Spongey leaves

[rlrugh]

I have four orchids now, and they have always done real well, and flowered every year since I purchased them. This year though, all but the newer one, even though flowering, didn't look well. The leaves at first seemed to have a fungel diease, so I sprayed them with SM-90, and cut off a couple of the leaves that were old and dieing, then I noticed that the leaves started to feel soft and spongey. I removed them from their pots, and relized that the roots were mostly dead, and that the potting medium was rotting, so I cut off all the dead roots, washed the rest, and replanted in new fresh medium. One is now growing a new leaf, but all of them still have soft spongy leaves. Any suggestions?
Thanking you in advance..........Lauren

[mayres]

What kind of media did you put them in? I would strongly suggest something that is going to retain a fair amount of water since you have limited roots at this point. Medium to Coarse bark for example would probably not be good choices. Many on this forum would suggest sphag - either straight or mixed with some other media. I am partial to coir. If you are partial to bark you could go back to it after the roots are firmly established if you like. Depending how far gone (soft and spongy) the leaves are they may or may not come back to "life". If they have discolored much they will not come back to normal. Using a root stimulator like superthrive or other might be a good plan. Some of us are also becoming partial to worm tea for overall plant stimulation and vigor. Good luck - mike

[jerrymeola]

It is hard to recover from damaged leaves. Usually if you can get new growth you have to be satisfied with that.

Good new growth will allow the plant to discard the damaged leaves. It is slow but they come back. Surprisingly they often flower with only one or two small leaves.

[kmarch]

rlrugh, what kind of orchids do you have?

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Forum members: It's great that forum members are so eager to help, but may I tactfully recommend that we be very careful about giving specific cultural advice when we don't know what kind of orchid we're talking about? For example, the recommendation to keep the medium moist may or may not be a good idea given the type of orchid we're dealing with.

[rlrugh]

Thank-you for your suggestion Mike! I replanted them in medium sized bark, as that is what they orginally were in. Should I water them daily until I can get what you suggest? Thanks again........Lauren

[fred]

rlrugh

what sort of orchids do you grow may be you could please post some pics of your plants so we can advise you with the right informatoin

many thanks

[rlrugh]

Kmarch.....the three that I am having trouble with are phalaenopsis

[rlrugh]

Fred.....I posted the pictures on the orchid picture gallery under Pictures of Orchid Diseases & Insects. They are titled Sick Leaves. After downloading the pictures I never got a BB code, or whatever it is called. Hope you can help! Thanks alot! Lauren

[mayres]

If you are going to leave them in medium bark you will want to make certain it doesn't dry out too much - this could lead to further dessication of your leaves. Another concern is the pot size you used. If the pot is not sized for the root system you can end up with media staying damp too long once it starts retaining water. After severe root damage one often has to go down a pot size. Did you soak your bark for 24-48 before repotting? Sometimes it takes awhile for bark to start absorbing water after a repot. You may need to soak your pot, media, roots and all for 15-30 minutes or longer when you water until it starts retaining water - this will be especially important when you have a plant with a compromised root system. If the roots are fairly short you may want to just spritz/mist the media around the base of the plant until you can get a media that will hold a little more water. Good luck - mike

[rlrugh]

Thanks Mike.....seeings that I am new to this, I didn't soak the media but for about 1 hour. I think your suggestion of misting the roots sounds good, so I have done that, and maybe tomorrow will soak them for a bit. I really would hate to loose these plants, and will try anything to save them. Thank-you all for all the help. Will keep you posted. Lauren

[fred]

I have looked at the pics of your plant it looks very Dehydrated.

I decided to attach 2 of your pics for the other members opinions.

I hope this helps

[brookn]

Were the roots okay? Those are dehydrated for sure. I would keep a close eye on the bark, and use some superthrive. I have decided that though I like the bark, charcoal, perlite mix, the phals need a little moisture. I have been adding sphag, the interesting thing is I got a compressed brick of it, and when I rehydrate this stuff it looks really good, some is still green. Okay I digress, if after a couple of weeks they are not looking better take em out and add some sphag or coir to the mix. I just dump in a handful or so of it. I believe mike has a more concrete formula, I just pot plants like I cook, a little of this, a pinch more of that...seems to work for me but I understand people like recipes also

[rlrugh]

Thanks Brookn.........I soaked them today, and next time I get to town, will buy some of the different potting media. Have family that lives in Missouri. Good looking dog!

[brookn]

Thanks, that is Stupid Rance Dancing Pants my bob-tailed great dane (he had what they call happy tail and broke it and it had to be removed).
I live near Spfld. but originally from KS (a long time ago). I have a cousin that lives in CA.

I wouldn't go to completely fresh medium, just add a bit of something that holds some more water than the bark. The plants may surprise you, I am sure that getting used to bark is difficult. I have some that are thriving in the bark mixed with sphag, and one that hates it. I am thinking it will have to go to sphag. It really also depends on the preference of the plant. My species phal is in sphag, and my primary hybrid phal (I am using terminology kevin lol) is also in sphag and loving it. The other hybrids are doing pretty well after a two-four week adjustment to the bark mix. My decision to go to bark was based on the way the roots looked, and our high humidity. Your plant will let you know what is right.