Old Phalaenopsis Orchid facing several health issues (can I save it?)
 

Hello everyone! I'm very new to orchid care and would greatly appreciate some pointers in regards to this particular orchid.

I received this orchid as a gift a little over 4 years ago. I appreciated it but never had much of a green thumb, so I left it to my mum to deal with. I recently discovered that she still had it (she didn't want to throw it away while it was still alive, and it just kept holding on). I felt kind of bad about it so I thought I'd try to help it out.

It's probably obvious from the picture attached that it isn't doing very well. One of the leaves is yellow, browning at the tip and very limp. The other has two splits down the middle. It's also a little wrinkly, but still green aside from the splits. The roots are a little greener than they look in the picture, but not by much.

It's sort of on a table in the middle of the kitchen. The area is well-lit but it's not in front of any windows. I water it once a week with ice cubes.

I figure it might need some more involved care than this, but I have a history of misjudging what a plant needs. I was hoping someone would be able to give me some pointers.

Is there anything I can do to help this orchid along, or is it a lost cause?

Thanks in advance

Welcome! It's never a lost cause when there is green, but that plant is in trouble. First, stop using ice cubes immediately. Phalaenopsis are tropical plants, and it needs regular watering with tepid water, enough so that it runs out the bottom of the pot freely. It looks pretty dry, so you need to step up your watering routine.


There is a thread in the beginner section with a wealth of information about these orchids. Do a little reading and it will give you an idea of where to start. The Phal abuse ends here.

Don't water with ice-cubes. The joker that started recommending that likely has been responsible for the deaths of lots of orchids. So pay no attention to those ice cube watering recommendations.

Assuming your pot is a very good drainage one ----- that allows water to drain very nicely ------- just get a spray wand, or a cup or something ----- and water heavily the regions marked in blue. Allow the water to get right down and wet the bark below ..... wet the bark very well.

Also remember that dry bark repels water. So it's a good idea to prime the dry bark in advance by soaking bark for hours in water before potting your orchid in it. Pot the orchid in lightly damp bark.

Once damp, you can water the blue region anytime you want.

Also ------- some natural gentle air-movement is beneficial for orchids. And nice growing temperatures too.

Some natural light from the sun will be very good for the orchid. Not direct sunlight. If the orchid doesn't get enough light of a certain brightness (and for long enough) each day, then it won't make it.

The orchid still looks ok right now.

Welcome to the Orchid Board!

Definitely read the first few pages of the thread fishmom mentioned.

The bark shown is good for this plant. I agree it looks very salvageable now. The current pot is too big, I agree. I would take it out and repot into the smallest pot that fits the roots. Soak the roots in water for 30-60 minutes after unpotting so they are more flexible. Use the bark in the container now.