My Poor Babies!
Got my 1st Orchids last year, Mother's Day '13. There were 2 pots inside a decorative, moss covered planter. Being familiar with normal houseplants, I assumed I could just pop them out of the tiny little pots and into an Orchid Potting mix I bought. I potted them together in about a 6 or 8 in regular pot. I've learned over the last few weeks everything I did wrong and have been taking many steps to save them.
They seemed fine at 1st. Even put out new leaves. I moved them by my kitchen sink thinking humidity would be better. Also, mistakenly, went to just spritzing the topsoil and aerial roots once in awhile. Apparently that wasn't enough and after awhile I saw, suddenly the big thick leaves were limp and starting to wrinkle. I freaked out and started researching immediately. One of the 1st things I read said soak it, so I did. Bad idea! Next day I was informed that could be really bad if it had been too dry for too long. So I took action! I pulled them out of the wet medium and noticed that what they had been in originally was Sphagnum moss and it was drinched! When I began to pull it away from what used to be lush roots, there were next to none!! Just empty paper like sleeves that used to be roots!! What they each had left were just a couple white, thick firm roots, plus the aerial roots, which I thought still looked OK, mostly. Sooooo, potted them back up, same "mix" as before. Also not good! Someone told me my mix was to fine, too much soil, needed a bark mix, suggested individual clear orchid pots for each.
Now, I wasn't able to locate pots near me, and online, what I was finding, was too much money or too many pots! So I made my own with clear plastic Solo cups! Punched holes in bottom and half way up! It works!! I got a nice looking chunky bark mix and repotted!
(I bought the 3rd phal while shopping for something to make my pots. It had some rot, some flowers, snipped a few bad buds, and all the rot and potted it in the new mix too.)
Anyway, long story longer! ---- Vendor information removed - see FAQs on Posting ---- rescue still has blooms, looks good. I apparently didn't soak the bark enough the 1st watering though but, I think I've got that figured out too. I've got the babies set on a small tray with water and beads for a humidity tray and after soaking, then letting them drain, I tented them. 2 days later I can still see there's moisture in the cups so that seems to be good.
Wondering if y'all think they're good in my East window, gets a bit of direct in the morning, but bright indirect after that. I have noticed one of them has some unhappy looking aerial roots I may need to snip??
OK, next, the pics ... I wont post the ones from before, just the now pics.
Well, I have to go look at the "how to post photos" link!! LOL
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Originally Posted by ksriramkumar
Rescue Phal
