How long should it take for an orchid that’s wrinkled from dehydration to recover after watering? In the pot there are two soil types, in the center is a sphagnum mix that was in the original pot from the store. When I repotted last year I used a bark based orchid mix. The sphagnum mix is thoroughly damp and has been so for about a week, but I’ve seen no sign of recovery.
My guess is your plant is experiencing root loss because of the sphagnum plug. It seems to be staying too wet and probably drowning the roots close to the plant. I would do a complete repot into a 50% bark 50% sphagnum mix. If you are more heavy handed with the watering can, use less sphagnum. Remove all the dead or dying roots. If the plant has no viable roots left, I would topdress the pot with sphagnum to increase moisture at the plant. You might also tent it to up the humidity. If there are not roots, it turns into a race for the plant to grow roots while loosing water. If the roots are in good shape, consider using the 50/50 mix and increase frequency of watering. Watch for the roots to just turn silver and then water. For orchids in bark or mostly bark, I like to soak the pot for 15 minutes when watering. The wrinkles will probably always be around, but they will become less noticeable as the plant rehydrates. You will also notice the leaves will become firmer as it begins taking up water.
1 likeI re potted as you suggested and the sphagnum plug was indeed soaked and rotting the inner roots. Hopefully after trimming all the rot away and mixing the sphagnum into the bark that will give the remaining roots the air / moisture balance that they need
1 like I’m hoping for the best 🤞 FYI - you’re not the only one to run afoul of the “plug of death”. They are great for growers but the bane of hobbyists everywhere.
0 likesThanks! Honestly your tip about the roots turning silver originally confused me because they were basically always silver. Now that I’ve repotted them I see they turn green when watered, always learning new things!
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