need some advice/guidance - Orchid Board

shonama · #1 08-13-2011, 06:13 PM

hi all

have just joined the site as am in need of help

wonder if someone can help feel a little silly but i bought an orchid from tescos don't know its real name.
However i thought i was doing really well as i am capable of killing off a cactus so being that i've had this plant for 3 months and it was doing really well untill i moved house now all the flowers are dying off the leaves are green although a new 1 that was growing split down the middle as with a couple of the older leaves, roots look healthy so my question is , is it normal for it to lose its flowers and if not how do i help it get better

many thanks

glengary54 · #2 08-13-2011, 06:48 PM

Shonama - First off - Welcome to Orchid Board. In answer to your question about the flowers, it is quite normal for the flower to eventually wither and die. Phalaenopsis flower last about 3 or so months on average. To answer your question about split leaves, I would need to see a picture of the plant itself. Hope this helps and don't be hesitant to ask further questions.

shonama · #3 08-13-2011, 06:52 PM

now thats a relief i thought i'd gone wrong with it lol i will try and take a pic tomorrow in daylight of leaves and post on here i thought maybe it just needed a bigger pot so silly me unpotted it placed in new pot then realised i had no soil/bark for it

so at moment its sat in a pot with very little soil

shona

glengary54 · #4 08-13-2011, 07:50 PM

When you take the pictures, being that you have already taken it out of the pot, include pictures of the roots please.

Zoi2 · #5 08-13-2011, 11:20 PM

Hello and welcome.
Joann

Paul Mc · #6 08-14-2011, 11:03 AM

Welcome aboard! Yes, pictures prove to be quite a useful tool when helping others diagnose what is going on. As for the flowers, you did not state what kind of orchid it is so again pictures would be helpful here, but most orchids don't like changes in environments (from one home to another, or location to another). They can suffer flower/bud drop and other issues as they adapt to their new home. Phal's are better at not doing this than other orchids, but it is still always a possibility. Also, the few phal's I have that are still in bloom just lost most of their blooms in the last few days so I'd say you're probably fine - it's nature kicking in.

As for the leaves, this can happen sometimes, especially on older leaves. However, as this is a new one there might be an issue. Pictures would be helpful.

RosieC · #7 08-14-2011, 11:39 AM

Welcome to Orchid Board.

Yes pictures would be good and pictures of the roots as well as the leaves would help. See the link in my signature if you need help posting them.

Flowers dropping can be quite normal and it probably is. But the condition of the roots can help know for certain.

shonama · #8 08-14-2011, 04:16 PM

hi here are various pics of orchid still not sure what its called as nothing on it to tell me lol so hopefully i can save my poor plant and she's only going through what she's meant to be

many thanks

shona

p.s hope i've attached pics right

shonama · #9 08-14-2011, 04:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zoi2

Hello and welcome.
Joann

many thanks to you and every1 else for the very warm welcome x

RosieC · #10 08-14-2011, 04:43 PM

The good news is that the roots look good. When you repot remove as much of the old medium as possible. Soak the roots in water to help soften them to help you get the bits out.

It's a Phalaenopsis orchid. You will never find an ID more accurate than that because there are so many unregistered hybrids of Phals and many of them look the same as each other. Don't worry about that, knowing it's a Phal is enough to care for it and NoID's are just as pretty as the named ones

The cracks in the leaves don't look a problem to me. I'm not sure what sometimes causes that, unless it's low humidity, but it's more of a mechanical split than a problem. The dark patch on one leaf looks like it's maybe had sunburn, others might advise better on that. If it were mine I would probably use a sterile blade to remove that leaf just below the problem area then dab the cut with cinnamon (the spice). That will just make sure it does not spread if it's not sunburn.

Finally, if you've not already seen it then take a look at this thread. It has some good info about caring for Phals. http://www.orchidboard.com/community...ends-here.html