Help me stop killing orchids

[Bud]

right, the plant is near the window getting cold (its always 10 degrees colder even if its a double pane window) there is not much light and it is underwatered...
it is getting warmer in NYC your plant is going to survive. but invest on a supplemental light and get a better media than the sphagnum moss...aparently you have not yet mastered the skewer method so your watering regimen is hit or miss...
you dont need a green thumb...you just trust your instincts ...you dared to grow and care for an orchid plant(even if you killed some), youre not just like any ordinary human...youre an orchid grower! You just need to learn and research more...

[Ray]

Originally Posted by janecat

Water 1-2 weeks with no direct sunlight. No draft and temperatures from 60-80. I may have a lighting problem?? I have a north facing window with an awning that doesn't get a terrible amount of sun. Should I still be filtering my light? In the past I have put orchids about 6-8 feet from a grow light to boost the sun exposure.

A north-facing window may give you marginally sufficient light. Add an awning, and you're getting almost nothing usable. A supplemental light 6-8 feet away also adds absolutely nothing.

Any purple color you're seeing is definitely not from excessive light.

If you want to grow orchids, even a low-light one like a phalaenopsis, a single-bulb, 2' T5 fixture at about a foot away or so is going to be a bare minimum.

The last one I bought (1 week ago) the very tips of the leaves are turning a purplish/ brown in a vein pattern. The moss was very moist when i purchased it and I haven't watered since. One of the buds opened up but another baby one is shriveling.

The fact that a bud is shriveling may indicate insufficient humidity, but it might simply be the plant's reaction to the poor growing conditions.

I was told with this plant that I am only to water when every one of the roots turns a grey color. Is that correct?

Orchids cannot be watered on a schedule, and that "root turning gray" thing is ridiculous. An exposed root is - of course - going to dry out faster than one down in the potting medium, so that "guidance" actually tells you nothing useful about the root zone environment.

What else can I do to not kill this beautiful orchid?

I think one of the first things you have to do is educate yourself about the differences between growing orchids and terrestrial plants, and probably the most significant aspect of that is what I call "Air management". That link is to an article on my "Free Information" page, where you'll find out lots of information that may help.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

When growing a Phal potted, I highly recommend against growing using moss. As was mentioned, it is usually a disaster in the making for many people. You are either better off with full on medium or large grade bark, bark with moss for top dressing, or coconut husk chips (aka CHC).

Browning leaves are usually a sign of bacterial rot. But bacterial rot can be brought about indirectly by over watering. Too much water makes cells burst. The dead cells are food for the bacteria. Bacteria infects good cells. Weakened plant has difficult time defending itself against disease. Plant eventually dies when its immune system fails.

Proper care will usually reduce problems like this for the most part.

Of course if you really want an easier group of orchids to start with than Phals, (imo), maybe try orchids in the genera Anacheilium, or Encyclia.

Here are a few species to try out:

Anacheilium cochleatum (fragrant) - aka Encyclia cochleata
Anacheilium radiatum (fragrant) - aka Encyclia radiata

Encyclia alata
Encyclia tampense

They're definitely not as colorful or flashy as the hybrid Phals you've been purchasing, but as I said, imo, I think they're far easier to grow and much more forgiving than Phalaenopsis are for cultivation mistakes made by a hobbyist just starting out.

[Leafmite]

It is really a challenge to kill phals in lava rock. When I give phals as gifts to people who have never had a house plant, I repot into lava rock first and then tell them not to get water in the crown, not to let the orchid stand in water, not to let them go under sixty degrees and to give the bright but not direct light. I periodically get very nice reports about how well the orchids are doing. I really don't know about the lighting. How dark does the awning make the window? I think the low light alone would cause a much slower death, though, so I am guessing root or crown rot to be the usual causes. Lower light would cause water to be used and evaporated much more slowly, leading to rot.
If you can't find the rock, you could use styrofoam peanuts mixed with the moss. Good luck!

[crazymonkie]

Hey there! Other people have already given you very good advice on what to do, but I'll just add in my 2c:

I'm very sure that the mushy leaf thing is rot, probably brought on by bacterial infection. Since you're in a fairly chilly area, that's going to be an ongoing problem with Phals. They're pretty, and popular all over this country of ours, but some places just shouldn't be selling them. It's like how gardening supply stores (I won't name names here, but we all know these places) will sell exactly the same landscape plants from coast to coast, from north to south, regardless of whether or not the plants can survive even in the short term.

Despite that, the roots look good, and you did the right thing by potting it into a well-draining container. If you can afford it, I'd recommend getting a few special clay orchid pots or using a masonry drill bit on regular clay pots to make the slits in the side. You'll get better drainage, the clay will dry out faster than plastic (very important in your environment!) and the orchid in the long run will be happier.

