The leaves are brown and it looks like it’s about to die.
4” pot with drainage
Last watered 2 days ago
4
Uh oh. I agree with @stephongreg: succulent (or, for that matter: any kind of) soil is a no-no for phalaenopsis orchids. They are epiphytes, i.e., live on branches, at most covered by debris and moss. So the roots are used to (and need) a lot of air around the roots. Usually we keep them in prefabricated orchid substrate or - even better - a mix of sphagnum moss and/ or orchid bark that fits our care and environment.
That being said, in your case, I think something else is the problem. Succulent soil or not, there seem to be (maybe heavily damaged but still viable) roots left that connect to the plant.
But from the looks of the plant it looks severely hydrated. Like "way too little/ infrequent water over a long period of time"- dehydrated. If it is indeed in soil the roots that have survived this far should have still taken up water. Unless all the remaining roots are 100% dead once they reach the pot, the issue might be underwatering in your case.
Can you supply us with more pictures? A look at the roots in the pot would help - if it is in a transparent pot that should be easy enough to do. And if it isn't and if is in the wrong type of substrate anyway, I would recommend a very timely repot anyway during which we could look at the roots and you could switch to a transparent pot. I highly recommend them for orchids, not only for beginners but in general because they make caring for them and troubleshooting easier in the long run.
It would also be great if you could take a picture or describe the substrate it's in, give information on how long you've had the plant and what your watering schedule is like.
In general, most dehydrated orchids, even severly dehydrated ones, are salvageable once we identified the problem and fix what was amiss before (as long as there are no other issues).
Once you've taken some photos, you could try soaking it for now: take out the pot or of the decorative one and put it into water. You could also just fill the decorative pot to the brim and soak the plant in there. Don't get the leaves and stem wet, though. A weakened orchid like this is very susceptible to rot.
Leave it in there to speak for 10-20 minutes, then discard the water.
That being said, in your case, I think something else is the problem. Succulent soil or not, there seem to be (maybe heavily damaged but still viable) roots left that connect to the plant.
But from the looks of the plant it looks severely hydrated. Like "way too little/ infrequent water over a long period of time"- dehydrated. If it is indeed in soil the roots that have survived this far should have still taken up water. Unless all the remaining roots are 100% dead once they reach the pot, the issue might be underwatering in your case.
Can you supply us with more pictures? A look at the roots in the pot would help - if it is in a transparent pot that should be easy enough to do. And if it isn't and if is in the wrong type of substrate anyway, I would recommend a very timely repot anyway during which we could look at the roots and you could switch to a transparent pot. I highly recommend them for orchids, not only for beginners but in general because they make caring for them and troubleshooting easier in the long run.
It would also be great if you could take a picture or describe the substrate it's in, give information on how long you've had the plant and what your watering schedule is like.
In general, most dehydrated orchids, even severly dehydrated ones, are salvageable once we identified the problem and fix what was amiss before (as long as there are no other issues).
Once you've taken some photos, you could try soaking it for now: take out the pot or of the decorative one and put it into water. You could also just fill the decorative pot to the brim and soak the plant in there. Don't get the leaves and stem wet, though. A weakened orchid like this is very susceptible to rot.
Leave it in there to speak for 10-20 minutes, then discard the water.
Additional photos of Willow. I was wrong about the succulent soil. This is some sort of substrate. Yes, she has been neglected. I know nothing about plants and rescued these guys from my parents’ house after they passed away. I am trying to learn what to do so that they thrive but I now have like 20 plants and this one is struggling more than the others.
Hi there. First off: when navigating Greg it always helps to directly tag the c people you want to see your post, because only the OP (in this case you) will get notified whenever somebody writes a new comment, the other commenters might not notice that you answered, unless you tag them (e.g. in my case @MusicalRedmint.)
I would love to help, but at least today I'm pressed for time, so I'll just leave some other orchid people's tags here, so they will see the pictures. Thanks for the better look. I can see you've already soaked it. And the substrate not being succulent soil is great. It's far from a hopeless case, I'm sure some of the others will elaborate or give helpful resources. For future orchid specific posts it also helps to add the #orchidlovers hashtag to your post. That way, many other helpful and c knowledgeable orchid people will see it. @DreamMachine @stephongreg @MariansOasis @smushface
I would love to help, but at least today I'm pressed for time, so I'll just leave some other orchid people's tags here, so they will see the pictures. Thanks for the better look. I can see you've already soaked it. And the substrate not being succulent soil is great. It's far from a hopeless case, I'm sure some of the others will elaborate or give helpful resources. For future orchid specific posts it also helps to add the #orchidlovers hashtag to your post. That way, many other helpful and c knowledgeable orchid people will see it. @DreamMachine @stephongreg @MariansOasis @smushface