Help with my first phalaenopsis!

[Yamhure]

It's a pleasure greeting you all!



I got my first orchid about a year and a half ago. It had two beautiful tall spikes and the root system was very healthy indeed. Since I had no experience with orchids whatsoever, some time passed until I re potted. While re potting I noticed that most of the roots had rotten so I proceeded to snip off the dead roots as well as cutting the flower spike down to the bottom to give it some time to rest and grow.



Recently and after a lot of care, my orchid flowered! But not long after its first buds, the bottom leaves started to get a bit leathery. After researching a bit it was clear I was under watering. I would love to care for this orchid the best I can and have her happy and maybe even get a few more orchids but not before I learn about their care.



It would mean a lot if you could answer some questions for me:



1. At first glance, how does my orchid look?

2. I noticed the spike is a bit short, don't know what that might mean.

3. It's been trying to grow a second spike for 3 months now and little to nothing has changed in its growing stage. Any idea why or how long it will take?

4. I re potted in a pine and coconut mix. Im not sure if it's time to change it or if it looks ok.

5. A couple of weeks ago I decided to open a few holes around the pot for better airflow, Im not sure if its enough or if I should drill a few more holes.

6. With the state the orchid is currently in should I try to make it flower a second time once it's done? Or am I better off cutting the spike all the way down to give it some time to grow?

Thank you in advance!

[SouthPark]

Your orchid looks just fine!

Just allow your orchid to grow nicely like that. Since you have had it for 1 and a half years, and it's growing nicely, then just maintain it as-is ..... in the way you were looking after it.

But it was good that you mentioned rotting roots. One way to cut down on it could be to focus most of the water toward the outskirts of the pot when you are watering. And also provide good drainage ----- allowing any water that gets to the bottom of the pot to flow out very easily.

Some of the details at these links could be useful to you later.

Click Here and Click Here and Click Here and Click Here and Click Here

Also - with flower spikes, you can leave the old spike as-is, and maybe it could produce spike branches in the future from that old spike. I think that even if the old spike is cut ------- the orchid is going to produce a new spike anyway once it gets around to flowering time again.


Note that dry bark is good at 'repelling' (rejecting) water. So it's usually good to prime the bark (by soaking in water for hours, followed by a nice draining of it). Once the bark is lightly damp ----- the orchid can then be potted into it. Just have to watch out for cases where the bark is allowed to get too dry when the orchid is potted ---- because most of the water may run straight through the pot ----- depending on how it is watered.

So ----- using a spray wand that allows water to slowly and gradually work its way down the depths of the bark is one pretty good method of watering. There are other good ways too. I usually put most of the water into media at the outskirts (outer rim region) of the pot. Some water can be added closer to the orchid too if needed. It's up to the grower to decide on how much. My aim is generally to not allow water to stagnate around roots for relatively long periods of time.

[Yamhure]

Im currently dipping the whole pot in a larger tub of water. I let the orchid sit there for around 7 minutes and then let it drain for a while before putting it back. Is this ok?

[estación seca]

Welcome to the Orchid Board!

Your plant does look good. Sometimes the flower spikes get trapped and curl like this. You might be able to free the tip so it uncoils naturally. But you might break it trying this.

The way you water is fine. Most of the time pine bark lasts around 2 years, and then you will need to repot. The most important thing for Phals is that the roots always have air around them. They like lots of water, but they must have air at the roots.

What are your temperatures like day/night? Humidity? I see it is getting proper light. I ask about the temperatures because some parts of Colombia are high in the mountains, where it is a lot cooler. Phalaenopsis like warm weather.

[Yamhure]

Im in Bogota, the capital. The temperature here is around 70-60 F in the daytime hours and then drops to around 55-50F at night.

Im going to try drilling a few more holes in the pot to get more air around the roots like you recommended. Thank you!

[estación seca]

With those night temperatures I would let the entire pot get very dry before watering again. That is very low for Phalaenopsis. They can survive it, but there is the risk of cold damage in winter.

[Rhonda Svoboda]

Okay, a few things. First, the orchid looks healthy overall. It may be underwatered. They way to check is to try and bend the leaves. If they bend easily than its underwatered. The leaves shouldn't bend.
Second, I would add spaghman moss to the mix- you need a more water retentive mix. The roots need to be moist- not soggy though.
You did the right thing by cutting the rotten roots. For the flower spike- that's just up to the plant.
Do you fertilize? phal's should be fertalized once a week or so- I highly recomend Better Grow orchid food.-use their regular mix often but if you see flower spikes than use their bloom booster.
How often do you water? Phal's need frequent watering.
Your doing everything right its just a learning process. I highly recomend a youtube site called "miss orchid girl"-tons of video's on anything and I've learned a lot from her.
Good luck

[Roberta]

Miss Orchid Girl has some good information... and some not-so-good information. (No matter what she says, don't use peroxide on roots - it damages them - and purple markings on rhizomes don't mean that the plant has fusarium. ) Do ask questions and post photos before you consider cutting things... lots of previously healthy orchids have been killed by people cutting "suspect parts" based on YouTube videos. You can always cut after you have received some consensus from the experienced growers on the Board that it's necessary... but if you cut something you shouldn't, you can't put it back together.

Most valuable... observe over a period of time, and be patient. Orchids don't do anything fast.

Some other basic principles:
Orchids (with a very few exceptions) are light feeders. If they get less fertilizer than they need they may grow more slowly, but they will still be OK. Too much and you can kill them. Bloom boosters don't do anything... if you want less nitrogen, just use less fertilizer or none. Fertilizer is the least-important cultural factor, behind light, temperature, watering, air movement, media quality. Think of fertilizer as vitamins, not food... orchids, like all green plants, make their own food by photosynthesis. Fertilizer (in very small quantities) provides the minerals for cell growth, etc...and orchids grow slowly so need very little.

Orchids need air around their roots - when you water, water until it runs out of the pot (which also pulls air into the roots zone) Then let it dry somewhat before watering again, how long to wait depends on the need of the plant. Oncidiums want to stay wetter than Cattleyas. Phalaenopsis need to dry out but not bone-dry. Use smaller bark (or ssphagnum, etc.) for those that went to be wetter, larger bark, stones, LECA, etc for those that want to be drier.

There is a Sticky at the top of the Beginner Forum
The Phal abuse ends here. with many pages of good advice. Don't try to digest it all in one "read" ... but do read it.

[Yamhure]

I started picking at the ingrown spike and it turns out it was just a loop formed from the main spike. Applied to much pressure and broke BOTH spikes. Goodbye flowers ------ Learned a lesson but now Im left with a bare orchid. This is not all bad, maybe the lack of flowers will give it some time to rest and grow new roots and leaves? Im a bit worried, don't know if new spikes will grow after the damage I caused.

[Roberta]

New spikes will develop in time... if the plant was genetically predisposed to bloom now, figure it will be about this time next year. Sometimes they'll bloom more than once a year, but don't worry if it doesn't. Just give it good care, and it will reward you with flowers when it is ready.