Problem with my orchid

[mischa91]

Hi, New tot he forum and a bit of a brown thumb to be honest. I bought an orchid in the spring as a bit of an impulse buy, the flowers were pretty and i had previously bought my mam one as a gift and thought it would look nice in my house.

Anyway, the flowers have been off the plant for a while now and it's my first winter with it. This past week a few of the leaves fell off, they looked healthy enough but hadn't been getting much light because of wet and grey conditions outside not providing enough light inside.

I noticed today that the remaining stem is getting black. Not really having any idea what i'm doing with this plant i thought i'd come and find help online.

I also attached a few photos i too tonight. I think it's a phalaenopsis orchid. It's quite pathetic looking right now.

It hasn't been re-potted since i got it but it does get fertilized and watered but not too regularly.

[jsehorn]

Yeah, that's a Phal. I see one root on the surface that looks dead. It would definitely be a good idea to repot it. If the mix is decomposing, that can result in root loss, so repotting it would give you a chance to evaluate the condition of the root system, and put it in some fresh potting mix.

Too little light alone wouldn't cause the leaves to drop, but an unhealthy root system would. When you repot it, you can tell if the roots are dead, because they will feel hollow and the outer coating will easily strip away, leaving the wiry center part. If the root system is in sad shape, get it repotted and keep the humidity high, but keep it kind of dry at the roots until you see new roots start to grow. A top dressing of moss can increase moisture around the base of the plant and help encourage root growth.

That's about all I got, but I'm sure somebody else will chime in with more tips.

[mischa91]

So i went ahead and re-potted it after quickly looking around the site, the only thing i have on hand tonight is sphagnum moss so i used that, i figured i can go out at the weekend and get better potting mix and redo the potting if need be. I honestly think it might be too late to save this one, the root system looked completely gone. I stripped away most of it to be honest; i re-potted just to give it a chance, but i'm not holding out much hope. The leaves that are left look and feel and smell alive and fresh but if they go then i don't think there's much left. I wet the mix but didn't soak it.

I guess i'm another one of those folks that bought a pretty plant and followed the instructions on the card, how stupid to think that ice cubes could keep a plant alive.

My mam has an orchid just like this that i got for her a while ago, she follows the same thing i was doing so i'll be sure to tell her it's wrong and to re pot her plant as soon as she can.

[Emma Grey]

Don't feel bad. If your plant dies, you are in good company. I'd wager that every single person on this forum has killed a plant or two. That is how most of us get started. If your plant has a few roots left there may be hope. I nursed a plant back from the brink myself.

I am wondering about the stem turning black though. It may be crown rot or another fungal or bacterial issue. Hopefully someone with more knowledge about that will chime in.

[mischa91]

Oh this isn't the first plant i will have killed off, i am notoriously unlucky with plants.

I'm not sure if it has any roots left really, probably not. I also had a chance to inspect just below the leaves and that is black too, so maybe fungus got it?

[Emma Grey]

It's possible. Do you provide some air movement around your plant?

[mischa91]

Well, it's been sitting on top of my book shelf, i recently moved it up to my room so it could get more light. The only real air movement is from the heating system (which blows like a hurricane). In the summer /fall the windows were open for air movement. So really, probably not enough.

[jsehorn]

I know some people will disagree with me. Although I agree that you can learn a great deal about proper culture from nursing a sick plant back to health, you must realize that a sick plant may take years to bloom again after it recovers. As a beginning grower, is it worth it to you? There's nothing wrong with discarding a sick plant and getting a new one and making a fresh start. Healthy plants are way more fun than sick plants.

If you decide to try to save this one, it might be fun to go ahead and get yourself another one, so you have a nice healthy one to look at while you're nursing your sick one back to health. The most important thing is that you learn from your mistakes and adjust your culture accordingly.

Like Emma says, we've all killed a few plants on our way to becoming successful orchid growers.

[mischa91]

Very true.

I was thinking of getting a new one and maybe seeing where this one could go, or at least keeping it until i finish it off completely. I've been looking on the orchids for sale part of the forum.

I'm definitely glad i found the forum, i can help my mam get hers back into good shape and help her re pot it so her's can thrive too.

[vanda_obsession]

I have killed my fair share of phals... So don't feel bad if you lose this one. Looks like your potting material is not so great, wouldn't hurt to repot and do a root check!

[mischa91]

^^ yup, re potted in sphagnum peat for now. Roots are nasty/gone. I think it's fair to say it's on it's last legs. Might see if i can pick up a new one this weekend.

[Emma Grey]

Jeff might be right. It'd be nice to have a nice healthy plant to enjoy while you're nursing your sick one. Have you looked at the culture sheets at AOS? Those were helpful to me when I first started. Here's the one for phals.

