Another newbie needing help

Hi everyone. I'm LJC and I'm new on this site and need some orchid info. I have a Phalaenopsis Orchid (hope I spelled that right). I got it last Christmas and it was so beautiful. When the flowers died, I cut the stem back as I have read on line to do. But, it never grew back. Now, it has just died and turned yellow all the way down. So I cut it off. In the same swipe of the scissor I also inadvertenly cut off a beautiful leave. Oh gosh! Anyway I also think the plant may be dying. I don't know what to do. The leaves seem a bit limp. I have no past experience or knowledge with plants sadly.
Thank You in advance for any advice. I am hoping there is a way to save it.

First, phals do not always rebloom from the same bloom stalk. So don't worry about that. Cutting off the good leaf is always a bummer, but the plant should be able to survive. So limp leaves is usually a sign that the plant is not getting enough water, and there are two reasons for that:

1. You have been overwatering and the roots are rotting (Most common)

2. You have been underwatering and the plant is thirsty.


So - get some fresh potting material, then unpot your plant and look at the roots. They should be either green or white and very firm. If they are brown and soggy, they are dead and rotten. Cut off all the dead roots, dust the area with rooting hormone and repot. If there are no live roots left, you can try to salvage the plant using the sphag and bag method.

Check out the roots and let us know.

Now how can Diane still think like a newbie? LOL. One of my first mistakes was to unpot, spilling all the media, and THEN realize I had no new media on hand to put it all back together! Live and learn....

Originally Posted by Mehera

Now how can Diane still think like a newbie? LOL. One of my first mistakes was to unpot, spilling all the media, and THEN realize I had no new media on hand to put it all back together! Live and learn....

THAT'S how come I still can think like a newbie...done that more than once!!

Did the same thing just the other day LOL
Cin

I stockpile new media because I have so darned many orchids now! At the moment my kitchen more resembles a potting shed. I'm hoping to get ahead of the potting curve and tuck all the gear into the basement. But for now, it's handy to be able to tackle a half dozen plants at once with everything right at hand!

Hi LJC and welcome! Diane speaks of new media - you can choose a bark mix or sphagnum moss. Those are the most common for beginners. Everyone has their preference. There are a number of threads, hopefully sticky now, where we explain how to repot. Check those out, and feel free to ask any questions you still might have!

Julie

Thanks everyone. That was wonderful. So, tomorrow I will buy new media and then check out the roots to see their condition. I so hope they are not rotting. I'll let you know what I find.
LJC