Orchid help

PoppedPopcorn

I bought an orchid which dropped all the leaves. Then the stem went brown and dried up. Feels like a stick now.
Then today the leaves at the base of the plant broke off and are black at where they would of been attached.

Have I any hope of saving the orchid ?

kylith

If it has no leaves or stem I would consider it dead. What do the roots look like?

IME most orchids are loved to death. Potting compost will kill them, overwatering will kill them, being left with roots in water will kill them. The best thing is proper orchid compost (which is basically just bark mulch, as far as I can tell), and put their inner pot on a little pedestal within the decorative pot so that water drains freely, but as it collects at the bottom it creates humidity, which the plant loves.

PoppedPopcorn

kylith wrote: »

If it has no leaves or stem I would consider it dead. What do the roots look like?

IME most orchids are loved to death. Potting compost will kill them, overwatering will kill them, being left with roots in water will kill them. The best thing is proper orchid compost (which is basically just bark mulch, as far as I can tell), and put their inner pot on a little pedestal within the decorative pot so that water drains freely, but as it collects at the bottom it creates humidity, which the plant loves.

The roots are still green and look healthy enough - just the rest of the plant doesn't :-(
I bought a 2nd orchid today which has that bark. I'm not exactly sure what is in the one that has now died/in process of dying

goose06

PoppedPopcorn wrote: »

The roots are still green and look healthy enough - just the rest of the plant doesn't :-(
I bought a 2nd orchid today which has that bark. I'm not exactly sure what is in the one that has now died/in process of dying

Where do you keep the orchid, make sure it's out of direct light, water heavily once a week-10 days and let it drain off. The spike(stem) will die back once it has finished flowering and a new one should come after a dormant period. They thrive on neglect.

PoppedPopcorn

goose06 wrote: »

Where do you keep the orchid, make sure it's out of direct light, water heavily once a week-10 days and let it drain off. The spike(stem) will die back once it has finished flowering and a new one should come after a dormant period. They thrive on neglect.

Thanks. Roughly how long should I wait before declaring it gone? Lol
It's out of direct sunlight however I fear I've over watered it ! So easy to do when watering the rest of the plants

goose06

Just leave it be and see what happens, when the roots go a silver/grey colour then give them a good soaking

PoppedPopcorn

goose06 wrote: »

Just leave it be and see what happens, when the roots go a silver/grey colour then give them a good soaking

Will try that. Thanks very much !

Oldtree

Mine only get rain water

PoppedPopcorn

Oldtree wrote: »

Mine only get rain water

Ooh interesting ! Surviving well?

goose06

I generally filter the tap water and leave it sit a few days in a sunny window before using it. Orchid is 3 years old and blooming well, I need to repot it the next time it finishes flowering.

Oldtree

PoppedPopcorn wrote: »

Ooh interesting ! Surviving well?

I would say yes. They keep flowering for me.

I water with rain water and use a ready to use organic liquid tomato feed infrequently in summer. Trying to replicate what they would get in the wild, rain and birds poo

I don't spray or mist them as I worry about damp getting a hold. I do give them a wet cloth wipe when I feel there is too much dust on the leaves once or twice a year.

They are adjacent to a radiator and adjacent to a Southish facing double glazed window, on the right, so get bright light generally with only a small amount of direct early morning light.

I tend to leave them in the clear plastic pots they come in, with a tray underneath which I try to always have water in.

I support the flowers on sticks so the weight of the flower dosn't break the plant apart.

I have a flowering spike coming at the moment on one of them. I'll get a photo up of it. I think I posted one on here before.

Oldtree

Found it. I have no idea of the name of this one but presume it's common enough.

PoppedPopcorn

Oldtree wrote: »

Found it. I have no idea of the name of this one but presume it's common enough.

Wow !!!! Do you cut it back at all when it drops leaves ?

looksee

Oh I love those tiny flowered yellow ones, my DiL has one.

I was given an orchid at the very start of February, in full flower, it is just now dying off. A spectacular 6 months of flower. It has been sitting in a not terribly well lighted room, and been watered maybe a dozen times since I had it, if that. In the meantime I have a pretty much identical one that has flowered numerous times, sitting in a west facing window, gets watered minimally every two or three weeks and has just produced a magnificent spray of flowers. It flowers about twice a year.

I have also several others in the same window, some of which don't really flower much at all. I must get some feed and see if I can prod them into life.

