What is wrong with my orchids?
 

Hello,

I am a novice & have a few questions regarding some ill looking orchids. I have attached 4 photos.

Questions:

Photo #1: I just "rescued" this orchid. Looks like it is rotting. The bulb (?) area is mushy, shiny & yellowing. I repotted the orchid today. Any ideas? Is it a goner?

Photo #2: I've had this orchid through 2 new growths (maybe 1-2 years). The leaves grow out wrinkled and subsequently no flower stalk is produced. What can I do to help it grown properly?

Photo #3: I've had this orchid for 5 years. It when i purchased i, did I ever see flowers, none since. The bulb area is deflated. Again, what can I do to help it flower again?

Photo #4: I've had this plant for 5 years as well. Recently it appears to have withered both stalk & leaf. Any ideas?

Thank you in advance!
(PS: Apologize for previous grammar/spelling errors!)

Sadly, orchid #1 is probably a goner, unless there are healthy roots I can't see.

I have an orchid with the same problem as orchid #2. Some orchids with thin leaves like Miltonia, Odontoglossum and related species and hybrids will develop pleated leaves if they do not receive enough water or humidity. Yours may need to be watered more frequently. Also, check for root rot, as this can prevent the plant from taking up water.

I'm not sure what to about the last 2. Probably one of the more experienced growers here will have some ideas.

I wouldn't call myself an expert or experienced grower at all, but thought I'd throw a couple ideas out.

I agree with lily about orchid #2. The pleated leaves are probably due to not enough water. Maybe not enough humidity, but my guess would be water. Also agree that you should check to make sure the roots are in good shape.

Orchid #3 may actually be in the same situation. The puckering of the pseudobulbs is also possibly due to them not taking up enough water. Again, this could either be due to it not being watered often enough, or the roots being in poor condition and unable to get water up into the plant.

Orchid #4 looks to me like some form of nobile Dendrobium. Appearance-wise it looks like it could be totally fine. However, if it hasn't bloomed for you, could it be that it hasn't been getting a winter rest?

I believe your plants are not getting enough humidity for a start. They need an average humidity of 60 to 70 percent ideally. Check the roots before you water, if the roots are rotten it won't matter how often or how much water you give..... the plants will die. If you increase the humidity you improve the chance of survival greatly

Hi, atthelab! I'll offer some opinions, though, without knowing what your conditions and care habits are like, a little of it will be guesswork.

#1: You rescued a hurting unit. Personally, I'd abandon it. Maybe not throw it right out, but stick it on the fire escape or behind the garage for a couple months and forget it. It probably is already too late. This will get it off your radar and your conscience - it's not your fault it's so wrecked. But, once in a while, one of these tough cases will come back after a period of total neglect. If you don't live in a frost-free place, I'd just forget about it completely.

#2: The pleated leaves mean the plant isn't getting enough water. More below

#3: The shrunken, wrinkled bulbs mean the plant isn't getting enough water. More below. If you want it to bloom again, my guess is that it will need more light and some orchid food, a bloom formula.

#4: The withering/shrinking also might be a sign that the plant isn't getting enough water. And, same blooming recommendation as above.

RE: plant not getting enough water -
Both overwatering and underwatering can cause this condition, believe it or not. The top of the plant will look the same in either case.

If it's underwatered, you can fix this by letting the plant sit in a bucket of water for 15-30 minutes when you water it, like maybe every 2nd or 3rd time. The plant will soak it right up and you'll see the shriveled bulbs swell. The pleated leaves won't straighten out, but it's OK just let more leaves grow.

If it's overwatered, the roots are rotted and the plant can't get all the water you're putting in the pot because the dead roots can't supply it up to the plant. The way to fix this is to STOP watering for a month or so until everything's all dried out in the pot. Taking it out of the pot will help with this, and it will give you a chance to cut off the dead rotted parts of the roots.

In fact, taking it out of the pot is how you will tell whether you're over or under watering.

If the roots are firm, clean-smelling, and white or light tan or pale greenish, then you're underwatering. Cool! Just let it soak in a bucket so it gets more water each time, but don't give it more frequent watering. The plant will be totally fine.

