There are four key, visible areas of a phalaenopsis plant we can observe to get an educated guess about the plant’s health without knowing its history.
The pot and potting media
Most orchids are sold in two layers of pots; on the outside there is a decorative ceramic pot and on the inside, a transparent plastic pot. In most cases you can easily lift the plant out of the ceramic pot to get a closer look at its roots. If the roots grew around the ceramic pot you may ask the florist to help with getting a closer look at the roots without damaging them. The potting media the orchid sits in should not have bad smell because if it does the plant was neglected and some damage might have been done and you will need to re-pot the plant. Also, if the potting media is bark then you should see separate pieces of wood chips in the pot and otherwise if you see black sand-like material then the orchid may suffer from rotten roots and at risk of set-back.
The roots
A very healthy phalaenopsis has wrinkle free, silvery white, yellow or green roots with green tips on the end of each root. The more green, (silvery) white or yellow roots you see in the pot is the better. Planaenopsis can grow aerial roots and these grow outside of the pot in many potential directions. Perfectly normal, these areal roots help the plant breathe. Brown, black or moldy roots are signs of a neglected orchid that is prone to set-back and will need time to heal. Wrinkled white or gray roots are not good signs either. Having flowers on an orchid does not mean it is healthy and a healthy orchid does not necessarily has flowers; however, roots and leaves are usually the first parts of the plant to show signs of distress.
Healthy phalaenopsis on the left with firm roots; a sick one on the right with dark, rotten roots
The leaves
The color of the leaves give away much information about the orchid’s health. Usually bright green, firm leaves describe a very healthy phalaenopsis; however, the plant will every now and then shed its bottom leaves so those turn yellow before falling off. In such case, yellowing of such leaves is perfectly normal and not a sign of sickness. If multiple leaves start to turn yellow not only the bottom leaves that may be a sign of too much water, cold damage, insufficient ventilation around the roots or other sort of infection that needs to be addressed. Leaves also get brighter, yellow and eventually black if they are exposed to too much (sun)light, it literally burns them. Some phalaenopsis have somewhat deep purple colored leaves which is normal. Very dark green or purple leaves are usually a sign of the plant not getting enough light.
There are mechanical damages of leaves caused by accidents (e.g. a sharp object cut a leaf) and there are bacterial infections. Bacterial infections or viruses can cause dark spots on the leaves. These bacteria are very difficult to eliminate and can spread from orchid to orchid therefore bringing such a sick plant home can result in risking your home collection of orchids or other plants. It is always advised to keep newly bought plants away from others for the first few weeks to avoid such scenario and sterilize anything that might have touched a new plant. Some bacterial infections can be cured by cutting away part of the leaf and sanitizing it, however, that can cause set-back; and if the stage of disease is severe there is little we can do to save the plant. Leaves can also show signs of unwanted animals or bugs eating away the orchid. Small dry brownish spots either side of the leaves can indicate the presence of snails or bugs. White, gluey, spider web like formations can also signal tiny harmful organisms. White formations can, however, also indicate some built up salt which is not a big problem even though it may slowly suffocate the plant over a longer period of time but it can be dealt with. Spots of white, loose clumps though will require extra care and might be contagious to other plants.
Dehydrated, dark, floppy and wrinkled leaves on the left and signs of pests on the right
Healthy phalaenopsis leaves are firm. Thin, floppy, wrinkled leaves most likely is an indication of a thirsty orchid and watering that back to full health may take some months. Viruses, bad bacteria, root rot can all cause dehydration of the orchid.
Unless the plant suffered any damage, the size of the leaves should be similar apart from the leaf at the very top because that may still be growing. If the plant stars to grow smaller leaves one after the other compared to old leaves that is a sure sign of set-back and once the orchid recovered from that and gained back its energy it will grow just as big leaves as it did before but flowers may not be developed until then.
The crown
The crown is the top of the core vertical base, main stem of the phalaenopsis. New leaves will emerge from the top center of the plant, the crown. It is rare you may find any issue with the crown when buying a phalaenopsis because mass producers of orchids are very well aware of how to avoid crown related problems and ignoring this can be very expensive. Black chunks inside of the vertical core of the plant is not a good sign and if that spreads, saving the orchid could be very difficult if not impossible. If you are looking for a healthy plant, avoid buying a phalaenopsis that has black spots inside its crown because related damage may not be reversible.
This vertical core part of the orchid is very sensitive to bacteria and therefore leaving water in its crown or among leaves should be avoided because bacteria that may develop in those drops of water can quickly kill the plant. Phalaenopsis orchids in their original habitat grow on trees so do not grow vertically but their core is tilted to left, right or they are even hanging from trees almost upside down. Water, therefore does flow out of the crown naturally and usually it does not get into those sensitive holes in the first place in which bacteria can develop. When growing phalaenopsis at home, it is crucial to remove excess water from holes among the leaves and from crown in case those get wet. Cotton buds can help to remove such water but other tools could work too. Very small effort, however, such action can save the plant from the condition of crown rot which is often irreversible.
Remains of an orchid - in most cases crown rot is irreversible
Baby plant, called keiki may grow on the mother plant and so you might see two vertical cores and crowns - it is very rare for phalaenopsis to grow a keiki and if you are lucky enough to see one in a shop then health wise the same principles applies to the keiki as to the mother plant. Mother plants with keikis, however, are prone to dehydration which may cause set-back but you get two plants this way for the price of one. Not all keikis survive, it needs at least a few roots to develop before removing it from mother plant. The mother plant can also suffer from loosing much energy growing the keiki so a plant with a keiki need extra care and more attention compared to a plant that had no keiki.
Keiki, a baby phalaenopsis is growing on this flower spike
Flowers, buds and flower spikes
Phalaenopsis blooms usually once a year and its flowers can last for months. A flowering orchid may not necessarily be a healthy orchid. Phalaenopsis will prioritize producing flowers over its own health if the flowering season started to ensure the survival of its species even if takes away all its energy leaving the plant to die. Floppy or dropping flowers do not mean the orchid is sick. Dropping or dry buds is not always a sign of serious damage it can be result of humidity changes in the environment. Yellow flower spikes and dry flowers can signal the end of flowering season. Because of these reasons, we should not judge an orchid’s health by its flowers.
Buying an orchid with a few open flowers and many buds might be the best option because the color and pattern of flowers are visible and the buds might open in your home. It is likely though the plant will loose its flowers and buds after you bring it home due to the sudden change in light, humidity and temperature conditions. Once the orchid adapted to your home environment, timing & temperature are favorable, it will bloom again.
Phalaenosis has rest period after flowering and this way it prepares for the next flowering cycle so the plant should not flower all year round. Some nurseries cur the flower spike around half way just before the orchid finishes blooming and so they force the plant to flower again. This method can exhaust the plant and therefore it may skip the next flower season to gather its strength. If you see signs of sharp cuts on a flower spike which might have been old branches of spikes it is a sign of an unnaturally longer flower cycle and the orchid might need extra time to recover, may even spend the next 12-18 months without rowing new flowers but then, if it is nursed back to health, flowers will follow. Find more phalaenopsis home care recommendations here.
Comments