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05-14-2008, 09:50 PM
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| Major wilting :( Hi everyone! I'm Cristina, and i'm new to the site and in desperate help! My dad bought me an orchid as a pre-grad. present for my first year of university, and he thinks flowers are a big waste of money, so this orchid means the world to me (phalaenopsis). Unfortunatly as I was so busy studying away I didn't realize how bad my poor orchid was becoming, it used to have 7 leaves and three of them became yellow and mushy and fell off, the others that are left are still green but they are badly wilted. The flowers all died, and then one of the spikes started to go brown, so I cut them both down to about 2 inches. After a week, both of the spikes are now brown and look dead. I don't know what to do now. How do I save the leaves from dying? It's on a shelf in a north facing window. I check the water once a week, and fertilize with a nitrogen fertilizer once a month. The potting soil is the original stuff he bought it in, so I'm not sure what it is... Please help!      |
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05-14-2008, 09:53 PM
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| Can you update your profile to show your location? I am not so sure that the north facing window is enough light for your Phal. Also, have you repotted lately? The roots may be rotten if it's losing leaves that badly. How often are you watering, and what is it potted in, soil or is it bark?
__________________ JoBeth  |
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05-14-2008, 10:40 PM
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| It seems like the potting med. is all moss no soil, and it's very messy to try to tear apart when I was trying to find a root to examine them. I'm afraid I'd cause more harm then help by revealing a root, and I've never had to repot an orchid yet, so I don't know how to repot an unhealthy one. I check the soil once a week if not more frequent and water and drain it so that it's never dry, but never soggy. And the only picture I can give you is the one on by my name as apparantly I have to post 5 times before I can give you the URL/uploaded picture.... |
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05-14-2008, 10:44 PM
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| If it's all potted in moss, it's very possible that it may have root rot. The moss will stay pretty damp or wet in the middle for quite some time. I know you're worried about revealing a root, but that's what you have to do to repot or at least check the roots. The roots should be firm, any that are squishy are rotted.
__________________ JoBeth |
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05-14-2008, 10:59 PM
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| So what kind of potting material should I be looking for tomorrow to buy for my orchid? All I know is something that can drain well, any suggestions? And is there any kind of supplemnt I can give an orchid that is under stress/poor health? |
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05-14-2008, 10:59 PM
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| by "checking" the water I assume you mean see if the moss is still moist. If the moss is still moist, the phal doesn't need water. Moss holds water like crazy. Overwatering is an easy mistake to make, so taking out the orchid and checking for root rot is probably necessary.
__________________ Have a Splendiforous Day!!!  |
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05-14-2008, 11:01 PM
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| Many people purchase a bark mix from home depot, or your local plant nursery. There are a ton of options for that. You might also want to check the American Orchid Society website for a care sheet for your Phal, so that you are aware of the conditions that are needed.
__________________ JoBeth |
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05-14-2008, 11:18 PM
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| Hi Cristi and welcome to the forum  By the sounds of it Psyc1210 is right and your plant has root rot. But looking at the avatar in your pic, the moss looks dry. So I'm wondering if it's dehydrated? (Wrinkling of leaves can be cause by either under or overwatering. If you have a dry enviroment, spagh can still dry fairly quickly. ) Here is the care sheet from the AOS for Phals. Definitely check the roots for signs of rot. You might have to wet the moss to remove it. There is a revive formula for plants that can be used. I don't suggest fertilizer. If the roots are bad, fert will only burn up whats left and stress the plant even more. Cutting the spikes was a proper thing to do as this will put all the energy into healing the plant and not the spikes/blooms. First check the roots. See about getting some bark mix and soaking the bark for at least 4 hours to a day before use. If you can get pics of the roots so that we can see what's going on. This will really help.
__________________ Jenny~   |
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05-14-2008, 11:29 PM
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| Ok, I think I'm going to go to home depot tomorrow and ask for some bark mix and a revive formula. While repotting I'll take some photos of the roots and put them up. Thanks for everyones help... I love all my plants just as much, but I really don't want to lose this one. |
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05-14-2008, 11:36 PM
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| Oh sorry. They won't have the revive formula at HD. You have to make it.  Go to the thread that I made a link to and read it. It has the recipe for it there. 
__________________ Jenny~ |
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05-14-2008, 11:55 PM
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| So.... I may have missed it, but how exactly do I apply this solution to my orchid? Should I pour it into the pot it's in now and THEN repot it? and do I put this towel ontop of the leaves?? |
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05-15-2008, 02:05 AM
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| Sounds like you soak the whole plant with the pot in the solution for 4 hours then cover with the towel overnight. Sounds like pot included to me?!
__________________  Solay  |
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05-15-2008, 02:17 AM
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| Hi Christi, I would take plant out, after depotting, check the roots, I think they are gonna be too dry. If they are not they will be damp and soft, and most likely some will be black. If that is the case, soak them in hydrogen peroxide in a bowl for about 5-10 minutes, and then rinse with water. Trim off the ones that are dead, black and squishy. If the roots have been too dry, I would soak the whole plant in some water, such as in the sink, for about 30 minutes then trim the dead roots off. Pot the plant up, and soak in the revive solution, then wrap the pot with a towel soaked in the solution (this only works with clay pots like terracotta). If you are potting to a plastic pot, soak the plant pot and all (when we say soak, that means to use a bowl or bucket that the pot fits into, and fill with the solution just up to the top of the pot taking care not to let it tip over) for about 45 min, then cover with a plastic baggie. Let it stay in there for about 8 hours, then remove and spray or pour water gently, the plant in the pot until the water runs out the bottom, and then find a West or East window and put it there with no direct sunlight hitting it, and wait. You will need to water again after that when the center of your medium is almost dry. You can use the skewer method to determine when to water again. click here : Skewer use for watering of orchids and here: AOS | Phalaenopsis and here: New plants - nearly frozen leaves
__________________ “When two friends understand each other totally, the words are soft and strong like an orchid's perfume” |
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