If the roots are mushy, slimy, bad-smelling, and black or dark brown or very dark green, they're rotted. Cut off the worst parts, rinse the rest off in running water, and leave it out of the pot for a few days until it's all pretty dry. When you put it back in the pot, don't use regular plant soil, but get a general soil-less orchid potting mix. It should have bark and/or dry moss in it. Don't water it for a few days, and when you start watering regularly again, don't let it stand in water for more than 15 minutes. And don't water it at all until the pot feels light and the top of the roots/soil are completely dry.

My guess is that you're not overwatering, but underwatering. Because they have been living for 5 years but just not blooming/growing, they're probably not unhealthy. If it was overwatered, they'd be pretty unhealthy if not DEAD like #1 after 5 years. Also, the pictures look like they're in a pretty dim area. They really need pretty good light to bloom, as well as orchid-formula plant food.

Humidity will help them too, but I'd take care of the above things first. To elevate the humidity, get big plant drainers and fill them with pebbles and water, and put the plants in it. A turned-over saucer under the pot keeps the plant from sitting in the standing water. I like to get rectangular drainer saucers intended for "box" type planters because they fit better in more spaces indoors. A big round one takes up more room for the same amount of humidity.

See pictures of humidity trays.

Good luck,
BL

Oh yes, one more thing, atthelab:

#3 looks like the aerial roots (above the soil and maybe even outside the pot) have been trimmed off. Don't do that anymore, if you have been. Those are natural and the plant uses them to breathe. To take them off impedes the plant's respiration and also injures it. it won't likely die from this, but it sure doesn't help blooming.

Look at my 2nd picture above to see that a lot of aerial root is healthy for most orchids.

OK! Let us know how it goes in a few weeks?

BL

Really excellent, thorough advice, BL. Kudos.

I agree totally with Beanluc.
Good luck.

I would have to agree with the lack of water theory and the excellent reply from beanluc.
I would stress the probable lack of light as well. You say you are a novice but do you have any other orchids that have re-flowered under your care? If so can you compare the conditions you keep them in with those that are not flowering

Thanks to everyone that has responded!

Beanluk: You post is incredible! Thanks so much! Really helpful for someone like me - great pointers!!

Didn't think to post condition information in my original post, so here it is:

I water all of my orchid every Sunday morning. I live in the approx. 20 min. south of San Francisco and the weather is very moderate (average temp ~ mid 60's+). It is rarely humid. My apartment gets lots of indirect bright light. (The photos are dark as a result of my poor photography skills!)

The humidity trays are awesome! Especially because its something I can do that doesn't cost a lot of money!

How often should I use orchid food?

Regarding plant #3: I have not trimmed the roots. I did re-pot as it seemed like the plant was sitting too deep in the pot, but that didn't help. Like you mentioned, seems like I have been under watering plus the humidity issue.

Regarding plant #1: I just can't bare to throw it out yet!

I do have 17 orchids total; 7 currently flowering! I guess I've been a passive orchid owner, but recently due to lack of work, I've been more interested in their care, etc.

Thanks again!! I will definitely post a follow up!

Hi atthelab I guess all there's left for me to say is: Welcome to the OB! :D

Right on, I'm in San Francisco myself. (the Presidio, literally steps away from the Golden Gate)

If you're on the Pacific side of the Peninsula's ridge, you might have plenty of humidity a lot of the time. If you're on the Bay side, then, yeah, it could be drier, just because it's warmer. Still, if it doesn't get above the 60s much, then that low temp. all by itself keeps the humidity high. When temps go into 70s or 80s or even higher, like it can in San Jose or East Bay, that's when supplemental humidity makes a big difference. Lots of people in the cooler Bay Area regions don't use humidity trays at all. If you're heating your apartment, though, that will impact the humidity inside. Anyway: I think the humidity supplement will be a good idea for you, but I don't think it's going to make or break your efforts, since you have a few other very important things to try.

