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hi everyone! i’ve had this orchid for over a year and i noticed its… | The Orchid Oasis | Comunità di Planta

Genevieve

hi everyone! i’ve had this orchid for over a year and i noticed its buds started wilting until the stem dried up. i thought id check to see how the roots were and they’re all dead. any advice is helpful this orchid is literally my life

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4 commenti

  1. Beth D

    Oh dear! That looks like root rot from sitting in waterlogged soil. Make sure orchids are in clear pots with plenty of drainage. I doubt you can save her but if you want to try, I’d clean all the soil off cut away all the dead roots and re pot in fresh orchid medium and see what happens.

    3 Mi piace
  2. Jen

    You can probably save this orchid, but you should be aware that it may be a while before you see blooms on it. I agree that it’s going to need a repot. What I’m seeing is a very fine almost soil, although there might be bark in the pot below? You’ll want a mix of orchid specific bark and sphagnum mix. I also agree that going for a clear VENTILATED plastic pot is the best way to go. For REALLY great advice and visual examples, I suggest you go to YouTube and search ‘Miss Orchid Girl save a phalaenopsis’ or ‘Miss Orchid Girl repot my first orchid’. Her orchid care for beginners playlist has 100’s of extremely reliable and common sense growing tips. We can walk you through it here as well if you want when you’ve got your repot supplies, but I still suggest you take a look there first. Very helpful.

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  3. All_things_plants

    It needs to be in orchid bark or sphagnum moss not soil

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  4. MeasomerPi

    I agree. It’s definitely time for a repot. That media is so broken down it’s almost soil like. Generally, you’ll need to repot every 2-3 years or when the media begins to break down. When you get ready to repot, I would first give it a good soak as things are easier when hydrated. Take the orchid out of the pot and gently remove the media from the roots. Try get it all, but it’s fine if you have to leave some so you don’t damage the roots. And don’t worry if you damage some roots. It isn’t great but it happens. Just try to minimize as much as possible. Examine the roots for health and pests. Trim off any dead or dying roots. Dead roots are papery or mushy, black or brown. Healthy roots are firm and green when wet, silvery when dry. Deeper into the media you may encounter pale yellow roots. It just means they haven’t been exposed to light. They are fine as long as they are firm. I would leave any wrinkled roots as long as they are firm. Use an orchid pot with additional ventilation. They are typically clear so you can monitor root development, and have ventilation holes on the sides of the pot. If you don’t have one, you can add holes to a growers pot or any other plastic pot you have on hand. Size the pot so that the roots just fit in the pot. They like a tight fit. I would repot you plant in a mix of 50% sphagnum 50% bark. That will allow moisture to hang around long enough for the roots to take in what they want without cutting off air circulation. If you are a heavy waterer you can reduce the amount of sphagnum in your mix. My preference is straight bark. The key is a loose airy mix that will allow the roots to dry between waterings. Regardless of what mix you use, gently work it around the roots. I use an old chopstick for the job. The goal is to firmly seat the plant in the pot without packing the media. You want an airy mix that allows the roots to grab the water they want and then dry out. My suspicion is you will have few if any roots. Don’t worry. Phals are champs at root production. But to give it some help, I would top dress the pot with sphagnum. That way, new roots have good access to moisture but things can dry out deeper in the pot. Jen’s suggestion about Miss Orchid Girl is a good one. Lots of accessible information on orchid care. Good luck!

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