My orchid lost all its leaves...please help

[peaches]

Hey,
Im new to orchids and i fear i killed this one . My bf got it for me back in may and it was doing good untill i moved home for the summer (I dorm in college). The flowers started falling off and the roots were rotting. So like last week it was down to two green leaves left so I replanted it in orchid planting mix (because it was in moss). I thought maybe the moss was holding on to too much water, and i water it about every ten days. But today it lost its last leave and now its just a stub. I looked throught orchid species and I can tell you it was a Phalaenopsis Schilleriana and I will post pictures of the last leave that fell off and the stump. Please help my bf is calling me a plant murder.

[Dazed]

Hi there, let's hope you can redeem yourself with the next orchid. You are in the right place for help. I'd say, if you don't want to go through the headache of fighting with this one, it's a goner unfortunately. The mistake you made is leaving it in the moss if you're not too experienced with orchids cause it is a kinda tricky media to work with without practice. If you want to experiment on the corpse to see if there is still life then let us know, there are several of us that have resurrected the dead. If you go through the Aliments/Compost Pile section or this one you'd find may hints. Did you check out the Orchid Care link above? Phal care galore.

[catttan]

I'm afraid I have to agree with Tamara - your phalaenopsis is about to expire. The next time you get another phalaenopsis, remove the sphagnum moss and repot in another medium like bark. BTW even without the flowers I can tell that you don't have a Phal schilleriana (which is a species) because the schilleriana has mottled grey/green leaves. You most probably have one of the many pink phalaenopsis hybrids.

Tamara has given you very good advice.

[mujacko2002]

mabuhay!

Well, maybe you can still give it a few more months...maybe it'll still grow. Phalaenopsis orchid is a very resilient plant. I was in a situation just like yours but i never gave up, I just researched hoping to improve my skills. If you still have the plant remove it from its container, dip it in a fungicide treated water for around 5 minutes, then hang it upside down, spray some rooting hormone once in a while do this for as long as you see new leaf growth or even new roots forming. Or if you have a "tree fern slab" you can put it there and same technique. this may also help, spray a little bit of vinergar it can perk up the plant. Put the orch in shaded area till you see new growths

goodluck

God bless

[peaches]

Thanks for the help everyone but Is there any way I can bring it back with normal stuff that i dont really have to go out any buy? I tried to cut off all the dead roots when i replanted it. Did i over water it? Or what happened?

[nagurski]

Thanks for the help everyone but Is there any way I can bring it back with normal stuff that i dont really have to go out any buy? I tried to cut off all the dead roots when i replanted it. Did i over water it? Or what happened?

I've rescued a couple of phals recently by putting them in clear plastic pots with no medium and spraying them with distilled water once or twice a day. You may want to be more sparing with the water, but I have a finely tuned system in place. Here is an example of what I'm talking about...freshly sprayed a few minutes ago. This one was in pretty rough shape when I got it, and had almost no roots. This one is pretty shriveled up and hasn't looked happy for a while, but it still has green in it, and the last two leaves have not fallen off yet. I fear it is too far gone, but I'm not holding out hope.

It will take LONG time...months for them to come back depending on how bad they're struggling. With almost no root system, their only method of H2O absorption will be through the leaves, so you will have to provide humidity for them to survive. I only use distilled H2O on my orchids, and I have my own distiller. Municipal water supplies usually have a high calcium and trace metal content, so it is sketchy to be spraying that stuff on the leaves, but maybe others have had success with that, since phals are quite hardy.

Good luck!

[Dazed]

Well, you've gotten a great suggestion from Nagurski and Mujacko2002, there's Dorsetman's hint of putting it in a clear plastic bag, blow it up (he specified not to use explosives but your breath for that part ), tie it securely and hang it in a bright place but no direct sun. Cjcorner also uses diluted honey to give her vandas a boost, you could try that if you can't get the rooting compound. Fertilisers 'tea' can be made from animal poop soaked in a bucket of water, epsom salts once or twice a year helps too. Buying the expensive stuff isn't always necessary, it's just easier. Sphagnum moss isn't sold in Barbados but I have a coconut tree in my back yard and I use the husk to mount or substitute for media in pots. If you want to try something inventive then by all means have at it. We're here to lend a hand if you're not sure about something.

[Desdinova]

If you're worried about the roots, and don't have any antibacterial/antifungal agents handy such as sulfur powder, dust them with cinnamon. It also works to prevent infection on cut surfaces, too.

[panam]

If all else fails, buy another small phal and smilingly ask your boyfriend what a good job you did saving the poor baby.

[peaches]

If all else fails, buy another small phal and smilingly ask your boyfriend what a good job you did saving the poor baby.

Made me laugh...I like the way you think