You are heavy handed on watering. I am too. So repot all your orchids in lava rock with clay pots. The leaves are a rich emerald dark green. That color means they need more light. The light will add to evaporation. Water early then the sun can dry them. But phals are another question. My summers are too hot and they die a slow death. Make sure your pots completely drain and is not sitting in a saucer of water. Good luck

Yeah the phals i thought were a shady plant with the Cats loving the sun...?

Correct. From reading forums, the higher the latitude the more sun phals need. your phals need the brightest shade.

Thanks =)

Okay first up increase the humidity on the Phalaenopsis by standing the plants and their pots on a saucer of gravel or small stones and fill with water such that the water does not touch the pots this is very important during the summer along with water. I find that the best way to water is to take the plant to the sink give it a good drink of water that is 25% warm and the rest cool water by pouring it through the pot, then let it stand for a few minutes to drain and then return it to the gravel bed, during summer do this every three days, in winter once a week to ten days, depending how warm it is in the area that they are growing. The light levels for Phals needs to be reasonably high - but not direct sun. Now the pots you are using - get them out of those tubs and into proper pots that have decent drainage holes in the bottom, I grow in both clear or black whichever is at hand when I repot. Don't bother with terracotta they are really a waste of money and are difficult to sterilize and reuse. I use a mixture of barks 2 parts no 3 and 1 part no. 4 to which I add 1/2 part coarse perlite this gives a free draining mix that does retain some moisture around the roots, I find that sphagnum moss; that many growers use is better for the experts. you can also use a mixture of peat moss and perlite 1 peat moss to 5 of perlite, but this can mean that the plants dry out too quickly Every so often it is good to flush the pot with rain water to remove the salts that accumulate from tap water. Phals are best fertilized best by spraying with a 1/2 strength orchid food, the rule is generally a little and often. Do not use lava rock with Phalaenopsis these are true epiphytes and much prefer the mixture I mentioned above. Cheers

Be sure to repot as needed with Ernests potting mix. As the medium breaks down it will eventually kill the plant. Clay pots work fine. Many trophy winning phals were potted in clay pots...

Not here, I have not seen terracotta used here in 10 years, I attend and participate in many Orchid shows and they are not used. As to the potting mix breaking down, it will take a number of years. Here we use N Z pine bark which is slow to degrade. Plants need to be repotted only as needed, very much the same as using scoria or lava rock. As for saying that it will kill the plants that is just stupidity, it will do no more damage to a plant than any other misused potting media. It is this kind of hysterical comment that causes half truths about orchid growing which is what we should be promoting.

The stupidity is that you believe you have the only method of success. I do believe you have found methods that work for you. That is likely. But to think your recipe is the only chance of success is ludicrous. You certainly have eliminated success for millions of growers that use clay pots. That also is stupid.

It's all a unique meld of watering schedule, fertilizing (sorta optional), media, exposure, light, humidity and probably a few other miscellaneous variables. You can do whatever you want, if you adjust everything else.

You hit the nail on the head, Dbarron!

It sounds very much like you're having trouble with the pots staying a little too damp, so I wouldn't follow any of Ernest's advice, as it seems to lead you to water a lot more. I'm not sure where he lives, but this sounds like it will only make the problems you're experiencing worse (FWIW, I water my phals in the sink once a week in the summer and twice a week in the winter, because it's way too dry here in the winter). It sounds like watering any more than once a week is not going to help you.

Your pots look good, the bark looks fine, and the root situation I see looks to be okay as well. If you're sure the root rot comes from watering or mix that staying too wet, I'd remove any trace of moss, if possible, as it will only hold more water.

I would also try to find a spot that's a bit brighter and has more air circulation, to aid in the pots drying out faster. Phals aren't really shade loving, they just don't like full sun ... or so I'm told. I moved offices last year. My phals now get about three hours of full morning sun every day, and the rest of the day is crazy bright (only one of them really seems to dislike this, and this year's bloom reflected that. I will find a new spot for him once his flowers fall). If you can't find a better place for them, maybe you can get a small fan to run in the room? It does make a difference.

Sounds good. This room has a West facing window and a south facing window. This is the brightest room in the house by far. I will keep them in here and see how they do. Temps have started to calm down here staying in about the 70's outside. Air circulation in that grow room is adequate because i keep the window cracked. It seems like i just need to scale back on the water. I keep forgetting that these plants get much of there moisture from the air. Ill get it one day.... One day...

~~gabe

I wish I had humidity like that! Winter is the worst. Though I don't mix moss in with my bark, sometime around November I tuck a top dressing of sphagnum all around my orchids, spraying every day to try to slow the drying out until warmer weather returns. Instead of running water through them at the sink on watering day, they all get a 10-15 minute soak to really saturate the bark. It gets DRY here, y'all. But they persevere. Most start spikes in February, with flowers arriving in April.

I'm a believer in light. Give the plants good, strong light and they will take up the water. If your pots are draining well, increase the light.

Jane

This little thread brings out the old problem of where the OP and the post "answerers" live.

A Phalaenopsis mounted on a tree would not survive winter or summer here.

