The BBQ charcoal has probably done it in. At least here in the US, charcoal used for BBQs contains all kinds of chemicals. We need to use 'agricultural' charcoal for our orchids since it is chemical-free. Do you have a source in Singapore for that type? I don't want to discourage you, but the outlook does not look very good from the photo. I would start by taking the plant out of the charcoal immediately and rinsing and soaking it in clean water and repeating this several times a day for a few days. It does not need to be potted right now; it won't die just because it is not in a pot. Depending upon how it looks in a few days will determine whether you need to go buy a new one or not. Singapore is a happy environment for growing most Vandas, with the exception of the cooler-growing species. I know you must have several local orchid societies there as well. This is the time to join one if you can.

What you'd find for water treatment is generally in granular form, as opposed to powder, which will work much better for this application. Theoretically, activated carbon works by providing hydrophobic sites attractive to chemicals that have hydrophobic properties. Some pesticides (perhaps many) are not very water soluble. In fact, the liquid concentrates you buy often have carriers, solvents and surfactants added to make it possible to dilute the product in water and spray it. Once separated from its carriers, the relatively insoluble pesticide will prefer the carbon surface. It's similar to a water and oil situation, but the 'oil' in this case is the surface of the carbon. With all the hundreds and thousands of naturally occurring compounds floating around in the soil solution, I just wonder how it can work at all, but if it works, it works. Note, however, that it won't work the same for just any pesticide. For example, atrazine, which is used in mass quantities on corn and is causing groundwater problems, is much more water soluble than, say, 2,4-D, and may not respond to carbon treatment as well. Theoretically.

Howdy! I like that attitude! The plant is more important than the container, indeed! And the individual plantings do look very attractive. Sometimes, however, folks are really attached to their pots (which I've learned the hard way), so I thought I'd make sure. Now to answer questions: I'd need closer images to properly compare the little Jades...yet I'm no expert on Identification. More importantly, we'll have to see how they do this summer, and if their growth habit tightens up, et cetera. The soil looks much, much better! Some of the particles are rather fine - no doubt from the cactus soil - but with the other ingredients for drainage, that shouldn't be much of an issue. What you'll probably notice when you do water is that the water will sit for a moment on top of the mix, and then begin to drain rapidly after that. You can always modify the potting mix when you clean up the roots and re-pot a couple years from now. When to water....you will be the best judge of that. I always follow the adage, 'wait a week to water' after re-potting/root-disturbance. But this assumes that the plant has a good source of light. So, if the plant isn't growing much, and if it isn't getting strong light, I'd wait a bit longer to water. Which is why you'll have to make the final call. On Thursday, feel the leaves. Are they firm, soft, leathery, or beginning to wrinkle? If the leaves are firm, the plant has sufficient moisture. If the leaves are beginning to wrinkle, wait until the following day - then water thoroughly in the morning. This is how *I* water...but I've certainly been chided for not watering often enough in the past. Again, it's up to your discretion. Final comment on watering this particular plant: If it were my Jade, I would wait to water until new leaflets begin erupting from the points where the old leaves had been. Then I'd water the entire potting medium, thoroughly, until water flows through the drainage holes. Then, I wouldn't water again for three weeks to a month. Gollums, Hobbits, Skinny Fingers...these are all Jade variations, with curious leaf-shapes. I think Pug does have a Skinny Fingers (or a monstrose?)...and she also has a Gollum (trumpet-like, suction-cup tipped leaves), and I think several Hobbits (which have leaves that are 'open' on the bottom). Pug will confirm! Josh

Check to make sure your water really has chlorine and not chloramine. The first will evaporate if left out, the second will not. Also, not entirely sure if a filter would get the second out either, as it is bonded somehow to the water, is my understanding. You might want to look into that. I had a freind who used to leave all water for houseplants out overnight before watering, then found out she had chloramine instead of chlorine and that all her effort had been useless. The folks on the watergardening forum know quite a lot about chloramine, as it also kills fish. You might ask them about if it can be filtered. Most fish owners buy a bottle of stuff that gets rid of the chloramine.