I'd also say you should get some medium grade fir bark. You can order it from any orchid supply web site (we've all got our favorites, just message us if you want to know them) or if you've got a Lowes or (bleck) Wal-Mart, they've got good bark mixtures there. Just make sure you DO NOT buy the Miracle-Gro ones because they've got fertilizer in them.... though that's more my personal preference. I keep a tight rein on how much fertilizer I use, and that comes from dealing for so many years with cacti and succulents. They're even more picky about heat, light, water and fertilizer than orchids, so for me it was like "Oh, this isn't that hard" when I started on orchids!

That brings me around in a roundabout way to my next point: Fertilizer. If you don't have a handle on that yet, there are several ways to do it. My personal fave is to use a balanced 20-20-20 fertilizer once every two weeks which is dissolved in water. I use a mobile pump sprayer for my two water sources- reverse osmosis for everyday watering and R/O with the fertilizer for other watering. Some other people use slow-release fertilizer (pellets, I think... I've never bought them, so I don't know), and some people use orchid fertilizer at different concentrations weekly or every watering. But that often depends on genus (the types that flower nearly year-round often need "weekly weakly" concentrations around 5-5-5 or so, most standards do great with the stuff that I use)

Regardless, fertilize according to directions, and under NO circumstances get organic fertilizer (animal poo and/or worm castings), because, like potting soil, it will kill your 'chids.

Next point: Water. If you can't set up some sort of catchbasin to get rain water, you'll want to spring for some reverse osmosis water. You CAN buy jugs of a gallon at a time, but that gets wasteful. I'd suggest you get a spray canister (shaped kind of like a beer keg, but made of plastic) that holds two gallons. Also available at gardening stores. I got my two- a one gallon one and a two gallon one- at Home Depot, and they were the best investment I've ever made in any gardening equipment I've owned. Not even exaggerating.

But, in any case, the orchids will thank you for better quality water. It'll keep the velamen (the covering that makes the roots look more like worms that actual roots) from getting clogged with dissolved solids and will slow the decomposition of the mix as well. You'll still want to re-pot annually if you've got Phals, because they're picky like that, but you will be able to avoid the problems with mushy mixes.

Last point: I'd also suggest you get something much more cold tolerant. A good choice would be a Cymbidium, which lives much more like a regular houseplant (except that it grows in leaf litter and such on the floors of forests) and can stand temperatures as low as the lower 40s without much trouble. You may have to spray them to avoid leaf pleating, but that's about the extent of difficulty with them. Oh, that and the size; a full sized Cym has leaves nearly three feet long, bent about halfway. So you might not have room for many of them. I know I don't... I've got one "seedling" that's practically growing in front of my eyes, in a six-inch pot in bark mix, and the bigger leaves look to be close to 12 inches already.

You could also get some of the mottle-leaved Paphs.... they look a lot like Phals but live in denser mixes and like Cyms are semi-terrestrial. They're a pain to re-pot, though, since you have to be REALLY careful not to mess up the roots. The roots don't branch, so if one spot is ruined, the entire root is gone. They also make incredible flowers, usually just one per stalk.

There are a few cool-growers that like low light out there as well, though you will need to keep them well humidified. In an apartment, keeping the condensation and such off the flooring and paint is a challenge, but the different orchids can be better for your growing situation.

Guess that's about that. See you around here!

[silken]

I'm sure by now you are overwhelmed with ideas from everyone and not sure which suggestion to go with next! Everyone has their own method that to a point they just have to figure out for themselves. However, I would like to point out that I live on the Canadian prairies (zone 2b) and grow Phals no problem. It's one thing if they are growing outside to say you need a more cold tolerant plant. But usually the rule with Phals is if you are comfortable, they will be (in your home). Having said that, mine actually live in an attached greenhouse that is kept at 65F in the day and 55F at night in winter months. It gets much warmer in summer. All my Phals live out there and grow and bloom fine. Every one of my Phals is either in spike or in bloom at the moment. So if you have it in the house as you say, it will be fine. The only caution is having it against a cold window in cold months and the leaves shouldn't touch the windows. You also are likely not getting enough light as stated so a supplemental light may be in order. Bark or something chunky to mix in with that moss or replace it is a good idea. You don't have to do anything fancy to have success with that plant. Just some common sense and a few orchid growing tips as everyone has provided here for you. Good luck and keep us posted.

[Connie Star]

In case no one has said it yet, Welcome!
You have come to the right place. You've gotten lots of info already, but I'll add mine- I live in Massachusetts and phals grow really well for me. I keep them in the bathroom, make sure to open the shower door when I'm done to give them humidity and have them in a pretty dark east facing window. I have experimented with T5 lights and LEDs (LEDs are too expensive to have enough IMHO). First Rays has good deals on T5s.
I think the flouride in your water is a big problem. The chlorine will evaporate, but not the flouride. I have a master's degree and did plant cell culture- as a control to kill the cells by stopping their metabolism we used a weak solution of NaF- stops them in their tracks. Since you have only one phal, I'd recommend buying distilled water at the pharmacy, or even spring water. I think Brita type filters may remove flouride as well.
Keep on trying- it's well worth it.