There are about 90 orchid societies of various types in the State of NSW, Australia and the base ingredient in orchid mixes is treated pine bark.

I haven't seen a clay pot at a meeting or orchid show for years.

Real orchid growers live in the frozen north. (of the USA)

The matching Climate for Sydney, Australia is probably something like San Diego.

And finally, why is the OP trying to grow a Cattleya in the same set of conditions as a Phalaenopsis? No outside area? Seven Phalaenopsis in this room, hundreds of "Cattleyas"

in various enclosures down the yard.

You have received excellent advice from a couple of posters. Oftentimes, it isn't the pot and mix that matters but how the grower adjusts to it. Orchid growing is an art as well as a science and experience is the best teacher. Sounds corny but its true. Take it from one who has grown orchids for over 30 years. I like to grow nearly all my orchids except for Paphs and Phals in clay pots. I feel clear pots are fine for Phals as you can clearly see if the plant needs water.

Terri

Wow 18 comments in one day.

I don't have much to add, but I'm feeling left out.

So what are you trying to say, arthurm2015? Insead of asking me why I am doing something wrong I could really use advice. Are you saying Cats are a Full sun plant? If thats the case I can just stick it in the window and give it a good 6 hours of goot bright sun. My Crotons are a full sun Plant and They love that room. I have 5 of them in there. I grow many plants in that room like Ficus, Dracaena, Poinsettia, Agave, African Violet and Streptocarpus, Tradescantia, Hawthoria, ZZ, and....well I think that's it. I love plants =) So anyway, depending on where i put it I can get any type of light exposure I need.

Terri, Yeah that is so true. Learn by doing. But I just dont want to kill these little buggers and I have put them through so much already.

The moss on the phal is there because it is really dehydrated and 80% of her roots are gone. The moss is arranged around the edge of the pot as to not touch the stem of the orchid to prevent any rotting. I have done the same to the Catleya. If that is completely wrong I will take it off. The roots an the new growth of the Cat are coming in nicely. I also have a Cymbidium Back bulb that has taken and it's growing =)

Cattleya's are a full sun plant in comparison to Phals for sure!

Do you have an outdoor space for your orchids? In your zone, I'd likely keep them outside year round. Here in Boston (or as Arthur calls it "the frozen North"), I keep everything that's not flowering outside anytime lows are above 50F. The cool temps help the Phals spike, the breeze help regulate moisture and my plants have benefited greatly from being outdoors. If that's an option, it's one I strongly recommend!

As for your pots...I grow all my Phals in clay pots. It has worked better for my situation than plastic. I water 1-2 times per week (depending on humidity) and use a humidifier during the winter when it's very dry.

It depends on your latitude. Cattleyas need more sun than Phalaenopsis and the other difference is that Phalaenopsis are warmth hogs with temps range between about 60 to 90F.

Phals are easier where Suzabanana lives because the homes are cosy in winter. Had more success with my Phals since I kept this room warmer.

Look at the leaves they tell the story. Light gathering leaves on Phals. harder smaller leaves on Cats

Cattleyas need all day sun filtered by an appropriate level of Shade-cloth, here 50% in winter with another layer added in summer. Cattleyas are mostly more tolerant of cooler temps in winter, especially so if the days are mostly sunny and the temp lifts .

Part of my Shade-House

If shavedmonkey had bothered to read the reply that I sent he/she would have realized that the comment I said was stupid was "that using the media I used would kill the plant" orchids will grow in a range of media, I know that as i grow my plants in everything from treefern pieces, pieces of tree branches, pure perlite, pine bark, or mixtures of all of them. While I do not grow Phals on either branches or treefern (only because I have to bring them inside during the winter) they will quite happily grow on this media, providing the humidity is high enough. As for not growing in a pot I made no mention of it, what I said and conveniently forgotten is that Phals are true epiphytes and grow wild in trees. Whether you use my methods or what you discover for yourself is of no consequence to me, it is what works for you in your conditions. As I said before Phals like high humidity as the temperature rises so should the humidity. There are very few fast and absolute rules when growing orchids, I grow in Sydney, micro-climate zone 10b most of my plants stay outside under solarweave and 50% shade cloth all year round except for Phals and some Paphs which I bring inside but not in a heated area.

Well I suppose I could figure something out to have them outside. Lots of Great info! Thank you soooo much guys =)

Here is an example of one plant and three different types of media. The orchid is C. intermedia x L. anceps = LC Interceps a primary hybrid, the first picture it is growing on a piece of Callistamon branch Australian Bottle Brush, the second in straight pine bark, and the third on Cyathea australis Rough Tree Fern.

Wow EARNEST! You have Quite the setup! So all you have above is shade cloth? Other than that they are outside in the elements?

~~Gabe

Hi bielo83 (Gabe) no not just shade cloth. Originally the walls and roof were glass, but three replacements of roof glass following hailstorms was enough!! two and a half of the walls are still glass, the roof is solarweave cloth + 50% shadecloth as is the other walls the glass house (sic) 12 x 12 feet. The hanging plants in the pictures are Sarcochilus and Australian mono-pedal native that are just coming into flower. Ernest

You're welcome.