Viewing post #1244378 by dyzzypyxxy

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Aug 16, 2016 9:05 AM CST
Name: Elaine
Sarasota, Fl
The one constant in life is change
Amaryllis Tropicals Multi-Region Gardener Orchids Master Gardener: Florida Irises
Herbs Region: Florida Vegetable Grower Daylilies Birds Cat Lover
Donna gave you lots of good advice, Lisa. The only thing I'd change is instead of running a hose over your plants, just soak them each in a bowl or bucket of room temperature water, not too cold, once a week. Water from the hose can be very cold, and orchids don't like to be shocked. When you do fertilize, it's good to get the fertilizer/water on the leaves as well as the roots. These plants feed and take in moisture a lot through their leaves. Until the plants look pretty healthy again, use the fertilizer at half strength i.e. half of what it says to use on the package.

Lots of people throw away plants when they get that wrinkled-leaf thing. I call it the "diva act" and they usually recover from it, sometimes it takes a while though. On the one with just the crown left, well I would slip it out of the pot and if you can't see any healthy roots, I would give that one a decent burial. Healthy roots are firm and either green or white, not shriveled and brown. The one leaf it has put out looks very sketchy and the plant is probably putting on a last ditch effort, using up all the stored energy in whatever roots and stem tissue is left.

I'm glad to see your plants growing on a slant - they shouldn't be facing straight up, or water will pool in the cup of the leaves and this causes crown rot - a very quick death for the plant. Sideways or even slanting downwards is the way these plants grow in nature, so that rain runs off them. They also really like to put new roots up into the air, and this is normal too. Don't feel that you need to bury all the roots.
Elaine

"Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm." –Winston Churchill

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