How can I help this poor plant?

[tangers40]

Hi everybody! I'm brand new to the board (and to orchid-keeping as well!) and had some newbie questions about a new pathetic-looking orchid i "rescued" yesterday.

Here's what I know (I have pics as well, but I read that I can't post them until I have 5 posts of my own? I might have to cheat to get there if necessary): it's a phal, but no idea of color or what not as it is not in bloom. It's potted in bark of some kind, with pieces about an inch across. the bark was BONE DRY, as was the plant when I got it. It's got 3 leaves, 2 appear healthy while 1 is wrinkling/off-color on the end, but all 3 leaves are very wilted and droopy. It had a dead spike on it which I have since cut off. No signs of life in the spike whatsoever. It has a couple aerial roots, they are full and green, but they were dry as well (they felt like dried out tree twigs...that's not normal, is it?).

Are the droopy leaves and the one wrinkled leaf just a sign of not enough water? The first thing I did when I got it home was to water it. Or is there something else that I'm not aware of?

[digitalgate]

becareful of pest, look carefully. All you need to do is water and wait

[BillC]

Hi, I agree with DG that all you need to do is water and wait, but I would advise you to read the info. in this link :

http://www.orchidgeeks.com/forum/new...ing+of+orchids

It is important not to water too much.

Bill

[patticake]

Try clicking on this link, also. AOS | Phalaenopsis
It will help. keep us posted!

[E-Jag]

Now would be an excellent time to pull the plant from it's pot and check the roots. Remove any that are dead and repot in the same container, preferably with new bark. Put the whole thing in a small bucket or dishpan of water (not cold), just deep enough to where the bark begins to float. Let it soak for about an hour. It'll be fine. If you use new bark, let it soak for about 12 hours first with a couple drops of Dawn or some other detergent before the repot.

___________________
E-Jag

[jerrymeola]

The way I read you post is that the roots in the pot are bad and the aerial roots are dry.

At this point I throw them in the burn pile, especially with Phals. You can try and hope for the best but Phals should never be allowed to totally dry out.

The wilting leaves are from lack of water but even flooding the plant with water will not actually water the plant. There are just no good roots to absorb the water into the plant.

Cattleya sometimes can put out new roots from their pseudobulb but Phals have no reserve from which to grow.

Good luck I hope for the best for you.

[tangers40]

Originally Posted by jerrymeola

The way I read you post is that the roots in the pot are bad and the aerial roots are dry.

actually, i believe the roots IN the pot are ok, but the aerial roots seem dry. after watering, the leaves are actually starting to perk up, so perhaps all is not lost.

[tangers40]

thanks for the links, guys! i was given another phal about 2 months ago for my b-day and it seems to be doing quite well. it's actually the same color/pattern as the one in this forum's banner. can anybody tell me what it's name would be? not quite sure if i'm asking for a species name or just a coloration name, but whatever you can tell me would be great too! as soon as i get a few more posts, i'll post some pics of both.

[PhalPal]

I agree with e-jag - pull it out of the pot, inspect and clean up the roots and repot in fresh medium. It you have a few good roots, you can revive this baby. Pictures are always extremely helpful and we all love to ooggle each others plants.

(If you want, just post 'Hi Everyone' a few times to get you up to five posts)

[tangers40]

awesome! thanks guys. the poor little thing is looking better each day. where's the best place to find some new medium? the nurseries around here have closed for the season already. would a home depot/lowe's be ok?

[tangers40]

ok, here's post number 5! i'll post some pics in the next one.

[tangers40]

ok, photo 1 is of the droopy leaves themselves. but this pic is now a couple days old, and all of the leaves are now perkier. not quite back to normal, but better.

photo 2 is the one wrinkled/browning leaf. is it salvageable?

and photo 3 is just a quick one of the medium and the aerial roots.

[PhalPal]

I would pull it out of the pot and inspect the roots. That is always the first thing I do if I'm concerned about a plant and I suspect you may have a marginal root system. With that said, some phals have naturally thinner and droopy leaves but your first step is to see what you have to deal with.

[tangers40]

just wanted to say thanks again to everybody for their help. my lil plant is looking wonderful! it got a repot with some fresh bark and had its bad roots cut off. there were still quite a few healthy ones as well. and it's even got a lil tiny new leaf coming in! hooray! looks like it's gonna make it yet. now i can't wait for it to spike again so i can see what color i got