Before you say “Just give it some fertilizer”, please look at my post about that plant before.

It started flowering a few weeks ago, and the roots are growing back very healthy.
I think those two factors are what contributed to the plant consuming itself.

I already cut off the flower spike, but I fear this isn’t enough.

There’s a shit load of fertilizer in the substrate now too. I grow it hydroponically, and started with an EC of just 1 mS, because that’s what’s recommended for orchids, but I quickly realised that this isn’t enough, and increased it to 1,5-2 mS. Right now it sits at about 2-2,5 mS, which is objectively on the higher side for other plants, but very high for orchids from what I know.
But on the other hand… it needs to grow a lot of plant matter.

The problem is, that there are probably not enough roots to support this growth, and the nutrient uptake is limited because of that.

Still, I don’t want to loose the leafs. Would foliar fertilizing help? Or is it too late?

Here are root pictures my other two orchids that I rescued too at the same time. They don’t show signs of a deficiency, but also regenerated a lot of roots. Maybe this helps?

  • Snowstorm@lemmy.caEnglish
    0·
    5 days ago

    My philosophy is to only consider fertilizer when there is active growth and it comes second to water balance: root surface vs foliage surface vs temperature-light x deficit in air humidity. Like Russian dolls i don’t look into the next lower priority step if i am not satisfied with a high priority step : medium-high indirect light and water balance. N.B. Light is also a factor in water balance: the plant open stomata on the leaves to absorb CO2 under high light and doing so can dehydrate a bit more. Keep your conditions stables and the plant will adapt, wont be the most beautiful orchid but it should adapt if the roots aren’t rotting too much. I successfully kept cattleya, oncidium and phalenopsis in such conditions of years before i moved to terrariums.

    I am surprised that the leaf showing a touch of yellow isn’t the bottom one.