Thank you for further opinions/advice. ashes_of_the_fire those roots are gorgeous! For most part I tend to slightly underwater my orchids, before the ailment that is (I always thought it was fine as they flowered and looked healthy) and the roots would be slightly thinner than yours. I am especially grateful for the step by step instructions. I will definitely need them as this will be my first repotting on my own! (mum refused to help as she says last time she got involved it got them to the current state). I have something by Westland called 'orchid compost'. It says it has organic matter, bark and wood fibre. This is the only thing suitable at the shop nearest to us (and that is 30 minutes away). There is another shop that is about 1 hour away in another zone that requires 2 buses. But I am not sure that one is much better. I think I'll repot the worst first (I will do it tomorrow morning when there is more light and might post photos in case I need advise of whether they are actually alive)... to see how they take to this compost. And order the following online: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Elite-Orchid-Compost-Range-for-Phalaenopsis-5-Litres-/261365464855 Does that seem like a good mix? Apparently one of the orchids is not actually a Phalaenopsis that mum owns (since it hasn't had flowers in years I did not know any better). Though she cannot remember its name. meyermike_1micha thank you for the tip ... I have been reading many websites and books about caring for orchids, but none actually go into any sort of detail. Something I read a year ago said that orchids can grow without any medium! in baskets but would require very frequent sprays. Wow! Maybe I need to do that to avoid the bugs. jane__ny thank you for the link! It is very helpful. As I said the books I could get from the library and some websites I came across weren't as helpful. Most of the books had various pictures and species, and talked about reproduction, illness and the fact that orchids depending on the type like various mediums including moss, bark, and something else. No one ever went into basics of how to physically water them (just state that you can spray or pour). Cloths were a strategy to get rid of insects. They have only been covered in them for about 3 months. These bugs are a pain to get rid of ... and one of the solutions is placing a layer of sand on top of the peat ... it cuts air supply to them and cuts their wings when they crawl out. I was a bit apprehensive of doing that (since who knows what the sand will be infected with!) So I saw someone's solution of placing denim to a similar effect ... break the cycle. Each fly lays many many eggs ... and the problem multiplies. Most of these I read were for houseplants ... as no one wrote about infected orchids. But the things is one of the orchids I bought was already infected and it was in bark! So it does happen. Probably not as frequently. I know most of the solutions I was trying were damaging the health of the plants, but as I mentioned these stuff eat roots ... and reproduce fast. So the fact that some of the orchids are still alive is pretty much a miracle. I do not wish this infection on anyone's plants. Oh and I place my stupidity/naivety to the fact that for many years that I have owned orchids they were healthy and I never saw what I have been seeing in the past 3/4 of the year. Thank you so much for your support! I also include the picture of the flies! (this was when the situation was improving too! before then you couldn't see the yellow ... it is a lot a lot better now). Just about 3 or 4 flies per sticker. Another quick question ... do I need to dry out the orchid compost completely before planting? (that is where I went wrong with the peat apparently) Lija P.S. Liquid Oxygen contains Hydrogen Peroxide. It was advised to me as it apparently burns up the larvae which seemed like a pleasant thought.

The soil -- nothing in particular. It was planted in 1/2 soil, 1/2 fertilizer, with mulch on top 2 years ago. Since then, we've been fertilizing it with those pellets (for fruit trees) from home depot since then. We've done nothing else to th soil. I've noticed a slightly white film on the mulch that has developed in the mulch/soil around the plant. Thanks.

could be spidermites. Check with magnifying glass.

Hello! I'm new to the forums, but I got such excellent help regarding one of my orchids that I'm returning. I just found this 5'9 fiddle leaf fig for sale at the local second hand shop for 29$, and I couldn't resist. I've just discovered this forum, and I've read about the importance of soil composition and the difference of a true repot vs just moving to a larger pot, and a lot of other things. So a bit of a lightbulb moment. Now I'm asking if you think my plan for this fig will work. The situation: The leaves are looking a bit dry and some are also a little yellow. The pot looks like someone bought it and never changed pot or soil at all. It looks very root bound. I can't discern any bugs or other kind of disease, as far as I can tell anyway. I have not taken it out of the pot yet, so I don't know the exact root situation. My home at the moment unfortunately has rather small windows, and I'm not sure the light will be enough, but perhaps if I can make everything else close to perfect, it will work? We will change windows in a couple of months though, so perhaps that will make a difference. My plan: I'm going out to buy some ingredient for Al's 5-1-1 mix as I'm not sure I, or the plant, is ready for a gritty mix. I've found a larger ceramic pot (with draining holes, of course) for it, and will repot. But, should I trim the roots? And if I do, should I prune the plant in order for the root system to be able to care for the remaining leaves? My dream vision is a healthy plant with a thick trunk and several branches, so I'll need to trim at some point. Were/How high should I trim? Or should I wait with the trimming? And how do I encourage the top to root? Lots of questions, now here's some pictures