Printable View
I’m a new orchid grower and want to save this orchid!
I’ve had her for about three weeks. Lovely full blooms, but lately the older blooms have started to wilt. There is also a yellow leaf under the big green leaves.
She is in an office with low light and it does get a bit chilly, but the roots look bright green and happy. I mist frequently. What should I do to keep her healthy? Should I cut the blooms? Will they perk back up?
Posted via Mobile Device
Hello Kittykat4861 If you have a Phalaenopsis, this is an orchid that can endure a lot. Important with orchids is that the roots are doing well. When the orchid has faded, you can observe it. When the stem turns brown, you can cut the brown parts. Most orchids are killed by watering them too much. Orchids like a lot of light but often no direct sunshine. If your orchid doesn't have that much light it doesn't need that much water. But make sure that your orchid has green roots once a week. It can't stand water in its pot or coaster. Flood the pot with tap water once a week. Drain all water. The tap water should not be so calciferous.
Hello Kittykat4861 If you have a Phalaenopsis, this is an orchid that can endure a lot. Important with orchids is that the roots are doing well. When the orchid has faded, you can observe it. When the stem turns brown, you can cut the brown parts. Most orchids are killed by watering them too much. Orchids like a lot of light but often no direct sunshine. If your orchid doesn't have that much light it doesn't need that much water. But make sure that your orchid has green roots once a week. It can't stand water in its pot or coaster. Flood the pot with tap water once a week. Drain all water. The tap water should not be so calciferous. Hello Kittykat4861 If you have a Phalaenopsis, this is an orchid that can endure a lot. Important with orchids is that the roots are doing well. When the orchid has faded, you can observe it. When the stem turns brown, you can cut the brown parts. Most orchids are killed by watering them too much. Orchids like a lot of light but often no direct sunshine. If your orchid doesn't have that much light it doesn't need that much water. But make sure that your orchid has green roots once a week. It can't stand water in its pot or coaster. Flood the pot with tap water once a week. Drain all water. The tap water should not be so calciferous.
I also gave my office a Phalaenopsis years ago and they put it in a place where I thought it would never become anything because real light was missing. But it develops grandiosely in artificial light.
Kitty: If the flowers were open when you got it, there's no telling how long they had already been in bloom, so it could be normal fading.
Forget misting. For one, wetting the plant's leaves does no good for the plant at all, and the teeny, tiny amount of humidity it creates dissipates instantly. Phalaenopsis prefer warmth and humidity, but can tolerate shortfalls reasonably well.
The key to keeping the plant happy is to keep the potting medium moist while remaining open and airy. Epiphytic orchids do much of their respiratory gas exchange through their roots (unlike terrestrial plant, where it's essentially all through the leaves), so if the potting medium becomes soggy, it suffocates the roots and kills them.