Cost-saving secret: Don't buy pebbles at the garden store. Go to Home Depot or such place. Instead of $15 for 2 pounds of designer polished agate or glass, you can spend $5 for about 25 pounds of plain rock - quartz, granite, whatever. The gravel/pebbles will be dusty and you can rinse them off. Then in addition to pebbles ffor your humidity trays, you'll also have plenty of ones you can use for other plants: in the bottom of pots, for draining, below the plain soil, or on top of the soil in a cactus/succulent's pot, et cetera.

Get an orchid food bloom formula (6-30-30 for example - first number should be smaller than next 2), and whatever the instructions on the package say, do it but mix the formula in HALF the strength recommended (mix half the amount of food with the same amount of water), and apply every time you water until you either get blooms or you see any part of the plant starting to change color. If it turns darker green, that means it's gotten enough food, and if it starts to yellow a little, it might mean that it has gotten too much food, or, more likely, the food was mixed stronger than the plant likes.
After blooms are gone, stop feeding for several weeks, then feed with a grow formula (20-20-20, all numbers equal, OR first number bigger than next 2) for a while, exactly according to package instructions or maybe a little more dilute (less strong).

Once your plants start being well-fed for a season or two, you can just wait for one of the following 2 things before you give bloom feeding again:
The plant will begin to spike by itself, at which time switch from grow formula to bloom formula, OR, keep in mind when it started to spike for you first, and at the same time the following year, start giving it bloom food and it probably will spike again.

OK, good! And you have a lot of happy orchids. Maybe you could move these not-blooming ones to a brighter spot among all the other ones? A couple of the ones that have been blooming well for you can either have a season off, or, maybe they'll bloom anyway even if they get rotated out of the brightest spots for a while.

Sigh... I understand! I've done it, too, with these inherited tough cases. So far my resurrection percentage is about 25% - they're usually just too far gone. Let me guess: Somebody happened to hear that you like orchids and have some that do OK, and they said to you "Maybe you can save mine!" which they got as a birthday gift and wrecked in 4 months or less. Well, it happens to me. My wife brings her officemates' emergencyroom orchids home.

OK, well, my best advice is to do what firstaid you can now, and then to not fuss over it all the time while you wait and see how it goes.
For now, do take it out of the pot now and look for rotted roots. Also you'll have to CUT OFF the rotted bulb(s). I hope only one of the bulbs is rotted. If all the bulbs are rotted, there's little chance for recovery. Use a sterilized and very sharp knife (use peroxide or alcohol to sterilize) and cut away the parts that are soft. You probably will have to go all the way below the bottom of the bulb and cut it away from the rhizome just below the surface of the pot. The rhizome is the part the bulbs are attached to. It looks kind of like a fat, tough horizontal root, but real roots grow out of it. Don't cut it apart!
Then, dust the cut surface of the remaining plant with cinnamon. This will prevent mold from attacking the vulnerable cut area.
If you have to cut all the bulbs off, there's a small chance it can slowly begin to grow a new one as long as there's enough rhizome left (dont cut the rhizome's ends) and as long as you can keep the remaining bit alive for several months.
Once you clean up the roots and bulbs, put it in a pot again, maybe a smaller one!
Then, keep it not in the brightest spot, and water it less heavily but more frequently than the rest of your orchids. Since the bulbs will be reduced or gone, it can't store up as much water and will be much more vulnerable to dying from drying out. Water it ONLY in the morning, NEVER at night. Give it very occasionally some very weak/dilute grow-formula orchid food AFTER the first two weeks. And when you water it, DON'T give it a bucket soak like you're going to start doing with your other ones. Just thoroughly wet the pot's contents and let it drain off right away. Try not to get any parts above the pot wet. Probably every 3rd day it will need water, but I would avoid ever giving it water 2 days in a row if you think it needs more.While it's all damaged and leafless like this, it will be very vulnerable to BOTH overwatering rot AND to underwatering death. Also: DON'T mist this orchid. It will be very vulnerable to mold/mildew until it's all back to full health and growing well again. It is very likely that even if this orchid survives, it won't bloom for you for at least 2 years.

So, like I said, if you're committed to trying to save it, just don't fuss all over it all the time because if you try to do too much, it just won't work. But you WILL have to be attentive to the water needs. Just take the attitude that you can't MAKE it survive, but you'll care for the basic needs as best you can and hope for the best.