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.

From the pic it looks like the wilted leaves are on one side. Is that so? It could be a case of too much light along with cool soil. Just a thought. It has a name too - winter leaf drop. Although, in my case I notice it more in late spring when I start taking my plants outside.

That this plant naturally occurs in riparian settings isn't proof that it would appreciate the same conditions in a pot. The plant can be grown well under various forms of aqua culture, but for conventional container culture the plant prefers the same cultural conditions that most houseplants prefer, i.e, a moist or damp (never soggy/saturated) soil, bright light, warm temperatures around 5* either side of 75*F, and regular applications of a fertilizer with N as the predominant fraction. Foliage-Pro 9-3-6 will be very hard to better, and it contains ALL nutrients essential to normal growth. One might think that particular attribute might be the rule when it comes to fertilizers, but it is an unusual exception. Most soluble synthetic fertilizers often lack several elements essential to plants. Your plant will bounce back as long as you don't over/under-water it. Keep the soil damp, the plant in a warm spot with bright light but not direct sunlight, and all will be well in a week or two. When you see the plant pushing new growth, it's time to fertilize. A 5:1:1 mix made with appropriate ingredients can be watered to beyond the saturation point every time you water, unless the intervals between waterings are inappropriately short. If you have ANY concerns the soil might remain saturated for unacceptable periods after you water, now is the time to do something about it. Ballast, a wick, or both are great strategies for dealing with excessive water retention. In fact, if you want to, you can use ballast to your (and your plant's) advantage and increase pot size to a pot as large as you like. You have many options, a good thing to have. Al

A few days ago I repotted my dieffenbachia plant from a 8inch pot with succulent soil into a 10 inch pot with indoor plant soil and started to notice the leaves began to drop and yellow. I figured the soil was retaining alot more water than the plant was accustomed to which I noticed when water began to pour out of the bottom of the pot when lifted. It also soaked through towels I placed under the plant days after being watered. I repotted the plant back into 8.5inch pot with succulent soil it was used to and avoided watering after reporting it. I currently have a humidifier near and some of the green color has returned to the plant but it still is droopy. Is there anything else I should do ? What kind of lighting should I place the plant in during this stage ?