this post was submitted on 01 Feb 2026
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Nature and Gardening

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Any advice for my winter-weary Orchid? (beehaw.org)
submitted 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) by Sub_dermal@beehaw.org 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... ๐Ÿ˜ฌ)!

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[โ€“] Calfpupa@lemmy.ml 13 points 1 month ago

No orchid should sit in water like this, that's going to rot the roots

[โ€“] artifex@piefed.social 6 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I your growing medium always as wet as it is in the photo? If so, it should be less wet.

[โ€“] Sub_dermal@beehaw.org 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

No, I think I over-watered it the other day - normally it's far less wet!

[โ€“] LallyLuckFarm@beehaw.org 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Is the inner pot holding the roots sitting on the bottom of the larger pot? That would be contributing to the issue if it is. Some stones or another material to lift the inner pot off the bottom will allow the orchid to drain more readily.

[โ€“] Sub_dermal@beehaw.org 4 points 1 month ago

Ah - yes I hadn't even considered that (still a novice!); I'll get some stones to lift it up a smidge - thanks!

[โ€“] wizardbeard@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

As others have said, that's way too much water. My wife usually puts one or two ice cubes on top of the soil around once a week and that seems to work well for ours.

Edit: sounds like this isn't a good idea after all. Apologies.

[โ€“] Sub_dermal@beehaw.org 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Ice cubes? interesting - I would have thought that could shock the plant, thanks for the tip!

[โ€“] Suru@mander.xyz 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Orchids are tropical plants, please do not use ice cubes or even cold water. A thorough, lukewarm soak whenever the roots turn silver will do the trick. The plant should never sit in water for extended periods of time.

You should also cut off any blackened / mushy roots as those are already rotted and the rot may spread if it's left as is.

[โ€“] Sub_dermal@beehaw.org 2 points 1 month ago

Thanks - will do!

[โ€“] Wahots@pawb.social 4 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month 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!

[โ€“] Lemmyoutofhere@lemmy.ca 3 points 1 month ago

You can see the roots rotting.