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06-03-2008, 03:09 PM
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 orchid looking not well what is wrong with my orchid? the three branches are getting totally yellow and the blooms after only 4 weeks that have blossomed are about to fall. the roots are healthy and i try to follow the rules for orchid care. what should i do? is the orchid ok? should i cut the branches?      |
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06-03-2008, 04:30 PM
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| It's ok!!! Some orchids bloom for longer period while some fade after a day or two. With Phalanopsis (what you have) they range from several months to a a month or less. This is normal. Especially if you have only had it for the 4 weeks. Sometime blooms may fade and drop because of a change in their environment. As long as your roots and leaves are looking good I wouldn't worry. :-) It looks like you have a pretty healthy plant there! If you want can leave the stem (inflorescence) and wait until it changes to yellow or brown to remove. Sometimes if you cut the stem just above a nod or below a top nod the Phalenopsis will grow a new spike and rebloom for you! I think most members have agreed that if you choose not to let it rebloom this way you will have a more spectacular bloom the next year in most plants. But this is all up to you! If you want to cut the stem off to let the plant have all the energy it can to grow new leaves and such cut it about an inch away from the base or where the stem is coming from. You can trim it down further if you want. Just be careful not to get water that doesn't dry in between the leaves where the stem is. It looks like it was very beautiful when it was in full bloom. How long have you had it? Also Welcome to the forum. Do you have any other phals or orchids? You can introduce yourself here: Introductions - Orchid Forum Orchid Care then click click on new post. You can also click on the User CP Icon to update your profile to include your location. This will help us give you the best advice pertaining to your part of the world :-) Hope that helps!
__________________ Kortney "Nani ga miemasu ka"-White, Tekkonkinkreet http://kidaorchids.blogspot.com/ |
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06-03-2008, 06:38 PM
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| could you indicate me in which position i should cut it? (i really don't understand the terminology...) which is the stem,the nod,the spike? i have it for about 6 months,and it bloomed twice! the first was spectacular as it had about 8 flowers...  |
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06-03-2008, 06:59 PM
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| The whole thing (1,2,3,4,5) is called the spike. Stems are for Roses. the nodes are the little bumps you see along the spike as it grows longer and longer (The best I can describe it.  ). Sections 2 & 4 as you have marked in your picture have clearly turned brown. Those sections can be safely cut away, if you want. Eventually, the whole spike will turn brown. This is natural and expected. When this happens, you can cut the spike away about 1 inch from where it originally came out of the plant. It will spike again someday from a different spot on the plant. Got it?
__________________   John
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06-03-2008, 07:30 PM
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__________________ “When two friends understand each other totally, the words are soft and strong like an orchid's perfume” |
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06-03-2008, 07:39 PM
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| nice!you have been very helpful! some questions: 1.you mean that i should cut it in position 1,right? 2.if i cut it in positions 2,3, and 4 will it be ok or should i cut it definitely in position 1? should i do it now? |
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06-03-2008, 08:02 PM
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| For now, cut it in positions 2 & 3 only. When it gets brown at position 1, then cut. No need to cut at position 1 just yet. (But it would not hurt the plant if you did.) Hold your sharp scissors over a flame to sterilize them before cutting. I believe in cutting only when necessary. Right now, only 2 & 3, O.K.?
__________________ John
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06-03-2008, 08:36 PM
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| nice!this is what i did. well,why will the whole spike turn brown? how often does this happen? after every blossom (it blossoms twice a year) the spike will turn brown? |
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06-03-2008, 09:07 PM
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| After the blooms have finished they either grow new spikes, keikis (babies), or turn brown. Usually they turn brown a little at a time though. That is why Rocinante is only suggesting to cut the parts you did (good job guessing by the way :-)). As long as the plant is in good health leaving the parts of the spike that aren't brown you have a chance of new growths in either a spike or keiki. This is a normal thing with orchids. If the portion that you didn't cut turns brown cut of the parts that turn brown off but leave the good parts until you get down to the base of the plant past all of the nodes.
__________________ Kortney "Nani ga miemasu ka"-White, Tekkonkinkreet http://kidaorchids.blogspot.com/ |
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06-04-2008, 01:40 AM
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| It looks like you have an amazing bloomer there! I tend to cut back spikes as you did. A lot of people on the Board prefer to cut bloomed spikes off completely (to #1) to initiate a bigger spike for the next bloom. |
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06-27-2008, 02:47 PM
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| Perfectly normal. The bottom leaves are the oldest, and the plant will lose 1 or 2 a year. Soon you may see a new leaf growing from the center of your plant. You and your orchid are doing fine!
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06-28-2008, 02:17 AM
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| I love new leaves, they're so cute and tiny  Glad you've gotten some solid advice; Looking forward to seeing if it will rebloom again for you 
__________________ Have a Splendiforous Day!!!  |
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06-28-2008, 01:51 PM
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| Sundance, Phals will go through cycles like all other plants. After the blooms are gone then it will start to grow for the next years blooms. It will slow down and seem to do nearly nothing for a while. Then, when you least expect it, it will spike again. This is of course if the cultural requirements (water, light, air) are met. It will probably not bloom again until next year, but it will be worth the wait. |
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08-25-2008, 06:48 PM
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| well here we are! the spike turned brown and i cut it down about an inch from the base. 2 leaves turned brown and fell. now another is turning brown. new leaves are growing from the center of the plant. here are some photos:   how do you find it?is everything rolling fine? ??????????????????????????? Last edited by sundance; 08-28-2008 at 07:31 AM. |
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08-28-2008, 07:50 AM
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| Sundance...I'm far from the expert when it comes to phals. With that said...Personally...with only 1 new leaf coming in, I'd be concerned w/the loss of three leaves in a matter of 2 months. When was the last time you looked at the roots? I see some on the top that look really healthy but I also see others that are questionable. Unpot it and see if you have roots that have turned brown and mushy. I know we have others here that are far more experienced w/the phals and someone else should be able to help more. For now...look at the roots and let's see what's going on down in there.
__________________ Kat |
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08-28-2008, 07:59 AM
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| It looks almost as if it has crown rot, but I don't know for sure from the pics. There are some bad roots that I can see. What until Mayres sees this for a response.
__________________ Jenny~   |
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08-28-2008, 08:29 AM
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| I agree that you should take a look at the roots to see what is going on. I don't think it is crown rot - not with the new leaf appearing. Given your location I would consider how much light, the plant is getting, how often do you water? What sort of temperatures you have? Mike will probably have some more helpful advice.
__________________ Chris |
