I'm a beginner. I bought this orchid at a store in February. Three flowers were in bloom. Some roots are grey looking, others are green… I don't really know what to think or do đ
by imhelplesshuhu
I'm a beginner. I bought this orchid at a store in February. Three flowers were in bloom. Some roots are grey looking, others are green… I don't really know what to think or do đ
by imhelplesshuhu
7 Comments
The blooms typically last a few months and begin to fall
off. This is normal. Make sure to keep warring it to keep the roots green and it will bloom again. Check out the orchid girl on YouTube for great video advice. Goo luck!
Sometimes the roots become a gray silvery color and they are still healthy! Thatâs just how they get sometimes if they werenât freshly watered. What you want to look for is brown, black, mushy and hollow roots. Those are not good. Itâs totally normal for flowers to fall off, they are temporary structures on the orchid. Once they all wilt and fall off, I would cut the spike. You could either cut the spike all the way to the base, or cut it just above a node (aka the little bumps on the stem). Cutting the spike all the way off will help the orchid grow a new spike and flower again, cutting above the node may encourage the orchid to grow secondary blooms on the same spike, but they may not be as big or impressive as the first set of blooms.
You do have some dead roots, but three months is about how long the bloom lasts, so that’s normal. Now is a good time to repot it off that nursery plug- soak the roots for 15 minutes to soften them, then peel all that stuff off the roots, trim any roots that feel squishy or papery, and repot in a 4″ clear pot and a loose bark/moss mix.
[watch this on](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cWFyQzJbGDg&pp=ygUecmVwb3R0aW5nIHBoYWxhZW5vcHNpcyBvcmNoaWRz) how to repot. Gather supplies. You want a well ventilated pot, not too big, maybe 2-3â. BetterGro makes a good bark. Donât get Miracle Gro bark as it can be broken down. Might want to mix some long strand sphagnum in for water retention, about 20%. Be sure you soak the bark overnight before repotting.
Flowers are not permanent, and orchids are no exception. So what you are describing with the flowers seems very normal.
But I agree that some of the roots look like they’ve rotted. The spongy thing it’s planted in is not great (I don’t know why they keep on using those…) so if you are able to remove that it’s going to help. I would cut off the dead roots and then allow the whole plant roots and all to lie on the table to dry out and “callous over” the cuts so they are protected from infection. And then I would pot it in orchid bark the next day
Flowering showâs ending for this time around. Totally normal.
You do have some root rot but the flowers falling is normal. Cut the spike and you should see root growth in a couple weeks and then you can repot.