Oh also, how to get rid of knats in the soil/moss ?

I just read on here about glazed pots being bad for orchids ! Never knew that. I did repot right into a pot & not sure if it is glazed on the inside. It's a fancy pot. Now what to do ? Where to buy them clear inserts to put the orchid in & then put them in the fancy pot ? I think I'll be right back to the roots coming out of the top of this pot though. It will be the same size I took it out of. Do the roots coming out mean it's root bound ? It also might be too much direct sun (wrinkled leaves) even though the others are doing great. Thanks for help here all.

What kind of orchid is it? Some orchids need to dry out, some need to stay a little more evenly moist. How were the roots below the surface? Firm of soft?

Jennie, sometimes brand new orchid bark mix is hard to wet. Some growers soak it overnight to get it to accept moisture before using it.

That said, your plant is desiccating, and that means problems at the roots. But it's not always clear why, because not enough water and too much water (hence, rotting roots) produce the same symptoms on top.

If it's not enough water, just give it a good long, say 1 hour soak (set a timer so you don't forget like I do) for the first three or four waterings. That will probably do the job of rehydrating your plant, and softening the bark so it will hold a little moisture. If this is the cause, your plant should perk up a lot after the soak.

If it's rotting roots, this will slowly kill the plant, and you have to try to re-root it. Root rot is easy in orchids. It could have started before you bought it.

Tell us what kind of orchid you have. I'm going to assume it's a phalaenopsis. As these grow upwards, old leaves gradually die off and new roots are formed where the old leaves were. This makes the plant "climb" upwards. So new roots outside the medium are common.

Fungus gnats grow from larvae in potting mixtures that are kept wet. If you have them, your orchids are or were at one time too wet. Pour thru of dilute Physan20 at 1 tsp/gallon will get rid of them. But take care not to keep your medium too wet or they'll come back.

If you have to re-root, sphagnum moss in a clay pot works fairly well. If your plants are phals, you can *grow* them in clay pots with sphag and they should thrive. You can used decorative unglazed clay pots if you prefer. Or put the unglazed clay into a cache pot.

Don't use big pots-- that keeps the medium too wet. Use a size that just fits the roots (not the top)

It takes time to gain confidence in your growing, Jennie. But in the meantime, do some reading of the culture notes on several different specialist vendors' websites.

I'm assuming you have phals, because you mention leaves rather than pseudobulbs. So start with Big Leaf, Beford Orchids and Robert Bedard Orchids. All have excellent discussion of care for phals. You will learn a lot and gain confidence if you do this.

Thanks ! Yes they are all phalaenopsis. I just know the orchid mix has been a pain. Now I want to repot it again , back into the clear plastic thing to then put back into my pretty glazed pot , but , didn't save the plastic ! Can you buy these & where ? Do the orchids get root bound & how do you know ? I thought the roots climbing out of the top of the soil was a sign. Can these upper roots be cut ? They seem wrinkled & dry. So, when I was repotting, I did noticed tons of dry wrinkled looking roots, are these all no good & need to be trimmed ? You say, re-root them in a clay pot with spag. moss ? I know the rooting thing with sticking in water , but , have never tried like this. How to know if their re-rooting then. Also, on the knats, what is Physan20 & where to find ? Can this be used on other house plants ? I did see on the garden channel on TV to take garden lime (not sure how much) & use this to kill knats in your house plants. Not sure the use on the orchids. I have a pic here of 3 of the 4 orchids I have. They seem to love it here by my french doors catching the hot full sun of the south. My peach colored one is the one not doing so good. Maybe re-pot it with the mix , but , use more spag. moss ? I just need to find now the clear plastic inserts ! All the ones I bought were potted in them. I thought these were bad & that's why I potted right in the pots. Plants with the inserts are doing better. Orchids don't get root bound then ?

Thanks

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:187557}}

Just put them in any clay or regular plastic pots. You don't need special pots. Just make sure they have drain holes. You can add some sphag to the bark mix.

What kills orchids more than 'what' they are potted in is 'where' they are potted! A new orchid grower usually does not own a greenhouse so I can infer Jennie is growing indoors. OH, Zone 5. Ohio? Midwest. No lights is also a fair assumption. Just a matter of time, then. This is my mantra and ongoing mission to spread the experience among neophytes that for those of us living above ~30* north latitude and for those of us indoors (with rare exceptions)anywhere, lights are a near neccessity for long term success. I like Mehitabel's chosen recipe of sphag/clay but the bark mix need not mean the death of the orchid, simply water more? But that isn't really it, is it? I always want to know 'where' the plant is growing and what conditions are like in that spot. That is what really tells me what is going on.

H

H,
I did mention the growing location plus added a pic ! The others love it here & are doing great. It's just the one I re-potted in that orchid mix in a glazed pot that is doing crappy now. I feel the soil mix isn't holding water. It just a bark mixture & I added spag. moss just ontop , but , after to feel tough the moss, the soil/bark feel not damp at all *even* right after I watered. I even let the water sit in the saucer for a few. I barly bumped one big green bottom left last night when watering & it fell right off. The bottom part of the leaf was dark brown & rotted looking when the whole other part of the leaf is all green.

Jennie, you need to paragraph your writing more. It makes it easier to read and comprehend. Some of your questions are not getting answered probably because people lose track of them in the thicket of sentences in the middle of your post.

DON'T cut the dried up looking roots. They aren't necessarily dead, just desiccated, and they will rehydrate in water. Give the plant a half-hour soak in some water with a drop of Ivory Liquid and 1/4 strength fertilizer solution.