Oldtree

PoppedPopcorn wrote: »

Wow !!!! Do you cut it back at all when it drops leaves ?

I only remove leaves from the plant when they are dead and dried out. I let the flowers drop off the spike when they are dried out too and tend to leave the spike until it dries out too then remove.

I wait with the spike removal as some of the broader leafed orchids seem to go for a second flowering on the same spike. This spike tends to remain green.

If you put up a photo of the plant we would be better able to advise you.

Oldtree

looksee wrote: »

Oh I love those tiny flowered yellow ones, my DiL has one.

I was given an orchid at the very start of February, in full flower, it is just now dying off. A spectacular 6 months of flower. It has been sitting in a not terribly well lighted room, and been watered maybe a dozen times since I had it, if that. In the meantime I have a pretty much identical one that has flowered numerous times, sitting in a west facing window, gets watered minimally every two or three weeks and has just produced a magnificent spray of flowers. It flowers about twice a year.

I have also several others in the same window, some of which don't really flower much at all. I must get some feed and see if I can prod them into life.

its one of the more rewarding ones to grow, flowers remind me of yellow fairys I really like the way the orchid flowers persist.

I was given another one a few weeks ago, flowers are large, white with purple dots on it and broad leafed.

One other thing I though of as to why I dont spray the leaves is that if you spray and get direct light the leaves can get damaged, kinda like using a magnifying glass to increase the suns power.

looksee

Yes, I cut out spikes too till I realised that this can happen. And I don't spray them either.

PoppedPopcorn

Oldtree wrote: »

I only remove leaves from the plant when they are dead and dried out. I let the flowers drop off the spike when they are dried out too and tend to leave the spike until it dries out too then remove.

I wait with the spike removal as some of the broader leafed orchids seem to go for a second flowering on the same spike. This spike tends to remain green.

If you put up a photo of the plant we would be better able to advise you.

Ok so now when I look at it - I'm tempted to give up. Haha.
The bigger one is doing so well! Just the small one seems to have died.

Oldtree

The stick does look dead but what are the green things in bark in the pot? Are they swolen roots?

I think it may have been drowned. The roots need a bit of air too and a solid pot on the outside filled with water can drown the roots in the clear pot. Use a tray about an inch deep to avoid that problem.

goose06

PoppedPopcorn wrote: »

Ok so now when I look at it - I'm tempted to give up. Haha.
The bigger one is doing so well! Just the small one seems to have died.

Pop it out of the pot and tidy up the roots, remove any ones that are yellow/rotted and put it into some fresh Orchid potting mix and see what happens as the roots look ok from the picture, but I'm stubborn about trying to keep things alive.
If the plant is not important to you just bin it.

dathi

Oldtree wrote: »

Found it. I have no idea of the name of this one but presume it's common enough.

its an oncidium

dathi

phychopsis kalihi in flower at moment

Oldtree

dathi wrote: »

phychopsis kalihi in flower at moment

Wow that's some intricate flower

kylith

dathi wrote: »

phychopsis kalihi in flower at moment

Beautiful!

OP, the roots look in good nick, so I'd be inclined to hang onto it for a while and see if it comes back.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Mine throws out a lot of what I call aerial roots. Should it be reposted to have these roots covered?

Oldtree

Braxton Gorgeous Bear wrote: »

Mine throws out a lot of what I call aerial roots. Should it be reposted to have these roots covered?

I don't repot the aerial roots, as that's what they do in the wild. I do encourage some of them down towards and into the tray of rain water I have under the pot as otherwise the aerial roots will just dry out and die at the tip and are useless. they seem to be very brittle.

Oldtree

Coincidentally I have in my reading pile at the moment "Ireland's Wild Orchids: A Field Guide By Brendan Sayers & Susan Sex". Illustrations are lovely.

https://www.collinspress.ie/irelands-wild-orchids.html

PoppedPopcorn

Thanks everyone ! I'm gonna keep it another while and see how it goes ! Don't want to get rid of it

In regards to the tray - does a pot with stones in the bottom work also and just pour water over the stones? If so - how much water if the roots aren't meant to sit in water

Oldtree

In this context drainage isn't necessary so no need for stones. The tray of water is there specifically to keep the compost/bark damp and capillary up the water to the orchid. Tray is usually about 3 cm deep. When tray is empty time to refill.