Help!!!! What am I doing wrong?

[WhiteWinds]

I already have one Sphag n bag Orchid. Now I am wondering if I have two.

This beautiful Orchid was bought from a grocery store about 6 weeks ago. It appeared in relatively good health and then I got hold of it. I put it in a tall pot, which did not give it good ventilation and as a result it never dried out and got too much water. Three weeks ago I changed it to its current pot and have been watering on a strict schedule of every 5 - 7 days, depending on how dry the skewer tells me the bark is.

It sits on a west facing windowsill at about 25/26 C, with a low humidity level, which I've tried to up with water trays on the radiator below. When it's warm enough outside the windows are slightly open to provide air flow.

Here are some pictures:

The root problem...







The potting medium...(dry on the outside, wet on the inside)



The inner pot:



The outer pot:



One of the beautiful flower spikes:



What do I do to make this poor plant healthy again? I am really beginning to think that Orchid growing is never going to go well for me!!!

[Captainjohn]

What is wrong with the roots? They don't look that bad. Maybe you should just relax and not "fool" with the plant so much.

[Paul Mc]

I concur that the roots don't look that bad. There are a few yellow ones which might have an issue, but there are plenty of healthy ones left.

I'm also not sure that it's you personally that did anything wrong, although I will offer up a few suggestions in a second. Often times when we purchase orchids from grocery stores or other places, even good vendors sometimes, they have not been cared for optimally. While they appear healthy, the roots often tell us a different story as they are the first to show signs of issues.

Now for the tips.

It's hard to judge from the photographs, but I would say you need to be careful about water sitting in the outer pot. It could be that water is seeping up into your medium if it's too shallow. This could be an issue.

Also, the medium does not look very "airy" and open. It looks like bark and something else that is broken down. Phal roots like to be able to breath, so you might want to consider planting it in just plain bark as opposed to a mix that hold stuff looking like dirt which compacts and chokes the roots.

Be sure your phal's are getting about 1500 footcandles. If you don't have a light meter, you might want to get one. They tend to be cheap, and you will be shocked to learn how much light is actually coming in, even when it doesn't look like enough. In the meantime, if you place your hand and look for your shadow, you want the shadow to be fuzzy, not with distinct lines. If you see a good shape of your hand then you have too much light. If it's too fuzzy, then it's probably not enough light. Another good indicator of too much light is how the leaves feel. If they are warm, then they are getting too much.

When all is said and done, orchids are actually fairly simple to care for. There is a bit of a learning curve, but once you get the hang of it you will love the experience. Truth be told, learning to grow orchids just takes patience, a willingness to learn and make mistakes once in a while, and a bit of self-confidence. That's the recipe for great orchid growing!

[Daethen]

I have to say that my biggest problem at the beginning was messing with them too much. Just keep your hands off for a while and things may start to straighten out. It does look like you need new medium though.

[jrodpad]

I agree with all the above and in particular with the comment on the lack of "airiness" of the media. If you look at the yellowing roots they appear to be at the center of the root mass. This is not uncommon for phals - vigorous healthy roots on the outside and yellow or brown roots on the inside. Lightening up the mix will help. I'm a fan of the air cone style pots for phals too - which directly address this issue by keeping good airflow in and around the center of the root mass. In lieu of the air cone style pots, you could try and stuff some white packing peanuts into the center of the pot and then fill in the media around them - just don't use the kind that dissolve in water. This would keep an airy pocket in the center and get you to a similar place.

Good luck.

-J

[keithrs]

White/yellowish and green roots are good. Only worry if roots turn black. I would good to your nursery and pick up some Phasan 20. This will help fight rot problem. Also if the store let the leave wilt they will stay wilted. Only the new leaves will look normal.