What's going on with my Phal?

[joeytiii]

So I thought that my Phal was growing a new flower but now it's leaf has turned red. What's going on now?

[Dusty Ol' Man]

Do you keep it where it gets direct sunlight?

[estación seca]

I see a lot of potential problems... Read the first few pages of a thread here. From the left yellow menu select Forums then Beginners. Near the top is a sticky thread, The Phal. abuse stops here.

The most critical things for Phalaenopsis growing are plenty of air at the roots, shade not sun, and enough warmth during the growing season. Large pots and old, broken down media often lead to root suffocation. That pot is a lot larger than I would use for a Phal. that size. When did you last repot? What are your growing temperatures? How and how often are you watering?

Also use Search in the top maroon menu to read about the keiki, the common name for the new plant growing on the flower stalk.

[joeytiii]

Thanks for the newbie tips. When I first got the plant back in february I did read about different care that Phals need. My wife picked this up at a big box down here in Puerto Rico and the blooms on it lasted almost a month before dropping. I have not repotted it and see the peat moss so have been very careful about overwatering. The plant was inside in non A/c home with very little light. When it finished blooming, I put it out on the porch so it could get more air flow. I realize the roots are not getting much flow and the leaves have been in nice shape until the Kieke started growing. It seems in three days time the leaf has turned to that dark russet. I am thinking I will finally pull that pot off and see what the roots look like. I have coconut husk to repot in the same 4 inch container and think I may not put back in the larger terracotta surrounding it to promote better air flow.

[estación seca]

If the coconut husk has very large chunks that will have substantial air spaces between them it could work. If it is mostly small chunks or shreds I would not use it. I haven't seen many coconut husk products, but I wouldn't use any I've seen for Phals.

Depending on what is available where you live you could use medium to large orchid bark, LECA clay balls sold at hydroponics shops, lava cinders/scoria, pumice or a mix of these.

Many Phal. roots turn that color. Phals in high-humidity environments carry more leaves than in low-humidity environments, often 6-12 vs 3-4. When one grown in a humid greenhouse is moved to a typical home - or when a lot of roots die - they often drop leaves to get the water uptake more in balance with water transpiration through the leaves. They turn yellow or reddish when this happens. The same can happen after sunburn.

[joeytiii]

Originally Posted by Dusty Ol' Man

Do you keep it where it gets direct sunlight?

No direct sunlight. It is on my porch facing west here in Puerto Rico.

I did happen to pull the plant from its container and it apparently was transplanted before it went to the big box store. The mix is all peat moss so I am going to put in proper mix and a smaller container so the roots are all cramped like they like. will add some holes to the container so it gets proper air flow down there.

[estación seca]

Peat or sphagnum?

Sphagnum can work well but only if you water properly.

Wait until the top of the moss is crisp dry. Then just run water over the top for one second only. It will diffuse evenly through the moss, leaving it aerated and slightly moist.

Soaking the moss completely so it's soggy wet fills the air spaces with water. If the plant doesn't use the water rapidly or it doesn't evaporate quickly the roots suffocate.

[Leisesturm]

Originally Posted by joeytiii

The plant was inside in non A/c home with very little light. When it finished blooming, I put it out on the porch so it could get more air flow. I realize the roots are not getting much flow and the leaves have been in nice shape until the Kieke started growing. It seems in three days time the leaf has turned to that dark russet.

It is really, really, hard to keep one isolated orchid of any kind thriving indefinitely. The plant was inside with very little light and, sorry to say, that's when most of the problems began. No matter what you did after that you were going to see decline in the plant.

My parents live in South Florida and I have seen them kill Phal's by placing them in a spot where 6" to the left or right would have made the difference to their survival. Because of the way light behaves, it really matters how you place them. You need SOME direct sun, but not too much and not too little. Sometimes we need a friend with the knack to come over and say "put it there", "or there", but "not there".

So ... 'what's going on with my Phal?'. To me, it isn't the Peat Moss or Sphag. The plant was raised in that medium and reached blooming size in that medium. It is not the potting medium. It could be the watering frequency but watering frequency follows from light level and temperature. I would assume temperatures to be within range for Phal's in Puerto Rico. So ...

The light. That's where it's at as I see it. "Phal's are 'low light' orchids" is drummed into all of us. But what is 'low light' to the human eye is 'total darkness' to most plants. Humans see just fine down to 150 footcandles and less. A Phal really needs 2,000. Why 2,000FC? Because it's only going to get that for a couple of hours. 2000FC is very, very, bright light to the human eye. You can see a distinct shadow of your hand when you pass it between the light source and your orchid or a sheet of white paper placed where your orchid will be.

I just bought this light. It is available in a single head version for much less money. I don't have any Phal's but I think 2'+ under this light would work well for a safe distance. You could light a LOT of Phals with just the one head. 35W. That is just amazing. An old fashioned lightbulb of 35W would be very, very dim. In my opinion this lamp is not overkill for a single orchid you care about, but it is easier to justify the expense of it when there are more plants. When a reliable way of lighting exists, like this lamp, a Phal can thrive with just 1000FC x 12+ hours every day. Regardless of what other natural light is available, I would (and do) have a plant lamp to do the heavy lifting of supplying light energy. Our homes are just not constructed to use enough of it effectively enough to suit an orchid and most other houseplants.

r.

[camille1585]

Originally Posted by Leisesturm

The light. That's where it's at as I see it. "Phal's are 'low light' orchids" is drummed into all of us. But what is 'low light' to the human eye is 'total darkness' to most plants. Humans see just fine down to 150 footcandles and less. A Phal really needs 2,000. Why 2,000FC? Because it's only going to get that for a couple of hours. 2000FC is very, very, bright light to the human eye. You can see a distinct shadow of your hand when you pass it between the light source and your orchid or a sheet of white paper placed where your orchid will be.

I agree that what our eyes percieve is not the same for a plant. But 2000 FC is not dim, and is generally said to be too much for Phals. Usually for Phals it's recommended that the light level be bright enough to cast a fuzzy shadow when you put your hand over the plant, which is in the 1000-1500 fc range...