Help me please no clue what im doing

[babyshuggers]

My husband got me this for our anniversary and im new to taking care of it please help its not looking to great the leaves are starting to change color and look like is dying.

[AnonYMouse]

Begin by telling us how you care for this plant, eg. ambient temperature, watering frequency, kind of light (SW window, overhead CFL, etc.). Secondly, you will be asked what the condition of the roots are in.

Many of the information already exist in the thread at the top of this forum http://www.orchidboard.com/community...ends-here.html. It is good reference for the type of orchid you have.

[babyshuggers]

Ive had it for 2 weeks keep it in the kitchen it gets indirect sunlight 4-8 hrs the directions it came with was put an ice cube in it every week. i cant get the pot inside out. the roots i think you can see in the pictures. they were green now turning white but not mushy.

[Bill U.]

Part of the problem might be not enough light- while phalaenopsis are lower-light growers, they need either bright-indirect light (usually somewhere in the realm of 1000+ footcandles or 10000+ lux) to get enough light to grow and develop properly. Not all light is the same- as much as we humans think a light may be bright, it can actually be very little quality to the plant. This is the basis in which we determine growing conditions, such as directional windows (N, S, E, W, etc) and artificial light- they are key factors to the culture of these plants.

Temperatures can also play a role- what types of ambient air temperature is this getting? Rough humidity levels?

I would HIGHLY recommend AGAINST using the ice-cube watering method- these plant are tropical growers and you can actually severely damage the roots with the cold temperatures of the ice. I know that many phals that come from department stores have directions that say to do this, but this is more of a marketing gimmick that usually does not have very much success... I would suggest trying to get your phal out of the decorative pot so that the inner pot can be taken to the sink with lukewarm water applied around the base of the plant (try not to get the leaves wet- ESPECIALLY in the crown, we don't want to develop crown rot). Let the pot drain until it stops dripping and then you can place it back in the decorative pot. The roots, when recently watered will turn a nice bright green and as they dry out, they will turn that silvery color- don't water until the mix is nearly dry. Too much water usually leads to all sorts of problems.

It seems as if your phal is having some root damage occurring- I suspect that the roots deepest in the pot are not drying out sufficiently or getting enough air. This may be due to the potting media being so compressed around the roots that it is literally suffocating the roots. These plants are epiphytes- they grow in the trees in the wild- they do not grow in regular soil, hence bark and sphagnum moss potting mixes.

Even though the phal is in bloom, I would recommend to take it out of the pot to see what the innermost roots are like. If you are gentle and repotting into the same or similar potting media, there is the possibility that you will not lose your current bloom crop. But, even if you lose your blooms, in my opinion, you can easily grow another spike, but better to save the main plant.

As was posted before, reading the "Phal abuse stops here" thread is a great way to gain a better understanding of these wonderful plants and their culture.

I apologize for writing a mini-novel, but there is lots of variables to take into account here. Good luck!

[silken]

My guess is that with only one ice cube per week it is totally dried up and that is why the roots are white and not green. I agree, don't use ice cubes. It doesn't snow where these tropical plants come from and ice just shocks the roots. Maybe pick the plant itself up and it will come out of the decorative pot (use caution not to break the plant). You need it out of the decorative pot so you can run copious amounts of water thru the pot with holes in and then not water again until it is almost dry right thru to the centre and bottom of the pot.

[babyshuggers]

my roots are firm no mushy parts all are whitish color the bark is moist

[cbuchman]

White roots means DRY. Water copiously and let the excess water run through the pot and drain out. For Phals, you want the medium to start to dry out in the center before watering again. Try using a pencil or wooden skewer and poke in into the center of the pot, If it comes out damp, don't water. Since you have a see-thru pot, you can keep a good eye on the roots and let them indicate when they need water.

Also once you have the watering schedule down, you will need to fertilize. Typically fertilize at 1/2 to 1/4 of the rate indicated. You want to look for a balanced fertilizer (where the 3 numbers are roughly the same). If in doubt on how much to use, go to Fertilizer Mixing Calculators, put in in the info, and it tell tell you how much to use/gal of water. First Ray's website is a great source of good information. Good Luck!

[silken]

I agree with cbuchman. You have some very good roots so this plant should be fine given the correct watering regime. Root rot kills more orchids than anything so use caution in watering before it is very close to dry. Phal roots are silver/white as in your photo when they are dry and a nice green when wet. At least yours is in bark rather than the moss most come in, but you may want to consider re-potting it in new bark if this stuff is looking old. It should smell fresh and not be soggy or have lots of little dirt bits which indicate it is breaking down. New bark holds much less moisture at first and needs to be soaked well before potting and possibly watered more often for a few months. Another worry is that there could be a ball of moss in the centre of your root ball which is common in a lot of potted orchids and this can cause rot because it stays wet long after the bark dries. With these good roots, you can likely enjoy your blooms before you re-pot it, but I always re-pot right away and rarely ever hurt the blooms. Phals don't seem to mind re-potting if you are gentle with it. Always pot into as small a pot as will hold the roots and I like using kebab skewers placed in the pot so you can pull it out and see how wet it is before watering. good luck!

[flexdc]

Originally Posted by babyshuggers

Ive had it for 2 weeks keep it in the kitchen it gets indirect sunlight 4-8 hrs the directions it came with was put an ice cube in it every week. i cant get the pot inside out. the roots i think you can see in the pictures. they were green now turning white but not mushy.

NO ICE CUBE!! That method is a scam and I guarantee you that you will kill it!
First off, does your pot have a drainage hole in the bottom.
If it doesn't you need to transplant it into a pot with a drainage hole.

Also, you need to water your orchid by giving it a shower in the kitchen sink, as if it is rained upon. All your roots should turn green. This is the best way to water. Most indoor growers do this once a week. But if your bark stay moist (a darker color) you can water less often.

But again, NO ICE CUBES!

Good luck
Andrew