If you're interested, there's a thread on this forum that lists members' recommendations of places to buy new plants. Here it is.

[mischa91]

Thanks for the links

[koshki]

Hi Mischa, and welcome to Orchid Geeks!

If you want more blooms, by all means, go ahead and get more orchids...I dare you to hang around here for any length of time and not acquire more!

However, I wouldn't give up on your plant just yet, either. I had one that looked about the same...and that's the one that drove me to OG in the first place, looking for advice.

Since I joined in August 2009, that plant has rebloomed for me 3 times. My favorite medium for phals is a mixture of coir, charcoal and perlite. My phals just love it.

[mischa91]

Hi, Thanks for the welcome.

I think i will get another plant and while i'm picking out that other plant i will try and get better potting mix. I'd really hate to give up on the one i have now since it was so pretty when it bloomed. I tend not to give up on things easily, i have 2 fish that were both nursed back from the brink of death and are now doing great.

I remember i did read what coir was but for the life of me can't remember, it's like bark right?

[Dendian]

Well, the leaves it has left don't look too bad - and even with no roots I have seen them come back. However, if the base is black and mushy - that's scary. If its still soft - I would pour hydrogen peroxide on it to kill anything bacterial - and let it dry out before putting it back in the moss/potting mix. Sometimes its better to let it dry out than keep it wet if you suspect bacterial problems.

Oh yes, I and I third or fourth the idea of getting another one.. and maybe another one...

[mischa91]

The base is black in places but mot mushy. I'll rinse it with hydrogen peroxide this morning and let it dry out before putting it back in the pot.

[koshki]

Mischa, coir is ground up coconut husks. I learned about this medium here: Phal Repotting & Media

Because phals don't have a water storage device like a psuedo-bulb, they need a constant source of water. But they don't like to be soggy, so it's a real balancing act. Too wet and you get root rot; too dry, and you get dried up roots and floppy leaves.

This medium allows me to give my phals a good soak, and then forget about them until the medium is dry again. It provides a nice slow source of moisture, but it is also airy so the roots don't rot. And because the plants have had such a nice constant source of water, if they do go dry for a few days, they don't mind. I use clear pots and only water when I don't see any condensation in the pot anymore. In fact, I will usually wait until the majority of my phals are dry before I water, and then just water the whole lot of them. I have over 50 phals now, most of them seedlings or NBS.

[mischa91]

Ah i see, thanks for explaining that to me. I'm assuming i can buy this somewhere, plants stores? maybe places like home depot?

I have an update and i'm wondering if anyone has seen a plant look this pathetic and/or bad before?

I took it to work with me to rinse in hydrogen peroxide and this is what i found: (sorry it's a bit dark, useless iphone pic)



It looks like it has 1 barely alive root and the 1 semi okay leaf. The other leaf it has fell off in transport

[koshki]

Ah, well, yes I would say that is one very sick plant. Not completely dead, but certainly it is in trouble.

However, it is still trying to survive, since it trying to push out a new leaf. But I think you should brace yourself for the worst...

Oh, and I have certainly had phals in that condition...in fact I was the cause of them being in that condition. Since I started learning about how to care for orchids (thanks to Orchid Geeks!), I have not done that to too many orchids since. However, it still happens, and I've got a couple different plants that are failing despite my best efforts to save them (aerangis articulata, dendrobium aberrans and a phal lindenii that is trying to decide if it will recover or not.)

[mischa91]

Well it's drying out right now and once it's dry i'll pop it back in the potting mix i have for now. I have a grow light (more specifically a nano tank light for an aquarium but it has the spectrum for plant growth) that i can put it under for short periods to help it get better light and a bit more heat in my house. If it shows signs of not getting worse then i'll keep it around, if it goes any further downhill i doubt it can be saved.

I'm still reading and researching these plants, and i'm going this afternoon to take a look at how my mams is doing. I'm also going to see if i can get a new one this weekend too.

If i do get a new one should i re pot it right away? or leave it until the bloom has finished?

[jsehorn]

Lots of people here recommend repotting any new plant immediately. That's a good way to go, because that gives you a chance to check out the overall health of the plant, and you can pot it in a mix that you know works for you. I have actually killed plants by not repotting them because they were in bloom, even though I knew what they were planted in wasn't going to work for me.

As far as your current plant... that root looks dead to me. If it was alive, it would be big and plump and green or white. Your plant has no roots and no leaves. This means it has no way to absorb moisture and nutrients, and it has no stored water or nutrients. I think it may be physiologically impossible for this plant to recover.

[mischa91]

Thanks. When i get my new one i'll repot it right away.

Oh dear, well next time around i will be better educated and better able to stop problems before they get this bad.