Suggestions?
#PhalaenopsisOrchid So, I've had this plant for 21months (baby shower gift hence the accuracy! 😂). It's done well. Recently lost its flower again, which I believe is part of the cycle...only one stem has flowered for most of this time - the one on the right in the picture. Just wondering if I should remove the one on the left, as it looks dead? If so how should I do this? Newbie to the plant world in general so any thoughts welcome! TIA 💚🪴
4” pot with drainage
Last watered 10 months ago
14
Your orchid looks very dehydrated to me. I would check the roots and repot (with orchid medium) Especially if you haven't repotted since you got her, as she would have been in the same medium for years and years and it is most definitely spoiled, which could also be the reason for possible root loss and dehydration.
As for your question: after the bloom, once the stems dry out/ start to yellow, they will never flower again, and you can cut them.
Even if they are still green, I more often than not cut them when the first flush of flowers is over. At least in cases, when i think it would be good to conserve the orchid's energy reserves and give it more time to grow roots and leaves. A secondary spike, which you might get in some cases if you leave the (still green) spike be, is never as gorgeous as the first and takes a lot of of the orchid in comparison.
I hope you will have many more blooms. As always I recommend miss orchid girl on youtube. Apart from great tutorials for repotting, she has also videos specifically for after- blooming-care, if you want a more detailed explanation.
As for your question: after the bloom, once the stems dry out/ start to yellow, they will never flower again, and you can cut them.
Even if they are still green, I more often than not cut them when the first flush of flowers is over. At least in cases, when i think it would be good to conserve the orchid's energy reserves and give it more time to grow roots and leaves. A secondary spike, which you might get in some cases if you leave the (still green) spike be, is never as gorgeous as the first and takes a lot of of the orchid in comparison.
I hope you will have many more blooms. As always I recommend miss orchid girl on youtube. Apart from great tutorials for repotting, she has also videos specifically for after- blooming-care, if you want a more detailed explanation.
no... that is most definitely not part of the cycle. I have an orchid and that thing needs water!! Yours' leaves look so droopy I'm surprised it's not dead. Their leaves should be firm and mostly upright. The flower stems also should not die. They won't flower again, but if they're dying, something isn't right.
Everyone has been through something like this though so don't feel bad, it can still recover. The dead stems need to go, and you may want to start watering more frequently. I do mine about every 14 days and she seems pretty happy with that. Make sure to really drown the plant. Many people measure out an amount of water, don't. Drown the soil (not the leaves) and never use ice cubes! (many orchids are marketed to be watered with ice cubes). Once the plant is done absorbing water, only then should you let it drain. Best of luck!
@BojeeMoon hello Harvest, I agree with Susann remove from pot and check out the root system. They like new orchid soil approx every two yrs. East or West facing windows with bright filtered light. I water my plants from jugs of water that I allow to sit a few days (never directly from faucets) and careful not to get water on leaves at all. Cut back both spikes. This will put energy back into the plant and hopefully get new leaf growth. Miss Orchid Girl on YouTube has lots of tips on all stages of orchid growth. https://m.youtube.com @MissOrchidGirl . Hopefully these videos will get you back on track! And new blooms soon. 🤗🙌🏻
@SesameSeeds777 thank you, this is all very helpful. It's not been orchid potting mix but I have now ordered some! I'm defintiely not watering every 5 days. I would say about every 2 weeks but not been drowning it as you described. It's has also been very humid recently though so has probably needed increased. I will follow your recommendations and 🤞🏼 thank you!
@CourtlyKingfern that's really helpful, thank you! I have ordered orchid potting mix and will cut back the stems and increase watering - I haven't been letting the water sit for this plant so will try that too. I will also check out YouTube. Much appreciated and 🤞🏼
Most of the time with me orchid parents under watering isn't the problem but *over*watering. The medium spoils faster, and the roots suffocate, leading to even more rot. Of there are no more roots you can water all you want, there is no way for that orchid to get at that water at this point. And any new roots it tries to grow, meet way too acidic medium and die off as well.
Of you put it into non- orchid medium, worst case, soil, that is even worse, since the roots cannot breathe in there from the very beginning and even the stem might begin to rot. Which could end fatal.
When we talk about overwatering, we mean the frequency, not the amount. So best is, to supply lots of waterlike sesameseeds suggests (depending on the medium) and wait until it has dried of completely (transparent pots are great for that very reason: you can see, when to water again or if there are any issues with your orchid roots or medium. ).
The stems drying out *is* a normal part of the cycle, though. Sometimes they can go through several flushes of blooms before they do that, but unless you have a summer bloomer (those are usually not sold in flower shops, though, and yours doesn't look like one) they eventually will yellow and will dry.
However, this will happen earlier with dehydrated orchids, of course. Flower spikes aren't vital to the orchid, so very often those are suffering first under dehydration.
So: if you see yellowing spikes in the future so not panic, unless you feel, the bloom has been very short.
Cut the spikes and Repot with your great new orchid mix, if possible in a transparent pot, trimming away all dead (I.e. mushy) roots before repotting and checking the stem for rot. A miss orchid girl tutorial might help here.
In the future speak your medium thoroughly whenever it needs water, avoiding getting water on top of the orchid. Check your pot in the beginning until you get a feel for when you're orchid has dried out.
Also: Should you have no more viable roots after trimming the dead ones, miss orchid girl has a great icu setup for rootless orchids as well. So not worry, they can survive that for some time, especially if they habe as many big leaves as yours does.
Of you put it into non- orchid medium, worst case, soil, that is even worse, since the roots cannot breathe in there from the very beginning and even the stem might begin to rot. Which could end fatal.
