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Hello! This is my first orchid. It was a gift last August from a… | The Orchid Oasis | Planta-community

Gabby

Hello! This is my first orchid. It was a gift last August from a grocery store so it came with flowers and I cut the spike after all the flowers fell. I repotted it about two months ago into a more appropriate pot and cut away all the bad roots. These top roots have been drying out though and I think the app’s watering suggestion isn’t frequent enough since the humidity in my home is relatively low. Do I need to remove these roots since they’re so dry? Do I need to add moss for moisture retention? It’s just in bark right now. I saw someone comment on another post about soaking the whole pot in water; would that help? It just seems like the bark isn’t allowing the roots to soak up what they need. Any help is appreciated! There’s no sign of a new spike growing and I really want it to flower again!

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9 reacties

  1. Jessica

    It looks like you’re doing well with it. It’s normal for them to grow areal roots. If you think it is not getting enough water I would do what you suggested and fully soak the pot in water for 10-15 minutes. This is so that the bark gets fully soaked and is able to provide the roots underneath with water as needed. The leaves look healthy to me from this angle. Good luck!

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    • Gabby

      Thank you for the response! These are the leaves. The large one has been on it since I’ve had it so I think it’s starting to droop and yellow to shed the old leaf. At least I hope so…

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    • Gabby

      This one does have a weird patch on it too. I’m about to soak it! And I’ll water it that way from now on

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    • MeasomerPi

      I second Jessica’s suggestion about soaking. I grow my phals in all bark and they get a good soaking every week to two weeks. You might consider adding a smidge more bark or sphagnum on top to cover the roots. That will keep the roots from drying out so quickly. But I would not trim them. Phals bloom once a year so I wouldn’t worry too much unless you don’t get blooms by fall. Lack of blooms is usually due to too little light. Mine are in a west window that is heavily shaded. Even so, most of them have a touch of red on the leaves, which means they are getting the max amount of light they will tolerate. Morning sun is best but be careful of direct sunlight. That can burn a phal fast.

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    • MeasomerPi

      Leaf wrinkling is a sign of dehydration so you might consider upping the water a little.

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    • Gabby

      Will do, thank you for responding!

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  2. Jen

    I wouldn’t use the app’s recommendations for watering- for my environment and media, it’s WAY too infrequent. Water. Wait for the bark to dry. When the media is dry and the roots are silvery instead of green, water again. Let it dry between waterings, but you don’t want it to be dry for a week waiting for a prompt from planta. Let the orchid guide you. (I sound like Yoda. 😆)

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    • MeasomerPi

      I heard some good advice about water the other day. If you think your Cattleya needs water, wait another day. If you think your Vanda need water, water it. If you think your Phal or Paph needs water, you should have watered it yesterday. All of that to say, it’s important to observe the plant and learn when it need water.

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