Question
Hi,
I've been reading all of your orchid advice for the past week or so and nothing was speaking directly to my problem so I figured it was time to write in!


I bought an orchid a few weeks ago from Whole Foods.  At the time, it was beautifully in bloom.  I watered it after 3 days just enough to soak the moss that it's potted in.  After about a week, the flowers started to wilt and fall off, and the leaves started to curl up and slightly away from the window. I watered again using a tiny amount (1/8 tsp) of orchid food about a week later (5 days ago).  The moss is still damp right now.

The leaves are a healthy color, but I just noticed that two of the four full-grown leaves have ridges on them (noticeable to the touch only).  Two of the leaves are also slightly yellow at the very edges.  I'm not sure if the ridges were there when I bought the plant or developed.

I was worried that I overwatered the plant (since that seems to be a common mistake) but I took the plant out and looked at the roots - they don't seem to be mushy and decaying, but they just look unhealthy.  The roots that are visible and that are underneath have some brownish blotches.  A few of the roots on the underside seem to be decaying a bit, but a few visible roots are brittle and dryed out, so I'm having trouble diagnosing if it's overwatering, underwatering, or a more minor issue (temperature/air flow).

I've been keeping the orchid by a southern exposure that gets very little (if any) direct sunlight (NYC apartment...) There is a ceiling fan in the room so air should circulate fine.  In terms of temperature, it's probably 70-75 during the day and 65 at night.

Any ideas what could be going on with my orchid or what I should try to make it happier?  I don't want to go to the trouble of repotting if it's too late or was a lemon to begin with, but if that will save the plant and help it bloom again one day, I'm all for it. Let me know what you think I should do.  Any advice is much appreciated.


Answer
Katie, You didn't mention which type of orhid you have.  My experience with groceries that sell orchids is that they generally have either phalaenopsis or dendrobium orchids.  The two types require significantly different types of care. As a rule, phalaenopsis roots are fleshy, but firm, and larger in diameter than dendrobium roots.  The latter are more hair-like in diameter.

Let me assume that you have a phalaenopsis orchid which generally has a basal group of 2-6 leaves originating from te roots and these send up one or more flower spikes on which buds and flowers are produced.  If you don't have this type of orchid, you will nedd to tell me what you do have, decribe the plant, or send a picture.

In either event, I do not recommend the use of moss.  Many orchids are sold potted in moss.  This is okay for the short run-- most sellers aren't interested in growing the plants.  But, to grow the plant, you will need to repot it in a more durable orchid potting mix. Places that sell orchids often also have bags of orchid potting mix.  If the whole foods market does not have this, the garden centers at Home Depots, or Lowes usually have it.  The type of orchid potting mix you should use has some fir bark in it, along with charcoal, perlite, and other ingredients needed especially for orchids.  Some orchid potting mix is specifically labelled for phalaenopsis orchids so that is what would be best if you have a phalaenopsis orchid.  Use only a plastic pot with lots of drainage holes for repotting your plant.  Soak the potting mix throoughly prior to use as the fir bark initially repels water and this repellancy needs to be broken down before use.  Unpot your plant and rinse off the roots.  Remove any roots that have collapsed as these are dead.  Healthy roots are plump, firm, and turn green when wet.  After repotting, set aside where the excess water can drain and do not water for a week, then, a weekly watering should be fine.  Phalaenopsis prefer to grow in an east window.  Be patient.  Since you have changed the root environment to one more suitable for permanent growing, it may take a couple of months to start to generate new root and leaf growth.

If you have some other type of orchid, this growing advice would be wrong and could prove fatal so we need to be sure about the type of orchid you have.