Hi! I recently got these two moth orchids that need rescuing from my mother in law and they are in really bad shape. One of them is growing a keiki! I haven’t gotten a chance to repot so I’m not sure if the roots have rotted or dried out. Any tips on how to get these back to life would be so helpful! Also this window gives them direct sunlight only after 4-5 pm, is that okay?
Oooh! So much to unpack- let’s do light first. Which direction is this window facing and about how many hours of direct light after 4-5 pm? I’d guess West, since it’s getting direct sun at the end of the day. Does the sun go behind buildings after an hour as it’s setting? Or do you get full sun pretty much to the horizon? Your absolute best way of checking is to feel the leaves when they’ve been in direct sun for the entirety of the time, and if they are too warm to the touch- like your skin with a sunburn- you may have to move them or filter the light with a sheer curtain. The leaves are definitely showing signs of dehydration, so the last thing you want to do is stress them out further by burning them.
2 Me gusta They are in a NW window! And they get about 2-3 hours of direct sun and after it goes behind the buildings. I’ll have to check on the leaves after they are in the sun to see if it is too much for them.
1 me gustaNext. You are going to have to repot to determine whether they are dehydrated just from lack of watering, or if they are dehydrated because their roots have been compromised or desiccated. I see you have another phalaenopsis orchid there! (So light should be fine if that one has been ok in that spot.) I can tell that you have it in clear pot inside the decorative one- I assume it’s slotted and well ventilated? You may not need a bunch of repotting advice then. I would just say, definitely try to get the roots assessed, trim away the dead ones, and then we can suggest more advice from there, depending on what you find. For now- don’t keep the media wet, thinking you need to hydrate, because if you have root rot, you’re just going to make matters worse. But don’t wait weeks to water either. Water. When the medium is dry and the roots are silvery (any you can see) instead of the plump green color, then water again. If the roots are still green- wait.
2 Me gusta Thank you so much! I just repotted them and it looks like it’s roots dried out. I trimmed away the dead ones and repotted in a nursery pot so I can check their roots more often! I watered them as well and hopefully they will start to perk back up! Is there anything else I should try to do or just keep them hydrated?
0 Me gustaIf they have some good roots, then no, just water when the roots go silvery, check the leaves to be sure they aren’t getting over heated, and then… just be patient.
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