Question

help pic 1   QUESTION: I got an orchid about two weeks ago and i pulled one of what i found out was an aerial root off. This is like my first real plant so forgive me. i looked online for hours and couldn't find any help. I am hoping you can help me half the new bud (haven't bloomed) are green and healthy looking and the other half is yellow. The flowers are still beautiful though. The stick you see poking through the leaves was like that when i got it, but most the small buds have fallen off.

ANSWER: Nia, thank you for the picture.  Your plant appears to have root rot. The potting mix has broken down and that causes it to remain wet for a long time after watering.  Also, potting mix in this condition reduces air flow through the potting mix to the roots.  In nature, these roots often grow on tree limbs and other sites where they are exposed to light and air movement.  In that respect they are very different from ordinary house plants.

This condition is fairly common for newly purchased orchid plants-- especially from big box stores as they generally do not have staff experienced in orchid growing and many of these stores don't plan to grow the plants anyway.

When the plant is done blooming, it must be repotted in fresh orchid potting mix.  There are several types available.  Choose the type that contains some fir bark pieces averaging about 1/2 inch in size. The potting mix should also contain perlite (white flecks) and may contain small pieces of characoal or other ingredients.  Each of these ingredients has a specific function in the potting mix. The second item you may need is a pot about the size of the one you have.  It should have many drainage holes in the bottom so the water can drain rapidly away during the watering process.  The pot should not stand in the water as this keeps the potting mix too wet too long. Determine about how much potting mix you may need (hobby bags usuallu contain enough for potting 2-4 plants). Soak that portion of the mix while you are unpotting and preparing the plant for repotting.  Remember that all orchid roots are important to the plant whether in the pot or not. In unpotting in preparation for repotting, rinse most of the old potting mix from the roots.  The reason for this is simply to examine  the roots.  Any roots that are "mushy" have lost their outer coating which is a spongy layer designed to absorb water and nutrients.  Mushiness is the result of damage  to this outer root covering which make that particular root unable to fulfill its responsibilities.  This is known as root rot.  Remove any such roots before repotting.  During repotting you may try to include some aerial roots into the pot.  Care must be taken because these roots are brittle and may break if bent too far. Remember that pot culture of orchids is artificial and the natural tendency of orcchid roots is to ramble and not be pot bound  Therefore you need not feel compelled to tuck the aerial roots into the pot.  Insert the roots into the empty pot (one way to do this is to turn the pot as you lower the roots.  This helps to minimize root damage.  As you add fresh (wet) potting mix, tap the pot to help distribute it amongst the roots.  Do this in an area to allow the excess water to run out the pot bottom.  Leave overnight before moving to your growing area.  An east facing window is an ideal location for growing your plant.  Growing it well will reward you with more flowers in the future.

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QUESTION: Thank you for your response but because my plant is still in bloom do i have to wait? Can the plant survive? The roots did begin rotting because when i would water 1x per week the water that drained would be trapped in the designer vase which i did not know so when i picked it up there was a horrible smell. i let it dry out for the most part but dont know if i should repot. Once it started drying out more flowers started to bloom!!

Answer
Nia, if you keep it on the dry side you may be able to wait to repot until it is done blooming  You can repot anytime, but if the plant is in flower spike, disturbance of the roots by repotting might cause the flower spike to abort.  This is a judgement call as to whether you want to enjoy the flowers or are more concerned about the condition of the plant.  I just want you be aware that if you repot (good roots only), it is possible (not certain) that you could interrupt the flower by disturbing what roots there are.