Orchid help please!

We've had our lovely Phalaenopsis for 3 yrs now and it has been a fantastic bloomer.....twice each year. It's in full bloom at the moment with over 20 flowers/ buds, but for some reason the leaves are looking very sad , all leathery and wrinkled......what could be wrong with it please. I would really hate it to die. Photo taken on my tablet,so may not be good enough for a diagnosis.

 

If you have had it re-flowering for 3 years you clearly know how to look after it, so all I can say is has anything changed recently ?

Have you changed its location, has it been given direct sunlight or subject to a chill / draught ?

Any sign of red spider mite or other small bugs, particularly around the crown of the plant ?

What do the roots look like, good and healthy , is it in a clear pot inside your vase ?

The biggest problem is that even if you think you have found the problem, it can take so long before you see any reaction in the plant to your cure.
It could loose all its existing leaves and take many weeks before it pushes up new ones.

At the end of the day afraid you do loose the odd plant now and then, but places like Tesco and Wilco are selling them for as little a £5 at the moment, just avoid the dyed vivid blue ones and similar.

 

Hi @Upsydaisy it is possible that the compost has broken down and gone soggy. Orchid compost is usually chunks of bark, some perlite, charcoal and lumpy peat. The bark eventually rots, and then doesn't drain properly. If you want to try to save it, try to buy some orchid compost and repot it. The only snag is that I've found the packs on sale in garden centres to be rubbish - the bark is normally already halfway gone. Best if you can get from a specialist (or make up yourself using mulching bark). Alternatively, I grow vanda orchids quite well in pure hortag but fed every week... that would also work.

 

Leaves are leathery and wrinkled???
Do you mean slightly limp and wrinkled as opposed to the usual rigid glossy appearance?

 

Thanks @ricky101 . No nothing has changed and yes it's in a clear pot too. Haven't noticed any bugs either....but I must say that I'm not too sure about it's roots, so may need to look into that. I know that I can easily replace it but it has a bit of a sentimental memory attached to it so I won't give up the fight that easily . Thanks again

 

Thanks @CarolineL Its only in bark , I think, but it's not soggy at all. May re-pot completely.

 

Yes @pete .....exactly that Thanks for replying

 

Yes, do look at the roots.

Below is a pic of two of my phals, the one on the left , still moist with fairly green roots, the one on the right pale and ready for a water.

A pic of yours might help see whats going on.

 

Root rot is the usual reason.

 

@ricky101 .....daren't show you the roots....def. in need of water!! In my defence I have not been home much in the last month , staying up in London with a poorly relative so may have lapsed a bit on the watering.......now have a poorly plant to look after as well:doctor:

Thanks:bigthumb:

 

Assume they are totally white !

Best way is to get a pan or large dish full of tepid water (20c ish) and leave it to soak up to the top of the pot for 20mins, then leave on the draining board for another 20 mins to remove the excess.

You will have to weigh the pot down at first as when so dry they just float .

Hopefully it will recover with a bit of TLC ....

 

@ricky101....... yes you could say that!!

Have already phoned home and passed on your instructions to my hubs

 

Update!!!!! hubs has phoned to say that he let the orchid soak, as kindly instructed to by @ricky101,and amazingly the leaves are better!!!! Thanks so much for all the advice offered...have never left it to stand in water before.....is this done as a drastic measure or is this the correct/best way to water .
Thanks again everyone.