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

[SouthPark]

elaerna - one of my 'go-to' methods is to water (in your case) the bark down the sides of the pot the most. Dump as much water as you like down toward the rim of the pot. The water will still run down the pot diagonally side-ways a bit (even though we might not be able to see it).

Also - that bark looks mighty dry. Remember - even though cliche now - water runs off dry bark like water running off a duck's back. Make sure that the bark is actually wettable ----- otherwise the orchid will die of dehydration if the water just runs straight off the bark and through the pot.

[elaerna]

What do you mean wettable. Do they sell orchid bark that can't absorb water?

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by elaerna

Can I just pour the water into a cup and water it from the cup? Faucets make me nervous that I'm going to get water in the crown.

If you water in the morning, so that any surface water has a chance to dry during the day, I would not worry about water in the crown. If you're concerned, you can blot up any that you see with a tissue. The advantage of the faucet is that you're not "rationing" the water. And the higher flow does a better job of aerating it. My Phals live in the greenhouse when they're not in bloom (space in the house has to be earned with flowers...) and I water, very non-surgically, with a hose. Again, usually in the morning so that everything has a chance to dry. In summer, it totally doesn't make any difference even later in the day, since any water is warm. It's cold water in the crown that can cause issues... cold standing water isn't going to happen any time soon.

---------- Post added at 04:23 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:22 PM ----------

Originally Posted by elaerna

What do you mean wettable. Do they sell orchid bark that can't absorb water?

Fresh bark just tends to not be very absorbent, so you need to adjust watering accordingly.

[Ray]

Water it very heavily from the faucet, making sure to soak all of the medium. Wait 15 minutes or so, the water it heavily again.

The process will allow the bark structure to open up and become more absorbent, so that it’ll hold more from a single watering in the future.

Folks are very sensitive to overwatering, so can end up underwatering in general. The problem with water is not what’s absorbed by the potting medium, but what is held in-between the particles by surface tension. If the medium is coarse and not decomposed with age, that’s usually not a issue.

[elaerna]

08.04.2028 - Album on Imgur

I had to be away for a few days and came back to see that the newer leaf is starting to brown/yellow. I just watered it this morning but I didn't water then wait 15 minutes and water again. Should I be doing that every time or just once?

[SouthPark]

Originally Posted by elaerna

08.04.2028 - Album on Imgur

I had to be away for a few days and came back to see that the newer leaf is starting to brown/yellow. I just watered it this morning but I didn't water then wait 15 minutes and water again. Should I be doing that every time or just once?

elaerna - the wrinkly leaves indicate dehydration for sure.

For now, just run water through the media - and allow the media to drain. And make sure that the media (eg. bark) isn't super dry - as super dry bark takes quite a long time to get water into it (into the bark).

Sometimes, if the leaves get too wrinkled or dehydrated, then it can somehow weaken the orchid - sometimes to a point that can be hard to recover from - as in survivability.

For now - just resume watering - in the same way you were watering before the trip away

[elaerna]

Okay, thank you. Is there no way to get it to grow new leaves? Maybe if it had new leaves that weren't wrinkly it wouldn't be as stressed.

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by elaerna

Okay, thank you. Is there no way to get it to grow new leaves? Maybe if it had new leaves that weren't wrinkly it wouldn't be as stressed.

Orchids don't do anything fast - growing a new leaf can take several months. So just keep on caring for it, and let it do things in its own time... Orchids teach patience.

[elaerna]

I just feel like I keep doing something wrong but I don't know what I did. It seems like it's slowly getting worse.

[Roberta]

You're at the stage where you want to observe, and learn. What you don't want to do is "try this" for a couple of days and then "try that" for a couple of days. Orchids just don't respond that fast to any treatment. Don't focus too much on the leaves... what you really want to see is new roots - which can take some considerable time to appear, but if the plant "chooses to survive" it will get some. New roots are the efficient ones. Orchids have several strategies for survival, and one is that if it loses the main growth, it can produce a new one at the base of the plant below current leaves. Again, not fast, and not always. But as long as you have green, there's hope!