When we talk about overwatering, we mean the frequency, not the amount. So best is, to supply lots of waterlike sesameseeds suggests (depending on the medium) and wait until it has dried of completely (transparent pots are great for that very reason: you can see, when to water again or if there are any issues with your orchid roots or medium. ).
The stems drying out *is* a normal part of the cycle, though. Sometimes they can go through several flushes of blooms before they do that, but unless you have a summer bloomer (those are usually not sold in flower shops, though, and yours doesn't look like one) they eventually will yellow and will dry.
However, this will happen earlier with dehydrated orchids, of course. Flower spikes aren't vital to the orchid, so very often those are suffering first under dehydration.
So: if you see yellowing spikes in the future so not panic, unless you feel, the bloom has been very short.
Cut the spikes and Repot with your great new orchid mix, if possible in a transparent pot, trimming away all dead (I.e. mushy) roots before repotting and checking the stem for rot. A miss orchid girl tutorial might help here.
In the future speak your medium thoroughly whenever it needs water, avoiding getting water on top of the orchid. Check your pot in the beginning until you get a feel for when you're orchid has dried out.
Also: Should you have no more viable roots after trimming the dead ones, miss orchid girl has a great icu setup for rootless orchids as well. So not worry, they can survive that for some time, especially if they habe as many big leaves as yours does.
@MusicalRedmint great advice and information, thank you! It's in the bark type mix it came in and there appear to be new-ish green(ish) shoots at the roots so I'm hopeful! I have trimmed the live stem back and cut the dead one and watered under running water for 5 minutes this morning before letting it drain, and will use rested tap or other water in future (I can't remember if I read rain,distilled or spring water but will check again!) and will repot in clear pot when new mix arrives, so 🤞🏼! This is all so helpful, been muddling through for years so hopefully being on here will turn a corner!
🤞 it has lots of big leaves. If you manage to hydrate it enough before it decides to drop them, that's a very strong base for new growth. The new roots are also a good sign.
If its in pure bark (that *is* a good medium, depending on your circumstances) you might even really have been among the few instances of real underwatering. Bark unless it's really really old isn't really great at retaining water. If isn't supposed to. It's a medium preferred by those people who either live in humid/ not quite as hot homes or prefer to water more frequently.
When we say orchid mix, we mean mixed, that are light and airy and good for orchids roots, i.e. bark, coco husks, moss, pebbles, lecca, or mixes of those. Premade mixes are what is most advisable for beginners and what you most probably bought now. It's important to find one that fits your watering style and your circumstances. pure moss tends to lead to overwatering of you are not 100% sure what you are doing. Good quality fresh Bark in a warm climate can mean you have to water every or every other day, especially while it is flowering. That is why those transparent pots are so great if you want to see how to beat water your orchid in the new medium.
But even it if bark technically *can* be a great medium, your orchid has been in there for probably easily over four years now. Include probable watering mistakes by the shop you bought it in, at least some rotting roots, maybe one of those spongy nursery plugs in the center that's been left there (that needs to be gotten rid of, when you repot as well), and you have a struggling orchid. That's okay. Odds are at this point, she will bounce back.
I do not see a "live" spike, I guess you mean the yellowing one that's on the way out. For the future whenever you cut into live tissue it's best to sterilize your equipment first. Orchids are great and phals are resilient, but their weak points are pathogens we introduce to their system.
Depending on the hardness of water in your region you can also use tap water. (Not if there is a lot of chloride in your mix though) I myself mix distilled and tap. In that case you need to flush the pot from time to time to rinse off salt build up. And maybe use distilled when fertilizing so the fertilizer is more accessible to the plant.
But all of this is extra information, spot when it had recovered. Main focus should be hydration and repotting now.
If its in pure bark (that *is* a good medium, depending on your circumstances) you might even really have been among the few instances of real underwatering. Bark unless it's really really old isn't really great at retaining water. If isn't supposed to. It's a medium preferred by those people who either live in humid/ not quite as hot homes or prefer to water more frequently.
When we say orchid mix, we mean mixed, that are light and airy and good for orchids roots, i.e. bark, coco husks, moss, pebbles, lecca, or mixes of those. Premade mixes are what is most advisable for beginners and what you most probably bought now. It's important to find one that fits your watering style and your circumstances. pure moss tends to lead to overwatering of you are not 100% sure what you are doing. Good quality fresh Bark in a warm climate can mean you have to water every or every other day, especially while it is flowering. That is why those transparent pots are so great if you want to see how to beat water your orchid in the new medium.
But even it if bark technically *can* be a great medium, your orchid has been in there for probably easily over four years now. Include probable watering mistakes by the shop you bought it in, at least some rotting roots, maybe one of those spongy nursery plugs in the center that's been left there (that needs to be gotten rid of, when you repot as well), and you have a struggling orchid. That's okay. Odds are at this point, she will bounce back.
I do not see a "live" spike, I guess you mean the yellowing one that's on the way out. For the future whenever you cut into live tissue it's best to sterilize your equipment first. Orchids are great and phals are resilient, but their weak points are pathogens we introduce to their system.
Depending on the hardness of water in your region you can also use tap water. (Not if there is a lot of chloride in your mix though) I myself mix distilled and tap. In that case you need to flush the pot from time to time to rinse off salt build up. And maybe use distilled when fertilizing so the fertilizer is more accessible to the plant.
But all of this is extra information, spot when it had recovered. Main focus should be hydration and repotting now.
Hi Richard, @SoulRider77. Those roots look great. So happy, they didn't take damage from the soil and your stone setup worked. Those leaves look great as well. So beautiful. 😍 enjoy it. Thank you for your nice wishes and the shoutout.
Looking a bit perkier I think? No?! Repotted to new bigger pot with new orchid medium (after watching the orchid lady - SO helpful!) and dead roots removed 💚, 🤞🏼 now!
