I've had this orchid for 3 years now, and for the past 2 it has bloomed beautifully. This past year, I went through some tough times and life changes, and the plant ended up getting left to the wayside. It means a lot to me though, and now that I'm doing better I'm really hoping to bring it back. Is it too far gone? If not, what steps should I take to bring it back?
by Usernam-ing
4 Comments
You can definitely bring it back! That green leaf and green root is a great sign! Cut off some of the old mushy brown roots and repot it in orchid mix. I don’t know what happened to this orchid or if it suffered physical abuse but it’s really great that there’s still greenery and it’s a fighter with that leaf. Place it on a bright windowsill and it will soon be growing lots of leaves. Remember not to let your orchid soak in water for too long, just 10-15 mins per week.
Technically but is it worth it
It’ll be tricky because there’s not much left to work with. There’s no foliage and basically only half an active root, but the crown is intact so there’s definitely hope. I’d suggest looking into the ‘sphag and bag’ or ‘orchid ICU’ method to try and rescue it
You can also cut the flower spike off with sterile scissors seeing as the plant has reabsorbed the energy from it. The spike is drying out and will be unable to bloom or supply the keiki with further moisture/energy. Unfortunately the keiki has no roots of its own and can’t be grown separately so it’s likely a goner I’m afraid (although you could *try* encouraging it to root)
The real question should be, “Is it worth it to try and bring back this orchid?”
You got a bit of a leaf, some roots…. so yeah, maybe….but even if everything goes well, you are still talking about years and years before it is back to blooming size
Only youcan answer if it is worth the effort