New, confused, and have a sick little orchid.

[LittleStarGirl]

Hi there,

I've spent a little over an hour reading through this forum learning and trying to find an answer to what is going on with my new orchid.

I have a couple things happening to my Phaleaneopsis at the same time. My boyfriend gave me my orchid about three weeks ago. Initially the roots seemed a little questionable, but I've followed the instructions and other advice on their site. You might be guessing - yes, it was the 'add ice' company. I now understand that is a horrible thing to do and will never subject my orchid to that again.

My orchid is placed in a spot that is sunny (I think it is facing East) all day with minor direct light durning sunset. I've watered it once a week with three ice cubes. :'( The temperatur in my apartment stays between 74-77f. There are two plastic pots, and inner (for easy removal so I can remove excess water) and an outer decorative pot.

Now the flowers are wilting up the spike and the roots are two different colors - a nice green and mushy grey. I feel like the watering at where ever it was purchased was horrible and there is old soil in the pot. I feel like I should pull the orchid out and get rid of the mushy (possibly dead?) roots and replace the old soil with a new mixture.

I'm very scared about doing anything. I had an orchid one other time and it died a slow death because I was so uninformed. I don't want the same thing to happen to this one. I still have a clay pot, soil and fertilizer from the first and wonder if I should repot the new one into the clay pot completely?

I will include photos as soon as I am allowed.

Thank you guys for your time,
~*~

[1joyceh]

Welcome to the forum LittleStarGirl, thanks for joining our group
It would be better if we could see a picture, that will take 5 posts by you, then the more experienced members can help you.
It does sound like some of the roots, the grey and mushy ones will have to be removed though. Since you do have some healthy-sounding roots, the plant may just need a little surgery, a repot, and some TLC

[jsehorn]

Yep, sounds like you should definitely repot immediately. Many people here swear by repotting any new orchid immediately, no matter what condition just so that they can check out the root health and get it planted in a medium they like.

Many Phals come in sphagnum moss, which works for some people, but many people hate it because it stays wet for so long and results in root death.

Repot it, leave the healthy roots, trim off the dead roots, and pot it in an acceptable potting mix (bark-based mixes are good). Select a pot size based upon the size of the root system, not the size of the plant. The roots should just fit in the pot.

The information I have shared applies to orchids in general. Bear in mind that I am a notorious Phal killer, and although the above information is good general advice, maybe somebody can chime in with some Phal-specific tips.

[LittleStarGirl]

You guys are great - I've looked through so many site tonight and I really love how every here is so helpful to each other. Thank you for having a Newbie friendly zone.

[LittleStarGirl]

Now I'm going to be annoying to get my five posts in...

[jsehorn]

We're a really friendly group around here, and we love helping people who are just getting started. Welcome to the forum, and I hope you stick around!

[LittleStarGirl]

Or a little self serving... I've loved orchids for so long, I really want to become a good -I don't know the term- grower.

[LittleStarGirl]

Thank you again for your help!

[jsehorn]

There's definitely a learning curve. There is not a single person here who didn't kill a few plants before they figured it out, but stick with it, ask questions, learn as much as you can, and before you know it, you'll be growing like a champ!

[LittleStarGirl]

[jsehorn]

Yeah, that medium looks kind of old, and the fact that the only really good roots are on the surface would also indicate that. It looks like you still have some good roots and the leaves look like they're in fair shape, so it shouldn't be hard to save this one. Repot it in fresh medium, keep it a bit dry at the roots until you see new root growth, and then you can resume watering as usual. I'd go ahead and cut the spike so that the plant can focus its energy on new roots.

[LittleStarGirl]

Oh man - that's so scary. I will do what you say. I guess I will need to do a photoshoot with it before I do all of this so I can remember what the flower looks like. Lol. How long will it take for it to feel better and flower again?

[jsehorn]

It doesn't look like it's in terrible shape yet, so I'm guessing it will recover quickly. You should see new root growth in a couple weeks, shortly followed by a new leaf, and soon after the new leaf you can expect to see a new flower spike. It's hard to give an exact time frame, but I'd say definitely within a year, and probably much sooner than that. I think what you need to do is get another orchid so that you have something pretty to look at while this one recovers

[jsehorn]

Keep in mind, while I've been growing orchids for some 15 years, I am not a Phal expert. The information I am giving you is based upon other people's experience with Phals. Hopefully somebody who is a Phal expert will chime in and verify my advice, or make other suggestions that are more helpful.

[Fishmom]

Hello LittleStarGirl, and welcome to the forum! It can be scary to repot your first orchid, but phals are very tough and forgiving and tend to recover quickly, as jsehorn has said. There is a thread a little further down that has some good pictures to boost your confidence!
Phalaenopsis Repotting *Pic Heavy*

If all goes well, your phal will reward you with a burst of growth in a few weeks or months, and then you can join the group of us that likes to obsess over each new bit of growth.

[syndywindy]

Welcome to the forum! Overall I'd say your phal looks good. SThe blooms are probably just at the point where they are fading in the natural cycle of things. I would definitely cut the spike all the way down, that puts energy into the plant as it resumes it's growth. Then I would repot, roots above the pot look a bit dessicated and looks like I see good roots below the surface from the one picture. After you remove the plant from the pot, remove as much as the old medium as you can without harming the good roots. Cut away any roots that are brown/black and mushy. It seems scary the first time, but it really is pretty easy. For my phals I use a medium bark with charcoal and some perlite, but I have used just bark. Try to use a pot tht is just big enough for the roots and a little bit extra for growth. If the roots above the surface are pliable enough, I try to put them into the pot, otherwise I leave them be. Give it a good soaking and then put it wearever you plan to grow it. Phals don't require high light, so if you had it in an east facing window, that is fine. I don't know what your conditions are like there but now that it's cold where I am, I am only watering my phals every 10 days or so. You definitley don't want to over water and you don't want to use ice cubes. Also know, that some of these commercial growers, force bloom their plants. If so, they may skip a bloom cycle before resuming on a regular cycle. You can do it!!

[LittleStarGirl]

Thanks you guys! I'm going to do all of this today {but I need to get some good sheers first, my old ones broke.} I'm a photographer - so I'm documenting the process. It will be a slightly lengthy process, but I hope in the end I will be able to post up a series of photos that will help other beginners in the future.

You guys are amazing.

[vanda_obsession]

It doesn't look like its in bad shape at all! Just some new potting medium and it should do well. Flowers may be at the end of their life cycle so no worries there!

[orchids4me]

Wow!!
I think I saw a green root down by the bottom of the pot.
Is that coco peat mix it in? I would repot It after you see how the remaining roots look in a medium size bark mix. Since you're not accoustomed to watering with different medias I'd use one to start that doesn't stay to wet incase you are a heavy water (coco peat and sphag moss retain a lot of water) with bark mix or coco nuggets or chips will work and you can water more frequently in the warmer weather due to drying faster and less chance of root rot with a chunky airy mix.

I'm sorry you were exposed to that marketing mess just add ice I can see the cold damage it done to the top roots I'm glad you found us
Welcome to the forum

[RebelCowgirl]

Welcome to the forum!!!!