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Thread: Please Help!

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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Sep 2020
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    Female
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    3

    Default Please Help!

    Hello,

    I am new to taking care of orchids and I am looking for some help to try and figure out what I need to do to keep my orchids happy and healthy. I received three orchids last November as a gift and they were doing pretty good but the last few months they have been struggling. Here’s a little of their story...

    When I received these orchids They were in little white pots with moss in the bottom and with the roots. At that time someone told me to soak them every other week for 15 minutes. So basically every two weeks I would pour water into their little pot and let them soak for 15 minutes then I would dump the water out and just let the orchid sit out of the pot to drain for maybe a half hour or so. That seem to be working the leaves looked healthy the flowers stayed on for a really long time. But then the moss that the roots and everything was packed into started to get kind of mucky. I was afraid of them getting route right so I wanted to replant them into bigger prettier pots so I used an app on my phone to help identify what type of work and I had, then went to an home improvement store for an orchid potting mixture. The app told me they were Phalaenopsis Orchids, they had a potting mix just for that type. Once I got home I removed them from the little white pots and pulled away as much of the yucky moss as I could. I didn’t fill the new parts with the potting mixture and place them in the top with a few pieces on top of the roots just hold it in place. At this point they still had some form to them in the route area with moss so they were pretty secure. It became pretty difficult to soak them once I repotted them with the potting mix because it was more like mulch rather than moss or dirt so I spoke to a friend of mine who works with plants and landscaping and they suggested to just add a couple of ice cubes Every once in a while as they don’t need much water. Since repotting they’ve been struggling droopy leaves and dried out roots. I’ve talked to several people about orchids and I get country victory information some people tell me the droopy leaves mean they have too much water but then others tell me the dry roots tell them that there’s not enough water. At one point I thought maybe it was their environment that they weren’t getting enough indirect sunlight so I put them out on my lanai for a day but then one of them actually ended up getting a little sunburn Mark I think from getting direct sunlight so I brought them back inside. Two of them do you get in direct sunlight where they sit but one of them does not however the one doing the worst or seems to be doing the worst is the one that would get the most in direct sunlight so I’m not sure if it’s environment or not. I am hoping to upload some photos to this post so you all can see exactly what they look like and what I’m working with but I’m using my phone and I don’t see where to add photos I’m hoping I can figure that out after I post this. Two of them do you get in direct sunlight where they sit but one of them does not however the one doing the worst or seems to be doing the worst is the one that would get the most indirect sunlight so I’m not sure if it’s environment or not.

    I am hoping to upload some photos to this post so you all can see exactly what they look like and what I’m working with but I’m using my phone and I don’t see where to add photos I see there’s a note at the bottom of the page that says to choose message board from the drop-down list but I don’t see a drop-down list to choose message board from. I’m hoping I can figure that out after I post this

    Thank you in advance to anyone who is able to help or give any advice I really want to try to help these orchids become happy and healthy again!

    -Angela
    Posted via Mobile Device

  2. #2
    Real Name
    Bruce Brown
    My Grow Area
    Greenhouse
    Favorite Orchid(s)
    Cattleyas & Slippers
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
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    Arkansas
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    35,133
    Member's Country Flag

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by aduncan View Post
    Hello,

    ...I am hoping to upload some photos to this post so you all can see exactly what they look like and what I’m working with but I’m using my phone and I don’t see where to add photos I see there’s a note at the bottom of the page that says to choose message board from the drop-down list but I don’t see a drop-down list to choose message board from. I’m hoping I can figure that out after I post this

    Thank you in advance to anyone who is able to help or give any advice I really want to try to help these orchids become happy and healthy again!

    -Angela
    Posted via Mobile Device
    Hi Angela, welcome to the site. The easiest way to post photos is to use a desktop computer or set your browser to desktop on your mobile device. The mobile web software doesn't have a simple way to attach photos.

    Cheers,
    BD

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Sep 2020
    Gender
    Female
    Posts
    3

    Default

    Hello everyone!

    I am finally able to upload the photos. Here are two of my orchids but because it would only let me upload 4 photos I will have to attached the third one in a separate reply.



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  4. #4
    Join Date
    Sep 2020
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    Female
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    3

    Default

    Here is the third orchid and the type of potting mix I bought

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  5. #5
    Real Name
    Mike
    My Grow Area
    Greenhouse
    Favorite Orchid(s)
    Cattleya
    Join Date
    Apr 2017
    Gender
    Male
    Location
    Pensylvania
    Posts
    336
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    Default

    Others more knowledgeable that I will add to this BUT...it is very important to learn when your orchid needs water dependent on light, temperature and time of year. Water when the media is dried out, that may be two weeks, it may be one week, in the winter it may be three weeks. The plant pictured looks healthy, droopy leaves can be over or under water which is why you must learn when the moss is dry and water then. I would also run water through the top two or three times each watering instead of soaking as this forces air into the mix which they need. When you repotted did you inspect the roots? Were there plenty of thick solid roots in the moss?
    I'm sure Bruce will point you to the orchid care articles here...to be honest the best way to learn is to kill a couple orchids so don't be discouraged, we all have killed our share. Again, your orchid looks healthy so hang in there. If the leaves are "cooking" and turning brown you aren't giving them too much light.
    I would watch for more comments but to me they look like they could use a bit more light.

  6. #6
    Real Name
    Ray Barkalow
    My Grow Area
    Porch/Patio.
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Location
    Oak Island NC
    Posts
    2,103

    Default

    You’ve done a nice job repotting, although a few more bits of bark to cover those roots might help.

    The trick with orchids is understanding that, unlike terrestrial plants that do their gas exchange almost entirely through the leaves, orchids have evolved to do most of it through their roots. That means that growers must find a balance of providing plenty of moisture while maintaining lots of air flow to the roots. Basically, in the original pot, the roots were suffocating.

    With a bark mix like you have, I suggest you do the following: using lukewarm water, flood the daylights out of that pot. Wait 15-30 minutes and repeat. At that point, the bark will be far more absorbent, so will hold water longer. Subsequent waterings can be a single flush.

    Phalaenopsis like even moisture, very warm temperatures, and deep shade.

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