot recover from crown rot so I am trying to avoid that.

[DrDawn]

The yellowing of the cut leaf part is pretty normal. I wouldn't worry about that. One thing that I did realize as you explained repotting it is that you should soak your new media in water when you repot! Otherwise it can be too dry and not take up any water when you water it. So, yes, if it feels dry today, that might be because you didn't soak the bark. You can remedy that by soaking the whole pot for a while today. (Maybe 30 min? Should be enough for it to get nice and damp and hold that dampness for a little while after you drain the water). Then you can test daily for moisture and do the normal watering from here on out.

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by elaerna

I will water tomorrow morning unless that doesn't sound like a good idea. I don't know what if anything to do about the yellowing at one of the leaves where it was cut. Is that normal?

---------- Post added at 01:50 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:45 PM ----------



Can you clarify what is the watering trick you suggested? Just a medium with a lot of space so that water and air can flow through?

Does putting a bag over the leaves increase chances of crown rot by trapping moisture near the crown? I hear a plant basically cannot recover from crown rot so I am trying to avoid that.

yes, just a medium that allows lots of air. I use medium bark for most Phals, maybe smaller bark for a small plant. I think that having just potted, you can definitely water today or tomorrow, since the medium is no doubt very dry. Just visualize the basic concept - a wet-(almost)dry cycle.

You're right, the bag can trap moisture - if the house isn't "skin-crawling" dry, I'd skip it. A healthy plant (good root system, good leaves) can sometimes survive crown rot by sending out new basal growths. But a plant that is in poor shape to start with, that's pretty much true. Something that you definitely want to avoid (no prophylactic treatment, just good conditions).

Just a thought that might help jump-start root growth. Ray, one our members, sells a kelp product called Kelpmax. I, and several other people, have had good results with it. (Ray can jump in with details on using it in your situation)

[elaerna]

Originally Posted by DrDawn

The yellowing of the cut leaf part is pretty normal. I wouldn't worry about that. One thing that I did realize as you explained repotting it is that you should soak your new media in water when you repot! Otherwise it can be too dry and not take up any water when you water it. So, yes, if it feels dry today, that might be because you didn't soak the bark. You can remedy that by soaking the whole pot for a while today. (Maybe 30 min? Should be enough for it to get nice and damp and hold that dampness for a little while after you drain the water). Then you can test daily for moisture and do the normal watering from here on out.

Okay doing that now, thank you.

I was just concerned because the other leaves that were cut are not yellowing and it seems to be yellowing beyond that line that the plant naturally cuts the leaf off at.

Can I ask how do you water without getting crown rot? I'm always worried that while I'm pouring some small water molecule will bounce off of something and fall into the crown.

---------- Post added at 02:18 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:15 PM ----------

Originally Posted by Roberta

Just a thought that might help jump-start root growth. Ray, one our members, sells a kelp product called Kelpmax. I, and several other people, have had good results with it. (Ray can jump in with details on using it in your situation)

Is this more experimental than regular orchid fertilizer? I don't know when this plant was last fertilized but since my friend had cancer I would guess he hadn't much time to think about that in a while. Should I fertilize it now? Is there a way to tell if a plan needs fertilizer?

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by elaerna

Can I ask how do you water without getting crown rot? I'm always worried that while I'm pouring some small water molecule will bounce off of something and fall into the crown.

The hypothesis sounds like hokus-pokus. Just water the medium not the plant itself (so water isn't collecting in the crown) If any gets in there, just blot it up with a tissue.

You might ask, how do these survive in nature, where rain comes from above? In nature, these usually grow at an angle - sideways or upside down. So gravity takes care of the issue. We mess with the natural approach, by planting them upright in pots... and then put them in non-tropical places where they can get chilled.

[elaerna]

Originally Posted by Roberta

You might ask, how do these survive in nature, where rain comes from above? In nature, these usually grow at an angle - sideways or upside down. So gravity takes care of the issue. We mess with the natural approach, by planting them upright in pots... and then put them in non-tropical places where they can get chilled.

The orchid was actually originally potted at a 90 degree angle but I made it go back upright because the orchid grower I talked to told me that having them at an angle like that would make it harder for the leaves to get light. Should I put it back at an angle to reduce crown rot? Does anyone grow them like that at an angle - I've never seen it before except on this one my friend gave me.

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by elaerna

Is this more experimental than regular orchid fertilizer?

It's not a fertilizer, but the kelp provides a natural hormonal boost. Ray can explain it better than I can. For fertilizer, I'd hold off until you start getting some roots - the plant can't absorb fertilizer unless it has some. (You'll hear about "foliar feeding" ... This works better on other plants, that have more openings - stoma - on their leaves. Orchid leaves have an almost waxy coating - a mechanism for water retention - and so are unlikely to absorb much through the leaves) Fertilizer is one of the least-important aspects of culture. Think of it as vitamins rather than food. (Green plants make their own food, carbs, by photosynthesis) They need tiny amounts of minerals to build new tissue. But tiny is the important part - most orchids grow really, really slowly. Contrast with a tomato plant that grows so fast that you can almost watch it... and those need lots of fertilizer, to match the growth rate. Since the plant probably hasn't had any fertilizer in recent history, maybe a very little when you water it could be beneficial. Like about 1/4 of what it says on the label. Once the plant gets going, the rule is "weekly, weakly" ... and if it is less than weekly, no big deal.

---------- Post added at 12:42 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:32 PM ----------

Originally Posted by elaerna

The orchid was actually originally potted at a 90 degree angle but I made it go back upright because the orchid grower I talked to told me that having them at an angle like that would make it harder for the leaves to get light. Should I put it back at an angle to reduce crown rot? Does anyone grow them like that at an angle - I've never seen it before except on this one my friend gave me.

That angle (doesn't have to be 90 degrees, but tipped so water can't accumulate) would be great. I pretty much let them go wherever they want, but try not to pot them straight upright. If they want light,they'll position themselves in that direction eventually. But they're low-light plants so they don't need a lot.

[Dollythehun]

It measures the humidity in the room. Please read the link DrDawn sent you, it contains a wealth of information you will need