Hi everybody! It would be great if you could help me with saving my beloved Orchid. The stem started to dry out and after I cleaned the roots and cut all the sick parts, nothing grew back and recently its leaves started to fall off. What do you think I can do to save it? What is possibly wrong? Thanks for your help!
What media did you use? It looks very dense. Typical mediums are bark, sphagnum and/or pearlite. Orchids want media that allow their roots to dry out quickly. I would repot into an airy mix ASAP. Remove the current media and inspect the roots’ health. Remove any of the healthy parts like you did before. I would 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 using 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. Orchids like their water but the LOVE for their roots to dry out. Make sure you set the plant so that all the leaves are above the media, including where the plant meets the stem. Too low invites crown rot. I am concerned you have an uphill battle in front of you but luckily phals are very resilient as long as you figure out the water. Good luck!
1 like One other thing- I did the same exact thing with my first phal. It recovered fine and I learned a lot from the experience and that plant. So don’t get discouraged, whatever the outcome. What you learn with this plant will help you better care for it and, hopefully, your future orchids. A great resource that is very easy to digest is Miss Orchid Girl on YouTube. She covers an extensive range of topics ranging from general care, repotting, and recovering sick plants, all on a variety of species. You should also check out the AOS. They have a ton of information if you want to take a deeper dive.
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