Question
Phalaenopsis
QUESTION: My Phalaenopsis has drooping leaves (please see attached image). Can you please advise me how to take care of this problem when it will has blooming the flowers soon. I put my orchid pot next to the window that has sun shine in the morning. I bought it on summer 2009,I never repot it. I just put one time per week about 6 to 8 ice cubes instead of water it. Do you think I should keep to do that? Please advise!
ANSWER: Thank you Tammy for the questions and picture. Your plant looks healthy, has a keiki (plantlet) growing on a old flower spike and appears to have to flower spike branches from old flower spikes that may yet bloom. The drooping leaves are likely the result of some rotted roots. The plant appears to growing in sphagnum moss. Moss is a difficult potting medium in which to grow orchids. Several features of sphagnum make it less than ideal for orchid growing. Over time, it can compact, restricting air flow to the roots. It also difficult to maintain the correct distribution of moisture at the root level. If you let it get dry to the touch, the top part of the moss may be very dry, but further down in the potting mix, the moss may still be damp or wet. Roots will rot if kept constantly moist-- especially if compacted. The plant has not been repotted for two or more years (ie we don't know when it was pottted before you got it). It is generally recommended that phals be repotted annually after each flowering. I suspect that your leaf condition may be linked to some root loss with the resulting failure of the leaf to receive the needed plant sap which contains the fluid necessary for proper turgor (ie pressure in the leaf veins).
This plant is overdue for a proper repotting. However, repotting at this time may affect the flowering from existing flower spikes since repotting does disturb some root connections. You appear to have a plant that wants to keep flowering and that makes the decision to repot a difficult one. You may want to assess the root condition before making the decision to repot. This can be done by lifting the plant, moss and all, carefully out of the pot, disturbing the moss as little as possible. Orchid roots consist of a n outer spongy layer (called the velamin) and a root hair inside of that. During root rot, the velamin collapses making the root feel mushy. Under this condition, a critical part of the root is destroyed and not able to provide plant sap and nutrients to the parts of the plant it serves, You should also be able to see differences in how damp the moss is from top to bottom. If you see little to no damage, you could gently replace the moss with it roots back into the pot. Keep in mind though that most root damage occurs in the center of the potting mix rather than along the edges of the pot, so you may not see much of the root damage by examining the roots on the outside surface of the moss.
When you decide to repot, you will need to procure a hobby bag of orchid potting mix. There are many types available so select the type with some fir bark particles as one of its ingredients. A portion will need to be soaked prior to use, as dry fir bark repels water and soaking it will break down that repellancy. Be sure to use a pot with lots of drainage holes in the bottom and don't let the pot sit in water. In unpotting your plant, preparatory to repotting, remove most of the moss so you can thoroughly exaamine the roots to enable you to remove any dead roots ( you may leaves a bit of sphagnum in with the new potting mix to keep it a bit moister). While repotting your plant should result in healthy new growth, it will not restore existing leaves to a healthier condition. The repotting will allow healthy new roots to grow and these will, in turn, allow new healthier leaves to emerge. This will take months so you will need a lot of patience.
I do not recommend the use of icee cubes. Orchid roots do not like to be chilled and, when melting, the resulting water will not uniformly wet the potting mix. Likely, some areas will remain dry, while others may be too wet. Best way to water an orchid plant is to use room temperature water and thoroughly soak the potting mix when watering. Then, do not water again unttil the potting mix feels dry to the touch. Once you have seen new growth, you may add a bit of plant food (eg 1/2 tsp per gallon) to the water each time you water.
Please don't hesitate to ask followup questions as I know this is a lot to digest at one time.
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QUESTION: Thank you very much for your advice. I will follow your instructions to take care and repot it after all the orchid blooming. I still have one more question to ask you that my plant is growing in sphagnum moss, can I still use water and thoroughly soak the sphagnum moss when watering, and add a bit of plant food to the water each time I water? How often do I need to water it? It's really hard to tell for sphagnum moss when it will be need to water!
AnswerYou are right about the difficulty in knowing when and how to water in sphagnum moss. First, I would not use plant food as the salts will tend to build up in the moss and it is very difficult to flush them out. Other than that, I think the same procedure of soaking the moss and let the excess drain out the bottom is appropriate. Remember that the moss will likely take longer to dry out, so, be sure that the moss at the bottom is fairly dry before rewatering.
