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Hello! Super super plant noob over here crying because I desperately… | The Orchid Oasis 🇺🇸 | Planta-community

OrchidNewbie

Hello! Super super plant noob over here crying because I desperately want to keep my orchid alive. Two weeks ago, it lost its last bloom and I repotted it out of the moss and into orchid bark into this aerated pot. I probably over trimmed the roots but I was worried that there would be too many dead roots if I didn’t. Well, I’ve been watering it but the roots look so dry (this photo was taken today. I soaked it in water for thirty minutes last night). I don’t know if it under watered, overwatered, or just transplant shock. Any and all advice/tips would be greatly helpful!!

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2 gillningar 7 kommentarer

7 kommentarer

  1. plantgeek

    those roots are drying quickly because there's no medium on them. if they're visible, they're going to dry quicker. i'm not a fan of these ceramic pots- you can't see what's going on! ideally you wait to see if the roots below the soil line have gone silver but you can't with these

    0 gillningar
    • OrchidNewbie

      Thank you. Originally I wanted a clear plastic liner but after returning three the wrong size, I decided just to repot it. Now I’m hesitant to repot into a liner in fear of causing more issues. I had a hard time getting it under the bark and that was the best that I could do. Even though I watered yesterday should I try to rewater today or add more medium? And potentially wait until my orchid is stronger to repot into a plastic liner?

      1 gilla
  2. Waspinator

    All signs point to dehydration (wrinkly roots and wrinkly leaves). That said, it's not very bad and probably just throwing a tantrum over the change from sphag to bark. I'd let it rest and just add a little bit of bark on top to help those highest roots maintain moisture. You might water it slightly more often than usual or let it have some bottom-watering soak sessions to help it make the substrate transition, but it'll adjust. As for root trimming in the future, you do want to remove all dead material, but orchids hate root damage. Unless there's rot, it's better to leave a possibly dead root than to cut a live one. Letting the roots soak before trimming is good to help you tell them apart; questionable live roots tend to revive well when they're hydrated.

    2 gillningar
    • OrchidNewbie

      Thank you!! I have added a little more bark on top. I was hesitant to do so because I wouldn’t be able to see the roots but I will figure it out!! So do you think twice a week is too much? My roots get silvery (when it was healthier before repotting) every 7-10 days

      1 gilla
    • Waspinator

      I water phalenopsis orchids about once a week to every other week, so every 7-10 days sounds right. They can handle twice a week as long as the medium drains well enough. Also watch younger roots and leaves for health; the older ones are likely to stay wrinkly

      1 gilla
    • OrchidNewbie

      Ok thanks! Yes, my orchid lost two of its bottom leaves. One of the top ones is still nice and firm, but the others definitely is feeling floppy and wrinkly. Doing my best to keep it alive and hopefully get it to thrive after this hard season

      0 gillningar
    • Jen

      To be clear- there is no one answer fits all for how often to water. Your environment may be much dryer than mine or Wasp’s- your orchid may be in vegetative growth mode while mine is getting ready to bloom, your bark is fresh, and therefore doesn’t retain as much water as my year-old bark mix with smaller pieces. (You get the picture.) So the best way to water is when you see that the medium is dry and your roots are silver. Period. That might be every 3 days for some, every 2 weeks for others.

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