when do you give up?

[Cinderella]

Just wondering, an informal poll. When do you give up on an orchid? When it has no leaves left? LOL!

Orchids take a long time to die so just when they fake you into thinking that they are going to make it they turn tail and give up! After you have emotionally invested. When do you personally call it quits?

[LJA]

I won't give up on a plant that's important to me (for whatever reason) until it has absolutely, positively DIED. There have just been too many occasions where just one junky-looking pseudobulb or growth that was potted up then forgotten about under the bench sprang back with new growths / leaves. So if it's an important plant, for me anyway, "it ain't over till it's over."

[Cinderella]

Ha....ok, what about Phals? Have not killed any paphs yet but of course mine don't grow either.

[orchidaddict789]

I usually don't give up until the plant is dead. But once I ended up with a phal with hardly any roots...I was about to give up, but decided to wait. Unfortunately, it wasn't saved .

To be on the bright side, with other plants, sometimes I just waited and miracles happened. Plants are quite confident and are quite tough. So I suggest to others not to give up so soon .

[OrchidTraci]

Ha....ok, what about Phals? Have not killed any paphs yet but of course mine don't grow either.

I give up easily on phals, well, until now. I'm really really trying hard (actually trying hard to ignore them , they seem to be doing better that way).

I usually don't give up until there are zero viable roots on a phal.

So far I have only ditched plant that I thought were virused (didn't pay much $$ so I wasn't broken hearted) and one that I totally overwatered and had the worse rot imaginable. So, I guess only in worst case senarios do I give up.

[Liz]

I've rehabed several phals from terrible root rot, where there were no roots left and only wilty, wrinkled leaves, using a sphag & bag approach. All are now healthy and growing and one of them is now making a spike. So, I don't give up unless all the leaves have fallen off.
Liz

[Cinderella]

Hi. Sphag and bag didn't work for me when I tried it. I kept the moss just moist, not wet, but it still turned into a moldy smelly mess. One of my Phals only has 2 wrinkly leaves left so I'm really hoping!

[Jmoney]

sphag & bag unfortunately doesn't work on everything, especially if the plant is harboring some quantity of mold spores or what not. But it can give real good results sometimes on plants that look beyond salvage--just stick a handful of moss that you squeezed almost all the water out of, place the plant on top of it, and blow a lot of air into the bag. It helps to have a sturdy bag that stays more or less inflated, so any condensation stays on the bag and not collapsing on the plant--that helps molds and stuff grow as well.

[Liz]

Cinderella, this is how I did it: I used small clay pots with styrofoam peanuts at the bottom; soak the sphagnum in water w/SuperThrive and squeeze a handful likea sponge. Lightly wrap the sphagnum around the stub (where roots should be!) and put it in the pot, adding just enough sphagnum around the sides to keep the plant stable. I did not use bags for fear of mold, but I put the pots on a humidity tray. I misted the leaves several times a day, sometimes with SuperThrive, since there are no roots to soak up water, and I watered them when the sphagnum was dry, not quite crispy, on top. I kept them in lower light initially, but moved them under a grow light after a few weeks. After about 4-6 weeks, two were showing definite signs of improvement (turgid leaves, which meant roots were growing and providing water) and then they sprouted new leaves, and they got to go outside. The third plant took quite a bit longer to show improvement, and I'm still not sure it's going to make it; but it's growing a new leaf, so maybe it will.

I cannot tell you how sick these plants were. No roots, two pathetic wrinkled leaves each. I'm quite proud of myself...

[Cinderella]

I would be proud too....that sounds amazing. I am afraid to try it again so I put this rootless wonder into s/h. However, next time I will try it. Thank you.