Wrinkly leaves? And interesting leaves growing... - Orchid Board

dobexyeh · #1 10-02-2022, 10:41 PM

Hi,

I wanna ask why the leaves look wrinkly? I watered it every week. Is it because of overwatering, underwatering or not enough sun? Also, there are some new leaves growing on the top but why do they grow within a leave 🤔 is that normal?

Side note: should I remove any root with any black "strip or spot"? But there is a new air root growing from it...so that root is good enough to stay? Idk

Thanks for all your helps and inputs!
All I want is to keep my plant happy and healthy 🥺

Roberta · #2 10-02-2022, 11:02 PM

That plant is very dehydrated. I don't see anything that needs cutting...so don't! The bark mix is looks pretty big, so that it dries out very fast. In that environment, a Phalaenopsis can be watered every other day, or even every day and not be overwatered. Have your recently repotted? If so, what did the roots in the pot look like? If it were my pant, I would repot, gently coaxing those aerial roots into the pot. (Try pre-soaking to soften them a bit). You can water the aerial roots with a sprayer, but it's pretty hard to soak them well, house humidity is usually pretty low. So you could have dead roots in the pot from overwatering, but looking at the size of the mix and the fact that the aerial roots are desiccated, I'd say that it is severely underwatered. Once you increase the watering, the new leaves will be firmer, the old ones probably won't stiffen up, don't be concerned about that.

dobexyeh · #3 10-02-2022, 11:34 PM

Omg! Yes, I did repotted on July 21! HOWEVER! I specifically went to a professional nursery for the repotting because I was a beginner and didn't wanna mess up my baby! The roots looked way greener and plump before under moss medium with once per week watering schedule. Then they changed the medium to bark and told me just water once per week. Not to mention, they gave me fresh, unsoaked bark! Anyway, if my plant is suffering because of the medium and wrong instructions they gave me and charged me $18 for it then I'm pissed!

Dalachin · #4 10-02-2022, 11:36 PM

My phals in bark have done better since I started giving them a good 20 minute soak once a week. I also use an outer pot to hold in some humidity between waterings.

dobexyeh · #5 10-02-2022, 11:36 PM

And what do you mean by "gently coaxing those aerial roots into the pot"? Like place the aerial roots in the medium? I thought those can't be inside of the medium cause it takes air not absorbs water 😅

Roberta · #6 10-02-2022, 11:39 PM

Their "once week" advice was wrong for the home environment but the potting job was good. Phals love humid air - so water well... let it flow through the pot, which pulls air into the root zone. So just increase watering frequency and you have an environment where the roots will be happy for a long time. (Old sphagnum can suffocate them... I like bark) In that environment, you won't have to worry about over-watering. So happy watering!

Air roots still take in water - they like very humid air. (In their native environment, in the Philippines, Phals live on the branches of trees with roots in the breeze... and get rained on every day) But keeping them watered is more of a challenge. Since it was just repotted, don't disturb further... just give those aerial roots a good bath when you water the pot. They will turn green, and that's a happy root.

dobexyeh · #7 10-02-2022, 11:46 PM

Ok!! 🫡 I'll start watering every other day from now on! It hurts me when I see my plant is not happy 😞

Btw! About the roots...If some parts of the root turn black, it that means I should cut it? Like both ends of the root look fine but the middle of it is black? And I saw an aerial root is growing out of a "darker" looking root... What should I do in that situation?

Dimples · #8 10-02-2022, 11:48 PM

Agreed. If all of the bark is large and in good condition, you can water that plant daily. Even twice a day for a few days, or a nice long soak. Repotting to get the free roots into the mix is a very good idea.

IF there's a lot of sphagnum moss in the lower part of the pot, it could be staying too wet. No way to know without investigating. I'd be taking it out and assessing the roots.

Roberta · #9 10-02-2022, 11:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dobexyeh

Ok!! 🫡 I'll start watering every other day from now on! It hurts me when I see my plant is not happy 😞

Btw! About the roots...If some parts of the root turn black, it that means I should cut it? Like both ends of the root look fine but the middle of it is black? And I saw an aerial root is growing out of a "darker" looking root... What should I do in that situation?

I wouldn't worry about the black... sometimes roots darken just with exposure to light. If it gets soft and smelly that's another story, but for now, I think just the fresh air will take care of any potential problems.

Since it was just repotted into bark by an experienced grower, I don't think that it has any sphagnum hiding in the pot... It has large bark, and a very open pot. So water away.

dobexyeh · #10 10-03-2022, 12:08 AM

Actually.... 😳.... Now I'm thinking about it...that person did added some of old moss and some rocks on the bottom....

Maybe I should take it out and see what's really going on in there! Cause before the plant was potted in a plastic cup so I could easily examine the roots but now I have no idea what's happening on down in the pot...