Question
Mr. Kawasaki,
  you have given me much hope for my orchid. i live in lakewood, ca and it is not very humid and it has been hot for orchids - and i have no air conditioning, but i think if i move the plant away from the window on the hot days that it will stay temperate.
  it is scary to cut the plant but i will try and follow your directions - the plant has 4 good leaves and the fifth is kind of wrinkley, but green and thick.
  i was thinking of looking at the roots like you suggested, but i have a question, if or when i cut the roots, is there anything i should put on the roots? any spray, vitamines? and is just water okay for the plant, that's all i've been doing - i have a reverse osmosis watering system.
  orchids are beautiful, but they are a mystery to me and i don't want to hurt it. thank you for all your help and your patience.
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Followup To
Question -
i have a white orchid i don't know the name of it, it was a gift from my daughter and now it's lost it's flowers, the flowers were on for 2 months, and now the top of it looks like it's withering/drying up. i watered it once every 2 or 3 days, it has the bark for soil and i can see the roots - most roots look very healthy, green and thick, one or two roots are dried up. the leaves are at the bottom and are thick and green. i was thinking if i clip the top part, the part that looks dried that maybe that would help it. what can i do? please help i feel like i have failed the plant.
laura
Answer -
Hello Laura,

From the description you gave of the orchid, it sounds like it may be a phalaenopsis orchid.  Do not despair, the flowers died due to natural progress - namely age, it was time.  Phalaenopsis flowers can last from 4 to 12 weeks on the plant, then they slowly wither and die.  

You didn't mention where you live nor where and how you are growing it, but here are some general guidelines on how to grow and care for a phalaenopsis.  

Phals. prefer bright but indirect sunlight, temperatures between 60 to 85 F, humidity above 50%, slight air movement around it.  Although the visible roots may look fine, the roots deeper in the bark mix may not.  Phals. love moisture but not constant wetness around their roots, if kept too wet the roots within the bark will rot.  It is best to allow the potting mix to become barely dry between waterings.  To check for rotten roots, place the pot over some newspaper then lift the phal out of the pot, if there are soft mushy roots present, they have rotted and longer useful.  Cut off these dead roots then repot the phal into some new fresh orchid bark.  Or, if you do not have orchid bark available, you can try washing off the old bark with plain water then re-use it.  Make sure the bottom leaf is just above the bark when done repotting.  

If there are 4 or more mature healthy leaves, you can try the following.  But ONLY do the following with 4 or more good healthy leaves present.  Look down the flower stem from the top, find where the bottom most flower had been.  Go down further until you come to a slight bump then go back up about an inch, cut the top part of the stem off, if the stem continues to die and turn brown, you can try cutting it at the next lower bump.  If all goes well, in several months you will see a new secondary stem grow outward.  Then in 3 to 4 more months you should see flower buds appearing and eventually open.  These flowers will last for 4 to 7 weeks then die off.  After this second flowering, remove the entire stem by cutting it off about an inch or so from the bottom.  

As fall approaches, allow the phal to be exposed to evening temperatures near 55 F for about 3 weeks, this will help initiate the new flowering season next year.  It would be helpful to feed it all year round with a balance type fertilizer recommended for orchids to help it grow and bloom.  Some people feed their orchids once or twice a month but I prefer feeding them at each watering but at 1/4 the recommended amount.  

Hope the above has helped.  If you have other questions or would like more information, let me know.  

Good luck and good growing.

Jim Kawasaki
San Jose, Ca.  

Answer
Hi Laura,

Please call me Jim.  Thanks.  

Yes, it can be frightening at first, especially with an orchid received from a loved one.  Orchids are pretty hardy plants but they do need a few things in order to grow and bloom well.  

So you live in Lakewood, that isn't very far from Costa Mesa.  You might enjoy going to the Fascination of Orchids show and sale held at the South Coast Shopping Center in February in the Crate & Barrel wing.  Even if you do not buy another orchid, it would be interesting for you to see the many varieties of orchids grown in the So. Cal. area.  Just be prepared to spend hours browsing around, it is one of the biggest orchid shows on the west coast.  If you do find an interesting orchid(s), ask a vendor or one of the docents about it and what it needs to grow well.  Before buying from a vendor, tell them what growing environment you are able to provide and they can help make a selection that will do well for you.  

Now, for your questions.  (grin)  You can help increase humidity around your phal. by placing the pot on a plastic tray filled with pebbles and water, as the water evaporates it provides some humidity, but make sure the pot is not sitting in the water but just above it.  Yes, it may be a good idea to move it further away from the window during hot spells but do not place it in a corner area as there is little air movement there.  Full early morning sun until about 10 AM will not hurt the phal. but indirect sunlight thereafter.  

If the bottom leaf is the wrinkly one, that is OK.  If it is one of the upper ones, that could be an indication of rotten roots within the pot.  There is little need to treat cut dead roots but if it makes you feel better you can sprinkle a little powdered cinnamon on the cut, cinnamon has some anti-bacterial properties.  

RO water is fine to use but since it removes all minerals, etc. in the water you should use a complete fertilizer to feed your phal.  A complete fertilizer will have a list of 15 to 17 different minerals in varying amounts (percentage) listed on the label.  Also, use room temperature water, leave the water standing for an hour or more then water the phal.  When watering, try not to get any on the leaves.  Also, it is best to do any watering in the morning to allow any wayward and unseen droplets to evaporate before nightfall.  Water left on a leaf overnight can be a breeding ground for bacteria and fungus which can be fatal to the leaf and even the phal.  For this reason, it is good to have some air movement to ensure the leaves dry properly.  

My goodness, this has gotten a little long.  Hope I didn't bore you and put you to sleep.  (grin)

Jim in San Jose