hi, new to the orchid-mom life! just got her less than two weeks ago (pictured). i waited to water until two days ago (did not get crown wet and let all the water drain). it looks like her aerial roots (i think are shriveling. her flowers are still beautiful and in full bloom. took a picture of her roots and a little bit of the leaf may be turning but unsure. any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated!
What lovely blooms! There are some dead roots (the brown papery ones) but most look healthy. Pretty reasonable for a new plant. Wait to water until the roots in the pot turn silver, like the arial root. I would watch the brown tip on that middle leaf. It could have been caused by damage during transit, or poor care by seller, or something more. If it gets worse, I would treat it like it has a bacterial or fungal infection. As symptoms progress, you can research and treat accordingly. The American Orchid Society has good information on infections. Good luck!
6 likes thank you! should i wait to prune the dead roots after the bloom falls off?
0 likesGenerally, people like to wait to repot (and trim away dead roots etc) until after the plant is done blooming. Repots could be a shock to your orchid and cause it to drop its blooms. You don’t have to wait a certain amount of time between waterings- two weeks, 10 days, etc- as stated above, just water when the roots are silvery and dry.
2 likes thank you! yes, that’s what i do with my other plants, (which is why i didn’t water it when i first got it) but just making sure those dead roots won’t harm the ones that are healthy by chance.
1 like I agree with Jen about waiting. The only time you want to repot a blooming phal is when the plant’s heath is in jeopardy. Your media doesn’t look bad to me and it’s only a few bits of roots that are dead. If it were mine, I would wait until the spring (or when you see active growth) to repot.
2 likes thank you both!
2 likes