inexperienced orchid grower needing help!

[katie3718]

Hi there, I'm new to this forum... I was wondering if anyone had any input on what I could try to do to revive my Moth Orchid.... The leaves are looking horrible, and the top of the stem has bent over and died, which may or may not be normal (as I said, inexperienced!). I have some ideas on what to try (repotting??), but to be honest I'm pretty clueless. I've been trying to take care of it, but have failed it seems! I've had it for about a year and a half. I use a spray bottle to water it every few days. I couldn't be UNDER-watering it could I? I just give it a few sprays in the soil area (well actually I think the medium is the spahagum moss).
Anyway, any advice would be much appreciated! I am going to attempt to upload a pic...
Thanks a ton,
Katie

[silken]

Welcome to Orchid Board. There is a link to a thread on care of Phals and what goes wrong with them: http://www.orchidboard.com/community...ends-here.html

It has become a very long thread so you may have to skim. However, as mentioned there and for other newbies, most Phals come tightly potted in moss and the interior is soaking wet. If you haven't re-potted it since you got it 1 1/2 years ago, then it is a wonder it didn't die from root rot. Likely the fact that you are only misting it actually saved it! In the wild, these orchids live on trees in the rain forest. So their roots are out in the open and get rained on very regularly but then dry quickly in the breezes in the treetops. So that's what you are trying to imitate for potting conditions. You should unpot it and check the roots. Chances are you are under-watering it as most people give them a thorough flush of water approx. once a week. However, the pot needs to drain well, and there should be some air pockets in the potting media for the roots to breathe. Also the entire pot should be almost dry before watering again. So you should likely consider getting rid of the moss and buying some orchid bark and using it by itself or with a bit of new moss mixed in. Others use coconut husk or leca pellets (clay balls) and various other things as well, but bark is pretty universal.

Any roots that are mushy or hollow are dead and should be removed. Healthy roots are thick and firm and when dry they are silver coloured and green when wet.

So the first thing is to pull it from the pot and inspect the roots. If the moss is bone dry, you were likely under watering it. Also make sure the pot you will use has good drainage holes and is just big enough to fit the root base. If its too big, you will end up over-watering it and cause root rot.

Once you have the status of roots and moss, let us know and we can go from there as to what's wrong with the Phal.

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[Bud]

Welcome and Hello ! You've come to the right place...sit back and relax; read postings of other memebers and learn from their wealth of knowledge gained from years of experience in growing orchids...
Silken has given you a very sound advice. You may also look at videos on repotting (youtube) and research your neighborhood for growers and buy their mix which is tried and tested for your area.

[orchidsamore]

Your pot is way to deep for a Phalaenopsis. It can not dry out properly.

The dead flower spike is unimportant. It can be left or removed.

Unfortunately, the plant looks to far gone to recover, but maybe you will be lucky and succeed.

[katie3718]

Thanks so much for the info Silken! I really appreciate it! I had no idea I could have been under-watering it, because I've heard things like all they need is something equivalent to an ice cube per month? I also had no idea I had to re-pot it until recently.
Anyway, thanks Bud and Orchidsamore to you guys too Hopefully I can revive it! I'm crossing my fingers. I'm going to have to wait till pay-day to get a new pot or orchid bark.
I will keep you all updated... I'm really glad I joined this forum.
Katie
PS: My best friend had given me this plant as a gift, and I've gotten others as gifts in the past as well...(which died.) I really wish that more care information was given to the buyer upon purchase.

[silken]

As long as its green, I never give up. I would still examine the roots now and see what's up and go from there. Ask us questions if you need to. If you think of those big wide green leaves and a dry house, the leaves give off moisture and need to take up enough to keep them plump and healthy. You were likely misled about the ice cube because there are some orchids out there from a company called Just Add Ice. Their instructions advise to use 3 ice cubes per week or something like that. While it might prevent the common problem of root rot, it often isn't enough water for the average low humidity home. And orchids don't like ice cold water on their roots. You could also lightly mist the leaves daily as they may absorb some moisture while its recovering. However be very careful not to get water in the crown where the leaves join or crown rot can result. Good luck with it and keep us posted.

[shahrezsyed]

Phals are incredibly hardy orchids. Plant it in a bark mix in a smaller plastic pot. Trim all rotten roots and wash with physan20 then water with kln or any other rooting hormone and give it a bit more sun. The leaves are very dark meaning that its not getting enough light.

[katie3718]

Thanks guys... Ive moved the orchid to a different house, because im moving back in with my family, and the leaves have started to look better. I still haven't re-potted (naughty me!). I'm not sure what type of pot to get though...Bigger, smaller...or do i actually need a new one?
Another observation I made was that the stem itself is all brown, from top to bottom. Oh, I'll add an image!
thanks again!
katie

[silken]

That looks much better! Your pot doesn't look like it has much for drainage and air holes which is important. Especially if you are going to water the plant more which I think it was in need of. Once you take it out of the pot, you will then know what size pot to get. As mentioned before, it should only be large enough to contain the roots and not a lot bigger. If your roots are healthy, I would consider staying with some moss in your new potting material as you don't seem to have been over-watering it. actually likely under-watering it.

The brown spike can be cut to about an inch from the bottom. With good care it will bloom again. Quite often giving a cool spell with initiate bloom spikes.

[shahrezsyed]

Do as we mentioned (bark mix, physan, trim dead roots, kln, etc). And use the same sized pot. as phals like to fit really well in their pot.