Hey everyone. Hopefully I get a quick response, I've got a partially time-sensitive question. I just picked up a white Phalaenopsis orchid which I have a particular purpose for. By the looks of things, some of you guys can pick these up at your local Wal-Mart. I just spent 7-8 hours today tracking one of these down, the only one I could find within a 100 mile radius! But that aside... :p My main reason for getting this is because I wanted to cut it and give it to a young woman I know (who will hopefully be more than that soon! :D ) (Apparently, beautifulorchids.com and 1888orchids.com need to hire their own team of specialists to determine how to ship when I tell them to. I wasn't aware that it was complicated, but apparently so.) But first, when I got it today (just a few hours ago), its blooms were kind of droopy & limp. It was kept in a greenhouse which, when I went in, was rather warm & humid, and what I read was that they like cooler air and moderately warm water (maybe that's just once they've been cut, I don't remember). Is there a quick way I can perk the blooms up (like by tomorrow morning)? They're still well alive and have good color, they're just droopy. It almost looks like most of the blooms are too large to support their own weight, but I don't know. The smaller ones (like 2 of them) seem to support themselves fine. I doubt I can do a lot about this, not a big deal I guess. Next, where or what is the best place or way to cut the stem that won't kill the plant? Will it require any extra care for a while after being cut? Third, is this thing planted correctly? I can see the roots, and that seems kind of shallow, but I know nothing of growing orchids. It also looks like it used to have another stem growing, and was cut at some point. Should I expect it to grow back. And also (as shown in the third pic), there is a dried root shell which I attempted to move, but it appears there is a smaller live root within it that has already grown into the soil. What should I do with it (if anything)? Finally, what's the deal with misting? I've read nothing about it so far. All I know is to make sure the leaves aren't wet at night. Any other info would be appreciated as well. Thank you!
I hope that growing mix is dry so that a good soaking will perk up those blooms (I would literally soak the pot in room temp water for 5-10 minutes). I normally water my Phals before they become completely dry and I pour water through the pot and let drain (no standing water). Normal room temperatures are usually fine for Phals. Cutting the flower stem will actually benefit the plant as it put more energy into growing leaves and roots. Good luck with plant (and the lady). Shaun
Thanks for your reply. I will give that a try this morning, but I only have about 3.5 hours before it's going to be cut, so I doubt they will perk up in that time (at least by any significant amount. I also noticed something I hadn't noticed yesterday, but shows up in that last pic: There's a small dark spot on one of the leaves that got worse overnight. It also seems like the blooms got a little more droopy. :( I didn't water it last night because I know I'm not supposed to, so what can I do about this dark spot before it gets bad? Hopefully, a little sunlight will help this morning, too. I have the perfect window for it because I have to huge trees overshadowing it so it doesn't get direct light, but still gets a good amount.
No luck (either way). I also definitely have one of those leaf fungus thingys, it's taken over about half of one of the leaves. What do I do? Just off the leaf?
Yes, I would cut off the leaf. Fungus be gone! And boy, is your phal. DRY. Give it a thorough soak, and remember that drainage is key. Misting is good---keep the roots moist but never let them get waterlogged. Good luck!
Actually, after watering & misting, it got much much worse. I made sure it drained & all, but it started turning yellow, another one of the leaves died, so there's only one left. I decided it was probably getting too much sunlight, even though the window is shaded except in the evenings, and the remaining leaf that had started turning yellow is starting to regain it's normal green color. The stem isn't looking so good, though. And forget the blooms, they aren't coming back this year for sure. :p
Be patient. I think that your plant has been stressed, and that the leaf-dropping is the result of this. Moving it to a shadier location is probably a good idea. Just maintain the moisture situation, and let it recover. Orchids are tough: don't give up yet!