When you cut a root, the wound gives bad things a chance to get into the plant. You don't want to do this til you have more skill and experience. Don't cut any root unless its dead, ie rotten and mushy, and slips right off, leaving a string..

You don't need the inserts. As Jane said, any plain plastic or clay (unglazed) pot will do. Just be sure it fits the roots instead of being too big.

DON'T USE LIME ON ORCHIDS. Orchid roots are specialized to take up minute amount of nutrients and chemicals that some garden plants can take will kill them.

Yes, orchids can get root-bound, but they are always making new roots, and roots can survive in the air (where they grow in nature), so people don't get too uptight about it.

If you can't get Phsan 20, plain old hydrogen peroxide, the kind you get in a drug or grocery store can be used. Use about a couple of tablespoons/gallon of water. I have used peroxide on orchids many times. It doesn't harm them, even full strength.

The gnats are coming from too wet soil, or they're in the medium. Be sure the soil isn't too wet whenever you see them. When I see them, I take it as a sign I am watering too often, and need to hold back more. They may be in the old medium your plants came in.

Your south-sun French door location sounds perfect for them to me.

You have to remember that the plant may not be ailing because of anything you did. You repotted because it was ailing--remember? So the bad thing that happened to it wasn't done by you. Besides, you're not an expert til you've killed at least 100 orchids.

Just relax, you'll get the hang of it. If your plant doesn't make it, join the club. I'm still killing some after four years.

I urgently recommend you read up on phal culture. You can find tons of information on the internet. Some of your questions suggest to me, you need some basic reading under your belt.

I also would re-double my suggestion that since you have some sphag, sphag in clay works well to *re-root* ailing orchids.

good luck

Ok, you say the leaf fell off because it was rotten at the leaf/stem juncture. This is called "crown rot", and will spread quickly and kill the plant very fast. It happens when water gets trapped in the growing crown of the plant, or in the leaf junctures. Then bacteria that are around all the time get their chance to get at the plant. You can go from a speck to a black mushy plant in a day with this stuff, so act quickly.

Rot can be stopped by dusting with cinnamon if you catch it in time. Cinnamon is a good anti-bacterial, anti-fungus, and works like magic. Dust the place where the leaf rotted off with cinnamon.

Be sure to check the whole plant over, eagle-eying it for more brown places on the stem or in the growing crown. Dust any brown spots with cinnamon. You may still lose the plant if the rot extends clear thru the stem. Crown rot often wins if you don't see it in time.

For a good discussion of crown rot in phals and how to treat, to to Al's Orchids. He has a discussion of this with pictures.

When you water, don't let any water sit in the crown of the plant. Take a tissue or a corner of a napkin and blot it out.

You might try the skewer method of watering. Get a shishkabob skewer like they sell in the grocery store. Trim one down so it will stick up about an inch in your medium. Put the skewer in the medium and leave it there. The next time you think the plant needs water take out the skewer and touch it to your lip, cheek, or the back of your hand. If it's nearly dry, water. If it's wet, don't water. Bark is deceiving and can be crispy on top and wet in the middle. After a while you'll get the hang of watering. I swear by this method.

Thanks for that info orchid126 ! I have been doing good watering till I read on the fert. bag, when watering to get the leaves. So, now I have been using fert. each time watering & I have been pouring it into the plant crown !!! Oh man, I should have stayed with doing it my way.

Anyway, I took the plant out of this glazed pot today & re-potting into a plastic insert. The roots were all hard & tiny. Like small tree roots & NOT like the fatty ones that stick up out of the plant. Is this bad ?

Also, the roots had a covering (dark) on them that just slid off of them, so I removed as much as I could. So, now just stringy hard like roots.

There looks to be some tips of big fatty ones starting right at the top. I soaked it in fert., ivory hand soap (1 drop) for 30 mins. & re-potted & watered well. Oh, I dusted with cinn. before re-potting. The rest of the plant didn't look bad. I have many pics , but , refresh my memory how to post pics & have them come right up so you can see them on my thread & don't have to click a link.

Thanks

Will this start any new leaves ? This is what came out of plant today when I repot it. Didn't know about thing one growing ? I took & soaked the roots also (what does the ivory do ?) & potted in spag. moss in a plastic insert. Why are the roots so stringy & hard ? Are these healthy ?

Thanks

{{gwi:187561}}

The mushy stuff you took off of the root is the rotted covering for roots any of these are dead roots.

I can not tell by your picture but if that is all that is left of your plant it is a gonner and it would be better to start over.

Even if there is more plant, one that has some crown rot, sounds like extream root rot, sounds like you would be better off starting over with a new healthy plant. If you are able to keep this one alive it will be several years of hard work until it is ready to bloom again.

Good luck like it was said before a few dead orchids is to be expected and it part of the learning process.

Sorry to say that's dead, Jennie. Nothing left to grow from. I agree with me_171, don't break your heart with that one. Start over with a healthy one.

I still kill plants, too. I recently gave up on a plant that has been making mini comebacks for four years. It would grow a few new leaves, but only until they were about and inch or less long, and then it would stop, those would rot or dry up and then it would start over. Very disappointing, but I gave up. I think it's inevitable to make a few mistakes, and quite common to make MANY mistakes with these. Don't lose heart, I have probably killed a good eight to ten, and I have only owned maybe 40 in the past four years. I even rotted one trying to save it from (harmless) springtails using a really bad homemade pesticide soak. Only years later did I learn about what the little silvery, jumping bugs were.

Chin up, good luck with the next one. Just take pictures so you can remember those that don't last and track the progress of those that do.