I'm new to orchids. A co-worker left and gave away her plants. So, of course I needed to adopt. My main question is: it's potted with a palm, should these be separated? It's potted in loose moss, is that ok? I'm sure I'll have additional questions. They seem happy so far and I don't have history on it.
Not familiar with palms or multi-species pots personally, but most of the advice I’ve seen in passing says to check if the plants have similar care (light, watering frequency, humidity, etc.). I use orchid-specific fertilizer for mine, so it may be worth it to see if the type of palm you have there likes it too? Or decide not to use fertilizer at all— happy plants tend to bloom and flourish regardless :)
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0 likesHi! I would recommend separating these plants and repotting both into different medium. The palm will go into a different potting mix, and the orchid should be transferred to orchid bark. If left in the moss, it’s likely to cause root rot in both plants. The orchid will indicate it needs water by the color of the roots: hydrated roots are bright green and thirsty roots are silvery. I like to put my orchids in clear pots so I can see all the roots. Water the orchid by submerging the pot in water and letting it soak for 10-20 minutes. Be careful not to get water into the stalk/green part of the orchid or it can cause crown rot. It should be put in an area that gets bright light but no direct sunlight or the leaves will sunburn. Good luck!
3 likesIt's possible to keep those together, but since you're new to orchids, it'll be a lot easier to separate them. Since this orchid is used to lots of sphagnum, you should mix some fresh sphag into the bark when you repot it. If it starts out in 100% sphag, I'd repot it in 70% sphag, 30% bark, and reduce the amount of moss with each repot until you and the plant are happy. When using sphagnum, keep it pretty loose; orchid roots need air. If it starts out with only or mostly the aerial roots, you can go straight for 100% bark. In general, sphag is for retaining more moisture, bark is for letting in air. Your orchid is a phalaenopsis if you want to look up more about care. Soak the roots to help make them flexible for potting. Here are some pictures to help you assess its root health:
