Will a Phalaenopsis orchid still grow after its flower spike is cut off, and how to deal with soft, collapsed, sticky leaves

The main reason Phalaenopsis orchids are loved by so many flower enthusiasts is that there are many varieties and rich flower colors, with colors ranging from pure white to passionate red to mysterious purple, all fully available in Phalaenopsis.

However, after bringing home a flower you love, many times the flowers begin to show various problems, such as buds dropping early, flower stems becoming withered, or leaves becoming soft and fleshy. How should similar problems be solved?

In terms of care, a flower enthusiast asked, what is wrong with my Phalaenopsis?  In June of this year, I bought a pot of Phalaenopsis and brought it home full of expectations. At first, its flowers bloomed very brilliantly, but after about twenty days, the flowers began to gradually fade.

The biggest reason should be that I do not understand Phalaenopsis care very well, and I simply and roughly removed the faded flowers, while I was never willing to cut off the flower spike. In the end, this state caused the Phalaenopsis leaves to begin to become soft and collapsed, as if stuck together with glue, and some even showed signs of blackening. What should I do? Now I plan to dig it out and clean up the roots to see whether it can recover.

In reply to the flower enthusiast's question above, if you want the plant to grow better, here it is suggested to first use sterilized scissors to cut off the flower stalk, note that only the last node near the medium should be kept. Looking at your plant's current condition, it is obviously dehydrated, but do not worry, this can be remedied.

For the specific operation, first use the sphagnum moss planting method. First soak the sphagnum moss in water until wet, then forcefully wring the sphagnum moss dry, the drier the better. This step is very important, because soggy sphagnum moss easily causes root rot. Next, gently and carefully fill the wrung-dry sphagnum moss around the plant, and be sure to wrap the entire root system, all of the roots, this process requires some patience.

Then, according to the number of roots on your plant, it is suggested to choose a 3.5-inch pot for planting, because choosing a pot that is too large easily makes the plant fall over, and root recovery will also be slower.

After planting is completed, do not rush to let the plant receive light. Place it in an environment with light of about 4000 to 7000 lux and relative humidity above 60%, that is, a space with relatively high air humidity and not very good air circulation, and let the plant slowly recover. Finally, after about one month, move it to a position with suitable and relatively good light.