Orchid Journey
A few weeks ago I posted Orchida's journey, && I wanted to thank everyone who helps me & have advice!! After cutting back her dead stem, she is starting to grow back! I did not repot her (still has the nursery plug & somehow has thrived), && now that she's growing back I don't think I should? I'm not sure! lol my Question is: should I cut her back more? & should I just repot her, cause the grow back doesn't look that strong or solid??? Also, her leaves seem super dry. I just the roots every week or so with distilled water (water pump in pictures). Seems to be a decent watering regiment. As always, any help or advice would be appreciated! Blessings ☀️🍀💖 #OrchidLovers #Orchid #OrchidProblems #NewPlantMom
2” pot without drainage
Last watered 1 year ago
3
Hi. Your orchid is a bit dehydrated. ( at least the one leaf seems limp and had ridges and the roots look on the dry side as well)
The nursery plug doesn't *have* to destroy your roots, but it is optimized for nursery settings. Since you seem to water on the more careful side (and there might be no roots inside left), there might not have been issues with the plug. But, if you pick up watering, there might be. Misting (if i read a to there correctly) was very smart in your case, but the way the leaves and the roots look, it needs to be more frequent.
However, as the main roots seem to be around the plug, it doesn't completely fulfill its purpose anyway, so why not remove it to make watering easier, more effective and less risky. Also, I would could back the spike at this point. Yes, the orchid still blooms. But as it tries staying in bloom after the primary bloom it just produces one or two not very impressive looking flowers along the old stem. If you cut it back and give your orchid time to rest and grow leaves and roots, it will grow a new stem with a lot of flowers. Mini phals are especially known to be very floriferous. One or two flowers look very sad to me, knowing what it probably is capable of. Yours didn't have as many too begin with, but the pot was very small and who knows how long it was in the shop until it found its way to you. I would almost bet that if you cut back the spike and repot now, give it a pot appropriate to its root system and great medium and continue your good care (possibly with a closer look at the right amount of watering until you are used to the new medium), the signs of dehydration should disappear, it will put out beautiful new leaves and roots and eventually when it is ready a new great spike full of flowers.
The nursery plug doesn't *have* to destroy your roots, but it is optimized for nursery settings. Since you seem to water on the more careful side (and there might be no roots inside left), there might not have been issues with the plug. But, if you pick up watering, there might be. Misting (if i read a to there correctly) was very smart in your case, but the way the leaves and the roots look, it needs to be more frequent.
However, as the main roots seem to be around the plug, it doesn't completely fulfill its purpose anyway, so why not remove it to make watering easier, more effective and less risky. Also, I would could back the spike at this point. Yes, the orchid still blooms. But as it tries staying in bloom after the primary bloom it just produces one or two not very impressive looking flowers along the old stem. If you cut it back and give your orchid time to rest and grow leaves and roots, it will grow a new stem with a lot of flowers. Mini phals are especially known to be very floriferous. One or two flowers look very sad to me, knowing what it probably is capable of. Yours didn't have as many too begin with, but the pot was very small and who knows how long it was in the shop until it found its way to you. I would almost bet that if you cut back the spike and repot now, give it a pot appropriate to its root system and great medium and continue your good care (possibly with a closer look at the right amount of watering until you are used to the new medium), the signs of dehydration should disappear, it will put out beautiful new leaves and roots and eventually when it is ready a new great spike full of flowers.
Be prepared however that it might lose some roots in the new medium - whether you repot now or in a year from now. Many roots struggle to adjust to a new medium that is very different from before. And your roots have been dehydrated at some point as well. That is normal with home grown orchids though and they can regrow roots without any problem.
