How to revive an orchid

The orchid is a plant of tropical origin that has quite important humidity needs. In a temperate climate of the Mediterranean type or similar, an orchid will usually need weekly irrigations that maintain a certain level of humidity in the substrate between them, increasing the frequency in the warmer months. When this does not happen, the orchid begins to dry out. If you want recover a dried orchidfollow these steps:

1. Remove leaves and stems that are completely drythus saving the plant the effort of trying to feed useless parts.
2. water it abundantly until the substrate is thoroughly soaked, although always without flooding it, that is, making sure that it does not retain too much water for too long. You can submerge the bottom of the pot in water for a few minutes and then let it drain excess water before returning it to its location. Remember that the container needs to have drainage holes.
3. Once the orchid is watered, look at its roots. If they are completely white and dry, it is likely that your plant has died and its recovery is not possible. If, on the other hand, you see roots that are green again, at least at the tips, it means that the orchid still has life and strength to recover.
4. Afterwards, it will be necessary to provide the plant with humidity conditions as similar as possible to those of its original environment. If your climate is very dry or very hot, spray water on its leaves regularly to give them that extra contribution, although it is very important that when you do this the plant is not exposed to direct sun. These plants usually prefer indirect light all the time, but if you expose them to direct light after moistening their leaves, the water will magnify and burn them.

Learn more with this other post on How to water an orchid to prevent yours from drying out again and dying.

You may also have to recover a rotten orchid, which has been watered too much or has not been given the drainage it needs. When it comes to how to revive a wilted orchidthese are the steps to follow:

1. Remove the plant from its pot being very careful with the roots, which can be soft due to excess moisture.
2. Remove the flower stems if there are any, whether new or old, as these consume a lot of energy for the plant and it needs to focus on recovering and surviving. Do the pruning with properly sharpened and disinfected scissors, as should always be done with any plant.
3. Also cut any root or part that is in poor condition, blackened or brownish. Leave the roots green or white.
4. Prepare a new pot or disinfect the old one thoroughly, replacing the substrate with a new one and adequate: it must be loose and offer very good drainage. Here we tell you how to make substrate for orchids.
5. When replanting, do not force all the roots into the pot, as this is not necessary: ​​the orchid can survive without problems with its aerial roots. Add some sphagnum to the surface of the substrate.
6. Lightly spray the plant with a little leaf revitalizer, focusing on the underside of the leaves.
7. Put the pot in a lighted area, but without direct sunlight and do not water the plant until after 24 to 48 hours.

We recommend you read these other articles on How to plant orchids and How to transplant an orchid.

The orchid recovery It is also necessary when the plant barely has leaves or has directly lost all of them. In this case, it is necessary to aggressive pruning, removing the flower stems if it has them, except the newest ones that are in good condition. Here we tell you everything about How to prune an orchid.

Give the plant a light location, provide it with ambient humidity and make sure it has adequate drainage. In this case, the foliar invigorating specific can also be a great ally to recover your plant, as well as orchid fertilizer.

If what you want is to know how to revive an orchid with dry rootsthe most common is to use a technique with sphagnum and a plastic bag to recreate a high humidity environment.

1. Remove all its substrate from your orchid, being careful with the roots, and prune those that seem drier or irrecoverable.
2. In a container with warm water add specific rooting agent for orchids and immerse the roots of the plant in it for about an hour.
3. Meanwhile, in a transparent plastic bag, add sphagnum moss soaked in water and place it in a corner of it.
4. Remove the plant from the water, apply orchid fungicide to the roots, and place it in the bag so that the roots are not in direct contact with the moss.
5. Close the bag carefully so as not to damage the plant. This way you will have created a small greenhouse.
6. Place it in a warm area with indirect light and in a few weeks you should be able to see the new root shoots if your orchid has managed to recover. If you have white spots or other signs of fungus, apply fungicide again. When you see it with enough roots, place it back in a pot with new substrate.

Now that you know how to recover an orchid, we encourage you to learn much more about these curious plants with these guides on How to compost orchids, How to reproduce orchids, Cymbidium orchid care and Phalaenopsis orchid care.

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