Hi, does anyone recognise this problem. I water weekly, let it sit in water for 15 minutes then I tip it out as pot doesn’t have any drainage holes. Admittedly the plants probably don’t like to be tipped upside down unless I repot which I’m reluctant to do. Appreciate your thoughts. Thank you.
Repot. Orchids need drainage they are highly prone to root rot, which is probably what this is.
2 likesYep repot. Phals are epiphytes, so in the wild they'd cling to trees. They'd get lots of air around the roots, and dry out well between waterings. Use a loose orchid bark mix, what it's in right now looks more like mulch and will suffocate it. For the roots, take a good look at them and trim away any dead or diseased roots. If you find signs of root rot, dip the roots in hydrogen peroxide to treat the remaining healthy ones. Here's a picture to help you tell healthy apart from rotting:
Meanwhile that fern is probably appreciating the wetter soil. In the future, adding a gravel or perlite layer to the bottom of no-drainage pots can help prevent root rot. Treat them like terrariums, with a drainage layer
1 likeI brought home some bark from the forest and placed them on top of the orchid mix. Months later 2 new plants appeared. Said fern and some sort of pine. I guess those need to come out as they require different conditions. I won’t do this again as my pot was full of larvae from the bark. All gone now. It took months.
1 likeThis is really very useful. Thank you.
1 likeAll the above is accurate regarding repotting and root rot… but if you are referencing the discoloration on the leaf… I’m not sure that root rot is the cause. It looks like there is some damage to the leaf, (the black spot on the edge) that has caused an infection that is spreading down the leaf. If it progresses, you may want to cut the discolored portion away (cutting into healthy tissue to reduce the chance of it continuing) and treat the cut edge by applying a little cinnamon all along the moist edge. If it progresses all the way to the stem, it can cause the whole orchid to sicken and die off.
3 likesOk. I will repot and follow this advice too. Thank you.
1 likeThank you all. Very helpful.
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