sick phal update

[tedro]

short version, from today.

sprayed more pesticide, all over; repotted.
no water for pesticide (household flea, tick, chemical) to stay in place.
today pics here:
orchid sick ?22 - Google Photos
note: 2 pics (opposite sides of phal) where i got rid of the old leaf leftover “cup”, the light green, look for small indentation each of 2 pics. this is where there were black spots. i popped/dug them out easily with my fingernail. thus the indentations where the spots were.

a fungus, maybe? what to do?

[Ray]

To me, that looks more like “not enough water to sustain active growth” than a disease issue.

You have no active root tips, and the plant is both desiccated and resorting the water and nutrients from the older leaves before dropping them.

Water, warmth, and humidity should correct its trajectory, and adding Kelpak to the care would likely be a big help.

I suggest against using pet sprays on plants, as they may contain oils or other chemicals that can be phytotoxic.

[dbarron]

I'm with Ray, I would suspect that your orchid has never had fleas and probably shouldn't use a formula not manufactured with plants in mind (even then you may have toxicity issues).
So far, I've never seen an orchid with fleas

[Dimples]

Agreed, I see no signs of pests. If it were mine, I’d be watering it daily, tenting, and putting it on a heat mat.

[estación seca]

Sick Phals don't do well at 70 degrees.

[tedro]

Originally Posted by estación seca

Sick Phals don't do well at 70 degrees.

what temp do they do well?

i’m thinking it needs to be in an enclosed, except top glass vase with marbles or rocks with water at the bottom.
more humidity, more warmth.

---------- Post added at 07:31 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:31 PM ----------

what are the possible causes of black root tips?

[Dimples]

My phals enjoy temperatures around 80-84F so long as there’s some airflow and no direct sun toasting their leaves. They’re all exploding with roots right now, even the newest ones from H’s in the last month. Overnight is cooler, around 70-72F, but I don’t have any rescues at the moment. If I did they’d be on a heat mat from 6pm-9am to keep them warmer overnight.

[tedro]

Originally Posted by Dimples

My phals enjoy temperatures around 80-84F so long as there’s some airflow and no direct sun toasting their leaves. They’re all exploding with roots right now, even the newest ones from H’s in the last month. Overnight is cooler, around 70-72F, but I don’t have any rescues at the moment. If I did they’d be on a heat mat from 6pm-9am to keep them warmer overnight.

i just added a heat mat. my thermometer i set on the mat. it says 79°f. i see how far up it goes as test for where to set it.
my coolest hours hours are when the plant is in “daytime”. it warmest, naturally, a *plant night time, kinda backward.
my plant is on 7am - 7pm. i sleep here from 3-4am to 2pm — that when the ac is set at max and never turn off until i wake up. i checked the temp at the plant when it’s coolest in here, no less that 65°. often 66. humidity is always in the 50’s, right now it’s 51.


plenty of airflow also from always on ceiling fan, 8’ away.
i plan to get the mat temp set decently and leave it on 24/7.

this mat: Amazon.com

---------- Post added at 09:22 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:05 PM ----------

i am waiting to see how high it goes.


see pic: note that i have phal in dish (to keep any water droplets off mat)

looking at my setup, how high temp do you think i should let the mat get? measured at separate temp gauge, you see there.

[Dimples]

Ditch the plate. Mats made for seedlings can get wet and dripped on, they just shouldn’t be submerged in water. You also don’t need to worry about the temperature. The mats boost the pot temp by 12-15F at most, and your plant’s roots are up in the top half of the pot, away from the heat. If you do want want to measure the temperature inside the pot, use a meat thermometer.