Help! think i've killed it... :S - Orchid Board

LeanneS · #1 12-02-2010, 12:07 AM

Hi
I have my first Phalaenopsis (an £25/28 gift from boyfriend, who said had better keep it alive!!!) which had 2 spikes, but they finished blooming in september. They hadn't turned brown and had possibly new spikes coming from nodes mid-spike, so left it to see if it would spike again. A month later one did start to go brown, so cut that off at the bottom, and left the other still green spike.

However was checking on it earlier, and noticed the leaves (particularly the bottom couple) were wrinkled and they had all started to droop. So decided to get it out of the pot and look at the roots. They were clearly rotten!!

So decided to cut as many bad ones off, sprinkling cinnamon over where was cut, as well as the remaining green spike, and it now has no roots, apart from two (the long one between leaves, and a smaller one, high up on the bulb in pics).

Am now a little confused and basically seeking advice as to what to do. Have read about Sphag & bag, but some say to give it lots of light, others say to put it in a dark-ish place. Currently i don't have any orchid potting mix, nor Superthrive.. but been trying to find them on the 'net.

Just to add insult though, a reduced to £2 phalaenopsis from Sainsburys (supermarket), which was a little battered and roots were all shrivelled up, then endured a few hours in the freezing cold to get back home. After some water and food, is now doing brilliantly!!!

Daethen · #2 12-02-2010, 12:15 AM

I have one that looks like that without the aerial root between leaves. I am trying the sphag and bag, but ...... Good luck! You must do something right, look at the other one! Superthrive can be found on ebay.

King_of_orchid_growing:) · #3 12-02-2010, 12:58 AM

You might be doing more harm than good with the sphag and bag method. That method is hit or miss.

Your plant may be salvageable (barely).

I'd mount it instead.

Hard work. May not have space. Well I say tough schizzle..., they're all excuses. This is really the best method I can think of for your scenario.

The other "method" is to buy a new Phal (yeah, I know, it's not a real method and it's a cop out).

King_of_orchid_growing:) · #4 12-02-2010, 01:01 AM

In case you were wondering...

Sphag and bag has the problem of growing fungi. The probability of having fungi attack the orchid in the sphag and bag method is fairly high.

LeanneS · #5 12-02-2010, 01:12 AM

thanks, will have to look into the mounting it, and if can't do that, then will give the sphag and bag method a go.

Did also wonder if there was anyway to save it with the 2 little roots it has still got?
ugh not getting an orchid from a florist again.. and don't tempt me with buying a new one!! my bf is already dreading when I move out of student accommodation, and get a place together, as i said i want more! he then got the thought of a conservatory full of them!

King_of_orchid_growing:) · #6 12-02-2010, 01:18 AM

Well...

It's salvageable even with 2 roots.

But like I said, mounting is the easiest and safest method to do this kind of stuff with.

You can always remove the plant from the mount and pot it up once more roots come along. Or you may decide to keep it mounted, idk.

Most places will sell messed up Phals anyways, it's not just the florist. It's the sphag that it's being grown in. That keeps the roots way too wet. Especially for you guys in Britain - and especially during this time of year!

katierkincaid · #7 12-02-2010, 01:21 AM

Just curious, when you took it out of the pot to examine what you needed to do with it, were their any roots at all? If so, were they green, brown, or shriveled to nothing ?

katierkincaid · #8 12-02-2010, 01:28 AM

Is this a dumb question? lol

LeanneS · #9 12-02-2010, 01:29 AM

when i took it out, they were brown/white and mushy with the outer bit coming off, trimmed it down at first, but even up to the bulb was black and falling off, so gave up trying to salvage.. the other two remaining roots were fine cuz they were out of the potting medium.

Did also compare the mediums in both pots, and the phal which is fine, doesn't have so much small/mulchy sphagnum and nice large bits of bark, it's also looser in the pot.

Been looking at mounting too.. it seems the best way as the air can circulate and hopefully keep any fungus at bay. When you mist them though, is it worth using water with a bit of superthrive? or just to give it a soak in it, mount and then mist with regular water?

katierkincaid · #10 12-02-2010, 01:41 AM

Phillip ( King of Orchid Growing

) could tell you, he knows alot about orchids and he knows what he is talking about. I would trust him to lead me in the right direction. How often did you water this plant? Where did you keep it? Did it get any light ?