I don’t think my orchid will recover. My daughter was watering my orchid everyday without telling me! I know she was being helpful but now the leaves and roots were rotting. I cut the rotting parts off, leaves and roots, but post again in a couple of weeks to show the progress.
Oh no. It’s so hard when mistakes like this happen. Especially when your daughter meant well. You mentioned cutting away the rotten roots and leaves, does it look to you like the infection travelled from the roots into the base of your phalaenopsis? Keep an eye on any further progression. In my experience, cutting the flower spikes too is really helpful in speeding recovery. The plant can then focus all its energy on the necessary parts that will bring it food, water, and nutrients. The flower spikes are just for us. After cutting away the rot, did you repot in new media?
2 likes Ahhh ok. Yes I will cut the flower spikes. And yes some of the roots were really soggy and looked just as bad as the leaves.
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Aww that’s sweet but of her, but also I sorry to hear. May I suggest a fern to replace her, and a mini watering can for your daughter? :)
2 likes I love ferns so that may be my next move!
1 likeGood news: the crown looks fine, so it's salvagable. You've already done the right thing to trim back the sick roots and leaf sections. You can pour a little bit of hydrogen peroxide in its soil and wipe some on any leaf cuts to help sterilize them (it can stay in there; it turns into water as it dries). Continue proper care and it will likely recover. Watch any new leaves for care needs; any old ones remaining will be scarred and probably die back as soon as the plant can afford to drop them. Also some other suggestions for your water-loving daughter: mosses! They look adorable in tea-light holders and you can mist them daily. Mounted micro-orchids (they're a little bit finicky, but they like daily misting. To start, try a dendrobium, bulbophyllum, or leptotes species; their leaves don't trap water and they don't mind being waterlogged), a bigger orchid (dendrobium, bulbophyllum, or cattleya. These can be vulnerable to root rot, so make sure they have great drainage, but they like being watered a lot more often than most), an air plant (daily misting, plus completely submerge/water the entire plant once a week), or a bromeliad (let water pool directly in the center, refill it or replace with fresh water every few days)
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