Help please! I revived this orchid my mom got from Whole Foods. I finally bought a new pot and orchid potting mix so I would be able to re pot it out of moss. I read that I should wait to repot after it flowers and so that’s what I’m going to do because it rarely flowers and I’m so excited. I just noticed this fuzzy stuff on the roots and brown/black spots. I’m worried. Please let me know what I should do about the roots and any other orchid tips. Advice is so appreciated.
It has plenty on drainage
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Don’t do only orchid bark or you might have too little moisture in the pot. Another commenter just posted on a post I just made and said bark only isn’t a good idea either. She helpfully suggested half and half bark/sphagnum moss but to keep the moss light and airy. Hope your orchid rebounds!
2 LikesThat was me that suggested that. ☺️ I just wanted to reiterate that it very much depends on your environment. If you are watering once a week and your roots are just not drying out, a bark only mix might work perfectly well. However, if you are watering constantly and the roots are drying out too soon for you, sphagnum is a great solution. It’s really about finding the mix that’s right for your watering schedule, your plant, and your environment.
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I know I’m late to the game but adding my 2 cents… Based on the amount of roots left, I think the terra cotta pot pictured in an earlier response is too large. I’m a pot that large you’ll have wide variations in moisture throughout the pot. And while Phals are pretty forgiving, most orchids don’t relish having their roots messed with. I would expect some of them to die back. I would seriously consider cutting off the flower spike to allow the plant to redirect resources from flower production to root growth. Flowers use a ton of water, and there aren’t many roots to take up water. As PlantyAnn and Jenn suggested, ideally you’ll want to use a clear orchid pot. But if you don’t have one, any plastic pot will work. In a pinch you can add additional ventilation to a nursery pot. I find the most important consideration is to size it so that the roots just fit in the pot. Base on my conditions, I would layer the media with primarily bark at the bottom of the pot with more sphagnum towards the top. That will allow the bottom to dry out faster (there’s no roots there to use the moisture). But I completely agree with Jen about adjusting the media to fit your growing conditions. The Miss Orchid Girl channel on YouTube is a great visual resource. She details repotting, general care and rehab of various types of orchids. Good luck!
5 LikesHuge thanks to everyone!
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