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Any advice for my winter-weary Orchid? (beehaw.org)
submitted 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) by to c/greenspace@beehaw.org
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My Orchid struggled in the winter cold, and I'm a little worried about its recovery - I'm not sure why there are roots growing away from the soil (I understand the 'silvering' is a bad sign, although it's only on the ones growing upwards). Does anyone have any advice about keeping the plant happy and healthy? Appreciate any tips people may have!

EDIT: Thanks everyone for helping me identify that the roots were rotting from over-watering. It turns out I hadn't just over-watered it the once, it's been steadily drowning over a long period... I've removed the water it was swimming in and given it a fresh (and much smaller) amount to keep it going. I'll have to keep a better eye on how much I'm watering this thing - thanks to you all for helping this novice save the plant (that he could have easily killed... 😬)!

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[–] 4 points 6 months ago*

I generally recommend repotting in a mix of bark, it's probably getting aerial roots because it wants a bigger pot.

These generally grow on trees and need humidity but not extended soaks- I water mine once a week under a grow light with 80% bark soil. High humidity with very little actual standing water. They're sort of like succulents, in some ways!

Sometimes a bit of cold is fine for these plants. I believe some need a week of cold in order to flower consistently. Our drafty house is perfect for this- temperatures around 15-21c

Here is mine- the soil is out of focus, but it's primarily bark with a very small amount of other soil to keep some moisture in. I probably need to repot soonish!

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