Question
Orchid
Hi,
I have a Phalaenopsis orchid which lost it's flowers but sprouted a whole new bud which has grown well and has it's own buds coming off of it. The problem is the tip of the orchid which has no new buds on it has recently started to go yellow and now white. I thought maybe it was dying as the orchid was putting al the nutrients into the new bud so thought nothing of it and carried on watering it as usual (a little amount of orchid food every 2 weeks). The other day though one of the big green healthy leaves fell off, since then all the leaves have fallen off, all of which were healthy. The bit where the leaves sprouted from has gone a horrible browny/yellowy colour. It did have a little water in it so we dried it out carefully with a tissue. However I don't know what I should do with the orchid. I just found some little bugs that were crawling around inside what is left of the leaves. It also appears to have started dying from the base up the stem as well, but I'm not entirely sure if this is true, it just seems to have gone a different colour and not a bright as green as the rest of the stem.
Should I cut the bit of stem that has dies in a bid to stop the new bud dying or should I just leave it?Is there much hope that it will survive?
Please help as the flowers on this orchid were a lovely colour and I really don't want to have killed a second orchid :(
Many thanks
AnswerThank you for the description and picture Bethany. It is apparent both from your description and the picture that your orchid's ptting mix has broken down likely leading to root rot (and maybe also crown rot). Crown rot occurs when some moisture from watering gets into the cavity of the leaves (also called the crown) and destroys the tissue from which new leaves originate. At this point I can't be sure about the crown rot, that will only be known once the other problem of root rot is examined and an effort is made to regrow the plant.
If you unpot the plant you are likely to find roots that have collapsed-- these are dead. Healthy roots are firm and turn green when wet. If you find some healthy roots you can repot the plant in frsh orchid potting mix. Wet the potting mix prior to use. Try to grow the plant on the drier side just in case the crown rot is not too serious and may be able to grow a new leaf.
I point all this out because flower spike die back is related to the other problems I mentioned. A healthy plant can always produce a new flower spike. Your plant is not healthy and you may not even be able to save the plant-- which should be your main concern now.
When you once again attempt to grow a phaaenopsis orchid, be sure to repot it as soon as it goes out of flower. Repot it in fresh orchid potting mix in a plastic pot that has lots of drainage holes. Unfortunately, some "bargain" orchid plants are growing in a degraded potting mix (hence the insects, mold, soft bark, etc) when they are sold and these require emergency repotting as the roots may already be rotting. It is unfortunate that some unscrupulous orchid sellers take advantage of the novice growers in this regard-- you may have been such a victim. If the potting mix is in poor shape, then, watering can be a death sentence as the mix retains much of the water, food, etc rather than letting it drain out of the pot. Orchids of this sort are basically air plants. They thrive in an "open" potting mix in which allow air and water flow freely through the mix wetting the roots but not much else. Special orchid potting mix is composed of particles that promote these healthy conditions for orchid roots. Unfortunately, in your case, the damage that you did see distracted you from the damage you could not see and didn't look for. Also, when you water, do so early in the day allowing the plant to dry out by nightfall and, of course, try to avoid getting water into the leaf folds.
I hope you don't get discouraged. There are lots of beautiful phalaenopsis orchids out there and, with these basic principles, you will know what to look for and do to avoid the problems you have experienced.
