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I have had this orchid for two years, and she has bloomed both years.… | The Orchid Oasis | Planta-Community

Lynda

I have had this orchid for two years, and she has bloomed both years. About two months ago, I repotted her into a 5”pot, with rePOTme dark imperial orchid mix, and some sphagnum moss, since reviews said the mix had tendency to be a bit dry. My only problem was, I wasn’t sure when to water her, since it was a new, very airy soil. I asked for some help online, and one person told me that she waited until the leaves got wrinkly, before she watered her orchids. I thought, I can do that, and so I did! (I waited until the leaves of my orchid, got wrinkly… 🥲.) Unfortunately, she got too dry, and proceeded to have three of her leaves turn yellow, which I finally removed. Her leaves still have not returned to that smooth, glossy, dark green. But, she is trying to push up a new leaf, after all that! HOW OFTEN WOULD YOU WATER THIS ORCHID? Thanks for your help… 🤗💚🪴 PS. The first pic is of her former beautiful self; the second pic is of her damaged current self.

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1 Like 11 Kommentare

11 Kommentare

  1. Wolfen 🐺

    Once a week. Two if your place is humid, when the soild rules out, water again. Misting regularly will help with the humidity too if it's not getting enough

    1 Like
  2. Guenon

    Is she in a clear pot? They help tell when to water. When roots are green, no water needed. When roots are silver, water. Hope this helps.

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    • Guenon

      Oh, and never wait til leaves are wrinkled. By that time, Phals are in trouble.

      4 Likes
    • Lynda

      My problem has been that I can’t see the roots. She is in a clear, orchid pot, but the roots are hidden by the planting medium, ???. TIA… 🤗💚🪴

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  3. Jen

    Agree 100% with Guenon. Number 1- when leaves wrinkle they are losing cell structure from dehydration. They may be so damaged that they will never go back to their former plump glossy former state. 2- You can’t base watering schedule on anyone else’s timeframe. Your orchid is a hybrid that others may not have- your media mix is different, your location’s environment, temps, and humidity are different. Let your orchid tell you, then get the hang of its particular needs. The roots are the best way of knowing. Silver- time to water, still green, wait. It’s just as bad to OVER water now- the roots will rot.

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    • MeasomerPi

      ☝️💯

      1 Like
    • Lynda

      TXS for that informative post! My problem, as stated above, is that I can’t see her roots in this particular plant medium, (should I pull her out of her pot every time to check the roots… seems like a major disturbance!) So, is there a general timeframe in which a 5” (the pot) orchid, usually should be watered? TIA… 🤗💚🪴

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    • MeasomerPi

      There are a lot of variables that affect how much water a plant uses at any given time. And they can change seasonally (temp or the amount of light), daily (is the ceiling fan on or off) or permanently (moved to a different location). So without knowing your conditions, it will be difficult to give any solid advice. When dealing with opaque pots, I’ll stick a bamboo chopstick in the media. Periodically I’ll remove the chopstick and check it for dampness. If it’s wet, I’ll wait. If it’s dry, I whip out the watering can. That being said, this is how I care for my phals. The type of media dictates how I water. I grow most of my Phalanopsis in bark so they dry out reasonably fast in my growing conditions. When the phal is ready for some water, I soak the pot for 10-15 minutes. Each time I water, I use fertilizer at 1/4 strength. Wait until the media dries out (look for silver roots) before watering again. For my setup, that works out to roughly once a week. For plants in sphagnum, I top water only because soaking causes the sphagnum to take in too much water. These orchids usually are ready for water every second week. Again this is based on my growing conditions so watch your plant to determine when it wants water. Once a month flush with pure water to reduce salt buildup (this is especially important if you are using synthetic fertilizer or have hard water). But remember, this is based on my growing conditions. You’ll need to observe your plant and modify your care according to your setup and particular plant’s needs.

      1 Like
    • Lynda

      Thanks so much for your informative post; it was extremely helpful! At this point, her roots have deteriorated to nothing but black strings, so I can’t judge her need for water by looking for a silver root. Since she’s in such poor condition, would watering once weekly be appropriate? Also, would you recommend I follow your weekly fertilizing schedule since she is so debilitated? TIA…🤗💚🪴

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  4. SueB

    I water mine when dry almost to the bottom. I make sure to spray or mist water on the air roots and any roots I see poking out of the pot.

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  5. MattL

    “Wait till the leaves wrinkle” was unfortunately the worst advice ever. I’m sure she’ll bounce back, though. If you can’t see the roots, then just start with Planta’s suggested watering schedule, and if the top inch of potting mix is still wet and Planta says to water, just snooze it and tell Planta it’s wet. Eventually you’ll figure out the right schedule.

    2 Likes