Please help a newbie out!

[littlenewb]

So I was given an orchid from Waitrose in a gift pot by my partner and I've grown attached to it, my first little friend.

The information that comes with doesn't tell me exactly what type of orchid it is so I'd like help identifying, but my main issue is the condition of the little guy.

My main worry is how the plant is doing. My flat has no central heating and is draughty, so now winter is approaching and it's meant to be hibernation season I am worried.

Two leaves were yellow and came off when I touched them, and I took the orchid out its original plastic casing and repotted it into the bigger black part with holes and back to the big white pot in hope it would help.

As you can see some of the roots got bad, I think I overwatered it despite doing it once a week as the instructions said- so was I using too much water?

there also seems to be some buds or things growing which gave me hope- is it likely new leaves will come? I had to cut the spike as it eventually browned and the flowers fell in hope for a new bloom

and finally I've tried to cut the more problematic looking roots. I am scared though, as I don't know if it was okay to do this or if I've killed it. There's lots of green ones too.

I apologize for the photos but it's the only way I can describe the condition:

Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet

[camille1585]

Welcome to Orchidboard! You're in the right place for help!

I'll have to make it short since I need to get off the computer, but that looks like a Phalenopsis and here are some tips/questions to get you started.

Watering depends on the media, but I can't tell what it is. Is it bark or sphagnum? Either way, you've watered too frequently, leading to root rot. The pot looks quite soggy. Is that pot a soft plastic pot with a single hole at the bottom?

I think the best course of action would be to buy some good quality medium (bark will work best for you since your house will be cool), and buy, if you can find, a clear plastic orchid pot. (The standard 12cm size is fine). Unpot your Phal, remove all the medium, and cut all dead and mushy roots. Then you can repot.

The best way to tell if a Phal needs water is to watch the root color through the sides of the pot. The outer layer of root becomes transparent when wet, showing the green interior root. As the roots dry they become silver. Once they are almost completely silver you can water again.

Here are a few helpful threads to get you started:
The Phal abuse ends here.
Using skewers to determine when to water

Other people will probably stop by this thread and give you more detailed information!

[Dollythehun]

Please cut only when you are sure and use a sterilized impliment. I agree, your medium is soggy wet. Another method is to water and pick up the pot yo judge weight. When the pot feels light again, water.

Follow the links Camille gave you and try not to love this plant to death. Fewer phals have died from underwatering.

[Ray]

Good suggestions above.

One of the key concepts to grasp in orchid-growing is that the plants do most of their respiratory gas exchange processes through their roots, rather than leaves, as is the case for terrestrial plants. It is therefore necessary to balance the water input with the need to allow air to reach the roots.

[littlenewb]

Thanks very much, will my Phal still be okay if I don't overwater now I've got rid of the more dead roots?

How much water does it need a week? I was using a cup

[estación seca]

Welcome to the Orchid Board.

How cold is your flat in winter?

[camille1585]

Originally Posted by littlenewb

Thanks very much, will my Phal still be okay if I don't overwater now I've got rid of the more dead roots?

How much water does it need a week? I was using a cup

If it's in bark the quantity doesn't matter, but the frequency does. You can soak it a couple hours in a bucket and it'll be fine. Its actually better to do it that way, in order to evenly wet the medium I've accidentally left some overnight and they were fine. You just need to wait until it's fairly dry before watering again. (See skewer method thread, or watch the root color). If it's in sphagnum watering is a bit different I think, but I have no experience with sphag.

[charlesf6]

[Leafmite]

If your apartment is cold in the winter, I would advise you to get a table-top greenhouse and a heat mat. I found it really helps a warm-growing orchid survive the winter. Here is what I bought but there are many options:

Heat mat:
Amazon.com : Seedling Heat Mat 10" x 20", Durable Waterproof Hydroponic Seedling Plant Mat - Seed Starter Propagation for Seedling, Cloning, Cutting, Rooting, and Germination in Home Garden by YONTEX : Patio, Lawn & Garden

Table top greenhouse:

Amazon.com : Ikea Greenhouse, Indoor/outdoor, White : Patio, Lawn & Garden

[dounoharm]

phaleanopsis, phals for short, or moth orchid....is the most commonly seen orchid in stores...they are displayed very nicely in those horrid pots with no drainage, and show us how slow they are to die of suffocation and drowning...AND THEN, as if that weren't enough torture to put a tropical plant through, they have the audacity to advise people to 'just add ice' for watering!...I don't know about you, but I think most equatorial rain forest plants have never seen an ice cube!

so....I can plainly see that the lower two thirds of your pot is way soggy...that sphagnum moss has not drained in the time you have had it....orchids of this sort are really not pot plants, they live on the sides of trees with their roots stuck to the bark....

getting it out of that pot was necessity, but I would have kept the pot for later use....

ok, dig out all that moss...take a chopstick or screw driver, whatever, and tease that soggy mess away...cut all the damaged or rotted roots off...I am a slacker....I use a pair of garden shears that I squirt with alcohol for sterile, lol.....

I would let that baby dry out a day or two in a shady spot on newspaper....

get some sort of orchid media (I like big fir bark chips that I order from an orchid supplier) and USING AS SMALL A POT AS YOU CAN, put in a few chips, then set the plant in, and add a few more chips, shaking them down in place as you go....pots that only have a bottom hole can be used, but I cut gashes out of the sides for more drainage....

moth orchids, phals, don't like a lot of packing around their roots. they grow on trees remember? so lots of air spaces is what you want....

they must be STEADY IN THE POT! no wiggling! so put your chips in with enough pressure to hold the plant still! if it wiggles it wont do well!

those roots that come out of the pot, dangling every which a way, are normal. do not cut them off! they just like to check out the neighborhood....

you can set your ugly cut to pieces pot inside a pretty one for display, BUT! put an air space between the bottom of the pot and the cache pot...I use winecorks....and NEVER LET YOUR POT STAND IN WATER! very important....water COPIOUSLY! like a whole lot, draining out and then put it back in the cache pot....water however much you need...sometimes even 3 weeks! a plant that is not growing actively will not use as much water!

so, there you have it! and, I know you love that particular orchid, but the way you really learn orchid growing is by killing a few....so fear not, the world is full of orchids! enjoy!