Xen
Hello! My parents picked up this orchid off of the clearance section. It looks to be in pretty roughy shape. I was hoping for some advice on how to take care of it!
Tilbake til The Orchid Oasis 
Hello! My parents picked up this orchid off of the clearance section.… | The Orchid Oasis | Planta-fellesskap
10 kommentarer
MeasomerPiThe roots look to be in reasonable shape. The leaves though… maybe it’s cold damage? But I’m not sure about that. I would quarantine from the rest of your collection, go over it with a magnifying lens to check for pests, and watch it to see if the leaf damage spreads. Caring for phalaenopsis is relatively easy. Once you understand they like their water but the LOVE for their roots to dry out. When I water, I soak the orchids in bark for 10-15 minutes. Only immerse the pot. I just top water plants in sphagnum (otherwise it will never dry out). Wait until the media dries out (green roots = wet; silver roots = dry) before watering again. For my setup, that works out to roughly once a week. Each time I water, I use fertilizer at 1/4 strength. Once a month flush with pure water to reduce salt buildup (this is especially important if you are using synthetic fertilizer). Put your plant in in bright but indirect light. Direct sun will burn a phal pretty quickly. Too low and you won’t get blooms. I have mine an a west window that is shaded by landscaping. They get absolutely no direct sun. If the edges of the leaves turn reddish you know you are at the max limit of sun for your plant. Repot once it is finished blooming. The flowers typically last one to three months, annually. I would cut the inflorescence back to the base of the plant once the final bloom drops. There is a way to try for a second bloom but in the following year flowers tend to be fewer in number and sometimes smaller. Flowering is very taxing process for the plants. 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. To minimize transplant shock, use a similar mix to what it currently is in. I cant really tell what yours is in. If your plant is in sphagnum, 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. The best tip for orchids is learn. Read up on their care if you are so inclined. There are several channels on YouTube with information on orchid care, like Miss Orchid Girl, Here.. but Not, and Hello Plant Lovers. Podcasts like Plant Daddy and On the Ledge are useful. The American Orchid Society is another handy resource. I especially like their monthly to do lists. If you really want to dive into the rabbit hole, you can look for orchid societies in your area; nothing can replace interacting directly with growers that have been doing it for years. Good Luck!
8 likes
nepenthomancerMeasomerPi coming through with the best most informative responses like a super hero every time! The only this i would add is that the leaf is looking a bit sketch, and I would treat with a fungicide. I know I’m a bit of a broken record about the arber fungicide but it’s saved four rescue orchids of mine from advanced botrytis. I don’t think that’s what you have, maybe something else maybe bacterial who knows but I think it would be a great addition to your care plan to do an arber fungicide soak weekly.
5 likes- Xen
Thank you so so much! I’ve never done a fungicide soak before, how would I do that?
0 likes - nepenthomancer
The are instructions on the bottle for measurements, but not all fungicides are the same. Many are way too strong and can damage the plant which is already in a weakened state. I have had insanely good success using arber brand fungicide on orchids and nepenthes. What I did is I added a .oz fungicide to a big bowl with 3.5q water. I then submerge the entire plant, pot, and substrate it’s planted in. Also a handful of spagnum moss to top dress and increase humidity. It’s important to treat the media your orchid will be living in. When I do this treatment i do not need to water the orchid separately the soak is enough I would just spray the moss top dressing if it dries out. You got this!
4 likes 
The_tropicsSo when you say cut it back to the base you really mean cut it to the actual base. No stem? An inch of a stem?
0 likes- MeasomerPi
Get as close as you reasonably can without damaging the plant, prob around 1/2”
1 like
- Jen
Nothing to add to this great advice, other than to concur, and to stress that the damage on the leaves is worrisome. If it is old sunburn, cold damage, or mechanical damage and doesn’t seem to spread- it should be fine. You’ll grow new healthy leaves. If however, it’s insect/pest damage, you will need to deal with that immediately and watch for bacterial infection or viruses spread by those little buggers. I second miss orchid girl on youtube. Search her channel for spider mites advice, as that would be my biggest concern with the photos you shared. Please update us as you discover more! And good luck!
2 likes- Jen
This picture shows what I would focus on first.
2 likes
- Xen
Thank you so much, I really appreciate all the help and advice I am receiving!!
1 like - MeasomerPi
You are getting some great feedback. Jen and Nepenthomancer consistently give very solid advice on this forum. Keep us posted on how it does!
2 likes
