Petals drooping and wrinkly/dark roots

[springblooms2]

Hi there. I am new to taking care of orchids. A few weeks ago, I bought a mini orchid from the grocery store...maybe not the best place to buy one...? The roots looked kind of wrinkly when I bought the orchid.

I have been watering my mini orchid with 1 ice cube when it is completely dry at the bottom. I also have been misting it daily. I have it facing an east window.

A few of the petals are drooping. The roots still look wrinkly.

Last week there was one petal that started drooping and then the whole flower died.

Am I taking care of my orchid correctly? Is there anything I should be doing differently?

I have attached some pictures.

Thanks so much for your help!

	Mistking Looking for a misting system? Look no further. Automated misting systems from MistKing are used by multitude of plant enthusiasts and are perfect for Orchids. Systems feature run dry pumps, ZipDrip valve, adjustable black nozzles, per second control! Automatically mist one growing shelf or a greenhouse full of Orchids. See MistKing testimonials

[rbarata]

Don't use ice cubes... They are killing the plant.
Watering must be done with liquid water, luke warm liquid water.
Your orchid is a Phalaenopsis and it needs warm temperatures (somewhere between 18 at night to 25ºC by day).
You must repot it using a coarse mix of something like bark because the roots need water and air flowthrough the voids between the bark pieces. Otherwise the roots will die. The sphagnum in your plant is preventing air flow and the roots are dying because of that and because they are freezing with the ice cubes.
After repotting, water when the roots turn silver. If they are green it means they are hydrated, hence no more water needed. For that matter, use transparent pots.
Place it somewhere with medium light, no direct sun, and no air drafts.

For now this info will keep you busy for a few days. Then come back for more questions.

[Lacie]

Yes, as rbarata said, ice cubes are not a good idea! It simply isn't enough water, and the water is too cold. The roots on your plant look very dehydrated, which is also likely what is making the flowers fail (though all flowers will fall off eventually as the plant's blooming season ends, but if treated well it will bloom again next year). Since you already have it un-potted, I would suggest removing all the moss and letting the roots soak in room-temp water for about 15 minutes, all healthy roots should turn green. I would also recommend potting in bark (with a mini, small to medium size orchid bark chunks), though with bark note you will need to water more often than with moss (about once or twice a week). Make sure to pot into a pot with drainage and when you water, let water run through the pot for a bit before you stop watering (I usually run 1-2 small watering can full of water through before I let them sit to drain).

[rbarata]

And never let the pot sitting in water...drain it well.

[estación seca]

There is a good sticky thread here on Orchid Board about caring for store-bought Phalaenopsis. From the left yellow menu choose Forums. Then choose the Beginners forum. Near the top you will see a thread The Phal abuse ends here.

[springblooms2]

Hi thanks for your help. I bought a new pot and the bark you recommended. How do I repot the orchid? The roots are so tightly wrapped around the sphagnum. I don't know what to do.

Thanks!

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by springblooms2

Hi thanks for your help. I bought a new pot and the bark you recommended. How do I repot the orchid? The roots are so tightly wrapped around the sphagnum. I don't know what to do.

Thanks!

Soak it in lukewarm water for an hour or two. This will moisten the moss, making it easier to remove. Then you can gently remove as much as will come easily - you can use tweezers or chopsticks, or just fingers. You'll want to preserve as much as possible of good roots, to don't be in a hurry. Don't worry if you can't get it all. Then, when you go to repot, add a little bark, tap the pot to try to shake it into the spaces. Add a bit more, repeat. Again, don't be in a rush. Once you have the pot filled up to the base of the plant, you can press gently with your thumbs to firm up the mix to hold the plant stable. That stability is important. But again, gently.

[springblooms2]

Thanks for all your tips.

So 3 days ago I removed the spaghnum from my mini orchid, soaked my roots for 15 minutes, and repotted my it in bark. Now how do I know when to water it next (I can't really see the roots with all the bark covering them)? And how much does it need?

Thanks a ton! I have been learning a lot.

[Lacie]

Did you pot it in dry bark or wet bark (some people rinse the bark before potting)? If dry, I would probably water it today or tomorrow; if wet, you could likely wait a few more days.

When you water an orchid potted in bark you kind of can't run too much water through it (unless your pot doesn't drain!). The real danger is watering too often without letting the medium dry out at all. I have a small watering can (holds about a quart), and I generally run 2-3 watering cans full of room temp water through for my orchids, then let them drain in my dish drain for a bit, then tilt them slightly over the sink for any pooled water to drain out.

As for when to water if you can't see the roots, one way is to judge by how heavy the pot is. Next time you water, feel how heavy the pot is when the bark is thoroughly soaked. Then pick it up every few days. When it feels very light, it is time to water again.

Another way to tell is to use the "stake method", basically stick a wooden stick, like a cheap chopstick, in the medium about two inches down, wait about 30 min and pull it out and place on your check, if it feels damp, wait to water, if it feels dry, water. (I never use this method so someone please correct me if I got the details wrong!).

Also, I find newly potted bark tends to dry more quickly, and over time starts to retain water better so you may find for the first few weeks-months you have to water fairly frequently.

Good luck!

[springblooms2]

Ok thanks for the tip. I felt the original potting mix in the bag and it felt like some pieces of it were dry and some were wet. So maybe wait a little longer to water it? (I repotted it 4 days ago.)

Otherwise I am wondering if maybe I should water it today. The potting mix around the orchid feels dry to the touch. I was able to glimpse at some of the top roots...they look grayish and wrinkly. Some of the flowers and fading and folding over. One of the leafs is a little wrinkly...

Thanks for your help!