QuestionHi, I am a new owner of three moth orchids which seemed to be doing well for a few months, but now they have started to have problems that I can't seem to find the answers to in books. Two of the plants have lost there flowers now and I have cut back the stems,however, the leaves keep dying but occasionally growing new healthy leaves. So I don't know if this is normal or not. Along with this all three of them have started to have shriveled roots on top which are also growing white powder like mildew on them and I'm not really sure what to do about it. Any help you can give would be great! Thanks so much!
AnswerErin, I'm glad you contacted me about this. We need to get to the root of the problem (excuse the pun). Unfortunately, many of the orchids sold at big box stores are there just for sale and they do not grow them. Often, those orchids come with root problems due to a deteriorated potting mix. Orchids are somewhat unique in that they require an "open" potting mix which allows air to pass through and good drainage so the potting mix does not stay wet. You should be able to confirm the root problems when you unpot your plants. Here are my recommendations:
Obtain a bag of orchid potting mix (usually there is enough in a bag to repot 3 orchid plants). Also, if your plants are not in plastic pots with lots of drainage holes, you will need to buy three pots that are slightly larger than the pots they are in (I'm assuming that most of the roots are healthy). Soak the new potting mix for a couple of hours (orchid potting mix contains fir bark particles which repel water when dry so they need to be soaked to make the mix more water retentive).
Unpot each plant and rinse off the roots. The healthy roots are firm and turn green when wet. Roots that are mushy are dead or dying and need to be removed prior to repotting. When repotting, slowly lower the roots into the pot, rotating the pot as you do so to help minimize root damage. When the roots are fully down into the pot, place the plant in its pot in an area where it can drain when you add the fresh, but wet, potting mix. As you add the potting mix, tap the side of the pot to help it settle amonst the roots. Fill the pot to about an inch from the top. Be ssure the crown of the plant (where the roots originate) slightly above the top of the potting mix. After the potting mix has thoroughly drained, place the plant in its growing area and withhold watering for a week. Then, begin watering once per week. You should start seeing new growth in about a month.
