I found out that the issues I had been having lately with Petaluma and Marilyn's droopy foliage and rotting roots were not so much as a result from watering problem, but an air circulation problem. However, I do have to carefully monitor my generous watering habits. With the torturous heat waves we've been having in the Northeast, the extremely high humidity, and some very stagnant air to boot; it was the perfect culture for roots to rot. In desperation, I had ordered some Physan 20 fungicide and mixed up a gallon at 1 Tbs strength. I took great care to disinfect all the tools I used, the media, and also soaked the plants for some time before and after trimming the roots. I must say that the roots were in much better shape than last time, but there were some soft and mushy roots I had missed. It was harder to tell with Marilyn since her roots are brown naturally, but I did manage to carefully get rid of all the dead tissue.
Another thing I did for Marilyn was to purchase a smaller pot for her. The 5 inch Aircone pot was simply way too big and it didn't matter how much styrofoam I used, it wasn't working out. I got a 4" ceramic pot with nice large holes. However, since the root mass is now substantially smaller, I repotted her in a plastic 3.5" nursery pot and made some holes in the pot before placing it inside of the decorative pot. I also placed a layer of styrofoam peanuts at the bottom of the pot for better drainage.
For Petaluma, I placed a good 2" styrofoam layer at the bottom of the carousel pot, and made sure I avoided packing the media too tightly. I left it nice and airy inside and made sure the roots were in between the bark mix and the styrofoam to avoid any further issues with the center of the media remaining wet while the top layer is totally dry.
I then placed each plant, after the treatment and repotting, in front of the living room tower fan. I also made sure the media for each orchid was soaked in the Physan 20 for a good half hour or so, but at a more diluted mixed solution. But, because the only tower fan I had is a full size one, I could not place it close to the orchids permanently without it always being in someone's path. I decided to purchase a small tower fan. I scoured the Internet and found a few I could choose from at my local Target...so off I went!
After comparing a few models and even checking out the selection at the big chain electronic's store downstairs, I opted for the Holmes Mini Tower Fan with Built in Fresh Air Ionizer. Although it was a bit more expensive than what I was looking to spend, this particular fan had a few things going for it. The first thing was that it was compact, quiet, and aesthetically pleasing. After all, it was going to be placed on an end table in the living room. I wanted an oscillating fan with various speeds and preferably a timer. The last feature I considered was that I wanted a fan with some type of protective narrowly slitted grill. I don't want the cats to injure a paw while attempting to play with an exposed rotating blade. This little fan has it all and a 3 year warranty. It is absolutely perfect for what I need it to do.
So now, it is home and here is a picture of my now much happier orchids enjoying their new fan:
Another thing I did for Marilyn was to purchase a smaller pot for her. The 5 inch Aircone pot was simply way too big and it didn't matter how much styrofoam I used, it wasn't working out. I got a 4" ceramic pot with nice large holes. However, since the root mass is now substantially smaller, I repotted her in a plastic 3.5" nursery pot and made some holes in the pot before placing it inside of the decorative pot. I also placed a layer of styrofoam peanuts at the bottom of the pot for better drainage.
For Petaluma, I placed a good 2" styrofoam layer at the bottom of the carousel pot, and made sure I avoided packing the media too tightly. I left it nice and airy inside and made sure the roots were in between the bark mix and the styrofoam to avoid any further issues with the center of the media remaining wet while the top layer is totally dry.
I then placed each plant, after the treatment and repotting, in front of the living room tower fan. I also made sure the media for each orchid was soaked in the Physan 20 for a good half hour or so, but at a more diluted mixed solution. But, because the only tower fan I had is a full size one, I could not place it close to the orchids permanently without it always being in someone's path. I decided to purchase a small tower fan. I scoured the Internet and found a few I could choose from at my local Target...so off I went!
After comparing a few models and even checking out the selection at the big chain electronic's store downstairs, I opted for the Holmes Mini Tower Fan with Built in Fresh Air Ionizer. Although it was a bit more expensive than what I was looking to spend, this particular fan had a few things going for it. The first thing was that it was compact, quiet, and aesthetically pleasing. After all, it was going to be placed on an end table in the living room. I wanted an oscillating fan with various speeds and preferably a timer. The last feature I considered was that I wanted a fan with some type of protective narrowly slitted grill. I don't want the cats to injure a paw while attempting to play with an exposed rotating blade. This little fan has it all and a 3 year warranty. It is absolutely perfect for what I need it to do.
So now, it is home and here is a picture of my now much happier orchids enjoying their new fan:
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