i must save this phalaenopsis

[WaterWitchin]

Originally Posted by inbetween

Wow. I imagine the "no cinnamon" and "no hydrogen peroxide" are somewhere in the 71 pages of the "The Phal abuse ends here" thread as well. I have started reading it . Unfortunately I still will be posting about another orchid, before I digest all that info, I believe.

Thank you. You're really nice people.

Who knows? Folks are usually referred to that thread when starting out. It's unfortunate, IMNSHO, it's waay too long. Some folks starting out get discouraged because it's just too much, and too repetitive. If you look at the last page first, when it was finally locked in 2013 I believe, it says if you've read through the first few pages and are still unsure or have questions, start a thread.

So that's not unfortunate... it just means you've read enough pages for the moment.

[inbetween]

Thanks everyone. I have made a tent out of clear plastic and used wire hangers, and wine corks to stand up the wire Hope I did it right. I'll be soaking the plant in a kelp mix as suggested. Now comes the hard part: patience.

[estación seca]

Originally Posted by WaterWitchin

Who knows? Folks are usually referred to that thread when starting out. It's unfortunate, IMNSHO, it's waay too long. Some folks starting out get discouraged because it's just too much, and too repetitive. If you look at the last page first, when it was finally locked in 2013 I believe, it says if you've read through the first few pages and are still unsure or have questions, start a thread.

So that's not unfortunate... it just means you've read enough pages for the moment.

I direct people to that thread because it's so long it keeps them off YouTube.

[WaterWitchin]

Originally Posted by estación seca

I direct people to that thread because it's so long it keeps them off YouTube.

[inbetween]

Originally Posted by estación seca

I direct people to that thread because it's so long it keeps them off YouTube.

MMHAHAHA!

[Dollythehun]

Originally Posted by estación seca

I direct people to that thread because it's so long it keeps them off YouTube.

Amen!!! Although you may be

[inbetween]

Hi again. There seems to be some progress: The new roots grew a bit, and the longest one is about an inch. However, I feel like they were all a bit more turgid last week, and now look like they are shriveling (or else I am paranoid).

Should I hang tight, and wait until they get a bit longer, before I attempt to pot it? Or is it definitely time to put it now? Even when there were only root nubs, aliceinwl had said she might pot it, but I didn't have the guts to do it then.

I have been soaking it in water w/ kelp or plain water every other day or every 3 days, which is when the roots look really dry to me.

I also have been tenting the orchid some nights with just a bit of steaming water in a cup inside the tent. My initial longer term tenting ended up with mold, although my cover had holes, etc., so I am afraid to tent it more continuously.

I added pics of current state (and my orig. post has pics from about a month ago.)

Thanks!

[fishmom]

If it were mine, I would go ahead and pot it in a nice chunky, airy mix, firmly anchored with a stake or pot clip to keep it from moving. You don't want those nice roots to be bruised by a wobbling plant. The old roots will also help stabilize the plant, so leave them attached. Keep it lightly moist after the first few days, to help with hydration. The steaming water inside the tent, without any air circulation (i.e. a fan) may be overkill.

[aliceinwl]

I second Fishmom's advice. It looks ready for potting.

[inbetween]

I potted it in the smallest plastic container I found. The ones I had bought for my other orchid were about 6 inches wide. I wasn't sure about what to do with the 3 new roots. I saw a few comments about bruising new roots on other threads too as well as here. Should I have left them outside/above the potting mix, and let them grow into it by themselves? Though it still looks to me like those 3 new roots aren't growing anymore.
- How does the pot look?
- Should I water it by soaking it for a little bit, whenever it looks really dry? This is what I do with my other healthy orchid (ends up being about once a week).
- Other than watering it, what should I do? Should I spray the new roots at all? Should I tent this with a water tray below it?
Thanks to everyone who ever responded and is still responding!!!