First Orchid and I think I've killed it!

[cjs]

I inherited a beautiful Phal orchid from my neighbor before she moved. It had several pretty pink blooms and was a joy to view.

I read that it might do well in a room that got eastern sunlight so I moved it into my kitchen .... in a pretty much direct path of the air conditioner vent . I didn't even think about it. The petals started wilting and dropping after a few days so I moved it back to the area where it received filtered western sunlight.

Now the petals have all dropped and the end of the stem is turning into a light brown color. There are a lot of roots on top of the bark/moss mixture and they appear to be dried up. I do see some green roots though. The bark/moss medium seems a bit wet - I think I may have over watered. My neighbor told me to put four ice cubes on the top of the root part every four days .

Do I need to replant or cut back the stem?

I'm in north Texas if climate makes a difference in how I care for the orchid.

This seems to be the place for orchid information!

[Sharyn]

Welcome to the forum. You should update your profile to include Texas as your location as we members are from all over the world and have different growing conditions.

It sounds like you need some basic orchid information. Try this link for a culture sheet on the Phal. AOS | Phalaenopsis Your flowers probably basted from the air condition vent. Orchids like a gentle breeze, but not a cold blast.

I don't know anything about that ice cube trick. Personally, I would get a good basic orchid book, like Ortho. I keep my Phals in medium light. Your eastern window might be fine, but I'm not familiar with how hot that might be in your growing area. Also, try the skewer method for watering - it will help you from overwatering.

There's lots of help from friendly members on our forum. Don't be afraid to ask questions. And again, welcome.

[jay]

Hello and welcome to the forum.

Here is the link that Sharyn mentioned about watering.

http://www.orchidgeeks.com/forum/new...f-orchids.html

More important than the petals of the flowers would be the condition of the leaves and roots. How are they?

[cjs]

I've updated my profile.

I finally got the plastic container out of the planter and see lots of green roots. There are brown ones as well. Lots of moss at the bottom of the container.

There are five leaves. The bottom one is about 5" long and an 'okay' green color. The uppermost leaf is about 14" long, thicker and a nice green color. The two upper leaves have splits in the middle of the leaf, they look like cracks I suppose and the cracks look dry. The cracks are very thin, maybe a few millimeters wide and about two inches long.

I've read the skewer for watering article and that sounds doable!

I belive I need fresh planting medium that's not moss.

Like I stated in my OP, the end of the stem (stalk?) seems to be turning a light brow color.

[kmarch]

Hi cjs and welcome to the forum!

Originally Posted by cjs

My neighbor told me to put four ice cubes on the top of the root part every four days

Please promise me you'll never take any orchid advice form your neighbor. This is one of those crazy annecdotal things, you know the type, "put your Christmas Cactus in a bag under the kitchen sink for a month to get it to flower" sort of things.

From the sounds of your second post it sounds like you are on the right track. Get rid of the wet, soggy moss and repot into some fresh mix. Here's a couple of things to look for when you repot:
1) healthy roots are green, whit-ish, or light brown-ish and are firm and crisp. Rotten roots are mushy or hollow, soft, and brown or black. When you repot remove all of the unhealthy/rotted roots.

2) go to the orchid care section of this forum or to AOS | Home and get a culture sheet on your Phalaenopsis. A culture sheet givesyou information about what kind fo temperature, light, how much water, etc, your orchid needs. Give it a thorough read and let us know if you have any questions.

3) Firm crisp leaves are a sign ofa healthy plant. Floppy or wilted leaves indicate somethign may be wrong. Watch your leaves closely after you repot. They can tell you if your plant is doing well ro not. And again ask lots of questions here if you need to.

But please don't put ice on yoru Phal roots and consider recommending a good book on orchid fundamentals (like Ortho's All About Orchids) to your neighbor...and consider getting a copy for yourself too. It's the best book on orchid basics that I know of.

[patticake]

Amen, Kmarch! I work for a few hundred retired nuns, and the one who's supposed to be a plant person, told all the sisters to put ice cubes on their Poinsettias. I tried to nicely tell them otherwise, but they like listening to their sister instead.
Oh well...take it from any serious plant grower, ice on the plants is NOT the greatest! If the soil is very dry, maybe the slow application of water may be better than pouring it all on at once, but melting ice isn't the way to achieve this. The cold temp of the melting ice isn't good for the roots.

By the way, !!!

[cjs]

Thanks, everyone! I will get an orchid care book this weekend.

I would like to ask these questions now though:

1. The stem is drying out at the end and had dropped all petals. Do I trim the stem back to the healty, green part? What is the best method (tools) for trimming the stem? Where should I trim the stem?

2. Do I repot in a clear, plastic container?

3. Does Lowe's, Home Depot or WalMart carry decent orchid planting medium?

I've browsed the AOS site and it's very helpful!

[lissie0113]

so what is the deal with the ice trick? i live in tampa, but just moved here from miami where it is much hotter. a couple of orchid growers down south had mentioned the ice thing to me as well, and i never really understood it, and therefore never tried it. (i also thought that the cold might be too shocking to the roots) however, these few friends of mine swear by it, and grow beautiful orchids with this method. is it possible that this kind of a trick works well in superhot areas, i.e. miami, texas, where one of the biggest challenges for outdoor orchids is to keep them from cooking in the sun? i dunno.... just a thought, maybe someone knows.