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Help! I’m new to orchids and recently got this one. How can I tell if… | The Orchid Oasis | Comunità di Planta

Katie

Help! I’m new to orchids and recently got this one. How can I tell if it’s thirsty? I’m doing weekly soaks for 30-45 mins. It’s planted in orchid bark. I will soak it but the roots never really turn vibrant green for longer than a day. The roots are plump however and do not feel hollow. The leaves are doing this wrinkling and I’m worried about overwatering. Any tips? Should I switch to growing in an empty glass jar and a very small amount of water at the bottom? It’s beginning to drop off its flowers. The flowering photo is the day I purchased it in July.

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4 commenti

  1. Matilda

    The wrinkling could be underwatering - add some moss to the orchid mix to help with water retention

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  2. Waspinator

    If where you're growing it gets very hot or has very dry air, it may need to be watered more often than once a week. Signs of dehydration are floppy leaves, wrinkly roots, and wrinkly leaves. If it's been dehydrated long-term, both roots and leaves can scar such that they won't go back to normal; if that happens, watch the new ones to monitor health. It looks like its roots may be so dehydrated that they're barely alive, so it's possible that it doesn't have many roots actually absorbing water. You can add a bit of sphagnum into your bark mix to help (I prefer bark, so I just add a bit near the base of the roots to add humidity for new ones, but if your growing conditions keep things too dry, you can add more sphagnum as needed. You can even do 100% sphagnum, just keep the moss loose so the roots get air.) Here's a comparison to help you assess root health

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    • Amy

      That’s a great graphic!

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    • PhantomPhilodendron

      Thank you for sharing this graphic!

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