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mpaster_gw

Is my orchid dying?

mpaster
9 years ago

Here is a picture of my orchid. Are the roots and the leaves okay? I noticed a white lump on one of the roots.

Thanks,
mpaster

Comments (10)

  • arthurm
    9 years ago

    Cannot say for certain, perhaps it looks a bit dry. Picture is a little out of focus. Where are you in the USA, where are you growing the orchid. Near a window? Temperatures?
    Watering frequency? To get good help you need to supply good information.

  • jbw1984
    9 years ago

    Also why do you think it's dying?

  • terrestrial_man
    9 years ago

    You are not watering this baby enough. There are new buds on the inflorescences with wilted flowers.
    I am presuming you have roots left on the plant.
    I would cut off the flower stalks, dump the plant out of the ceramic
    pot, check the root system to see how dry it is and if all the roots
    are dried up and dead. Hopefully not.
    But if some good roots, get some potting mix for Phallys or Cattleyas
    and repot into a 1 gallon plastic pot (repot by holding the plant inside the pot and pouring the mix into the pot and around the roots, then tap the pot on the floor to settle the mix, do not push the mix down with your hands or a tamper as you could damage the roots), sitting the plant down inside the
    pot with the base of the leaves around an inch below the rim of the pot. Then water heavy and let drain thoroughly.
    Sit in a warm and humid spot. No drying heat on this plant as it
    looks exhausted already.
    Lift up or weigh the potted plant to get the feel of how it is when it
    has been watered heavily. Probably water in a couple of days.
    If the air is really dry and humidity is below 50% then I would water
    every other day as fresh mix tends not to hold much moisture until it starts to decompose.
    Hope this helps.

  • westoh Z6
    9 years ago

    Hopefully, the advice about the 1 gallon pot is a mistake, maybe a 4" or so pot. A gallon pot is way, way too large for this plant.

    The rest of the advice seems valid.

    Bob

  • terrestrial_man
    9 years ago

    On pot size,
    if it is a small plant with few roots, sure a small pot will do
    but it looks like a larger plant to me and quite large enough
    for a gallon sized plastic pot.
    I have grown these in straight fir bark in gallon sized pots
    They form extensive root systems especially with adequate
    feeding.
    A smaller pot would not be adequate enough to provide
    humidity for the roots in a dry air home environment which
    most likely would have humidity levels much less than 50%.
    And that picture tends to show a pretty dry root environment.
    Remember these plants occur naturally on cliff faces above
    water or on trees in very humid areas in S.E. Asia. Humid
    with lots of air circulation and high temps.

  • westoh Z6
    9 years ago

    I grow 30-40 phals and some are very large (20"+ leaf tip to leaf tip spans), the largest pot I use is 5", probably move up to a 6" for a couple on next re-pot.

    I feel that the media would have a hard time drying out when in a 1 gallon pot, leading to root rot.

    To each their own, ain't orchids wonderful :)

    Bob

  • greentoe357
    9 years ago

    I think there are other factors that can make a larger pot OK or not.

    If the pot is unglazed clay, and/or has holes in the sides, then a gallon one can be ok because it will dry out fast enough. If it's plastic with no holes, then maybe not. The medium used also speaks to the pot size. Sphagnum moss is good for Phals in smaller pots and in dry climates, but it would take too long to dry out in humid environment and/or in bigger pots. The grower's watering habits (prefer to soak or just pour water, and how often) will affect the medium, which will in turn affect the pot size somewhat.

    The amount of light the plant is getting, air flow, temps, humidity - all also have affects on the pot size because they affect how fast the medium will be drying out.

    Finally, we do not know how extensive the root system is in this one. We can guess from what we see, but you probably should not decide on the pot size till you see the roots.

    That said, all of the above seems like it's a lot of factors, but you'll be ok if you ignore the size of the plant above ground and just find a relatively tight fit for the roots (soak them before repotting, so they are a little more agreeable to slight bending.)

  • shavedmonkey (Harvey in South Fl.)Z10b
    9 years ago

    I've noticed on forums like this one there is variation of culture on phals especially, as the zones change. I think more so with phals than any other type. Perhaps the nature of the plant trying to adapt to a foreign environment.

    Example, Phals can not tolerate full sun here in south florida but I read here that they can in northern climates. That alone will mean that different mediums and pots become more likely for optimum results in different zones.

    Just speculating on some observations...

  • philpet
    9 years ago

    I agree with Bob, phals are the only orchids I am really good with. I have 32 and I have found the do amazing in small pots , I have one with 14 leaves really long and it's in a 5" pot. I live in Jamaica very hot here and spagnum moss was a death sentence ( I learnt the hard way). I would say from the look of your plant a 4 or five inches pot would be fine and that's asumming their are more healthy roots inside the pot. Now depending on your watering habits you would choose the media but they seem to love bark mix, the one that contains perlite,charcoal and bark. Phals are also easy to bounce back one you provide good care.Velleta

  • jane__ny
    9 years ago

    I gallon!!! You must be kidding.

    Jane