Phal Sweet Memory droopy leaves and not growing roots

[Misscd15]

hello!

I bought a Phal Sweet Memory about a month ago, when it came in the mail the roots were not in the best condition - quite a few rots and lots of breakage in the roots that started to turn black/brown.

It has one "new" root that look like its emerging but is growing very very slowly (please see the attached photo) - it pretty much looked like this for the past month and only got a tiny bit bigger. it also has these black dots that look like molds on it - is this normal? or something to be worried about?

the leaves looked healthy when it came but it's started to become droopy and soft recently, no changes otherwise - is this a sign of under watering?

Thank you!

[Ray]

Flaccid leaves indicate the plant is losing water through transpiration faster than it is able to take it up. I suggest the following:

• Make sure the potting medium stays constantly moist (not soppy - but that appears to be fresh bark beneath the sphagnum, so that should not be an issue).
  
• Invert a clear plastic bag over the plant and pot, leaving it unsealed, and move it to a shady spot, as any direct sunlight will convert the "humidity tent" into a "broil in bag" scenario.
  
• Keep it very warm. A seedling heat mat might be a boon.

It should start to grow roots and rehydrate shortly.

If you want to speed up the process, reach out to C&C Orchids in Hamilton and get some Kelpak to add to the water, it'll go a long way to accelerating the recovery.

[Dimples]

And cutting any flower stems off will help too. The cut stem can last a long time in a glass of water if the flowers are still in good shape.

[Misscd15]

Thank you for your replies! I keep seeing white mold growing on the roots so I’m a bit scared of keeping it too moist - what’s a good way to stop the mold growing on the roots and keeping the leaves healthy?

[Dimples]

Under most conditions, mold grows on dead/dying tissue, not living tissue. Avoiding soggy conditions will be your best bet. Do you need to use sphagnum moss? Could you use bark by itself?

[Misscd15]

Originally Posted by Dimples

And cutting any flower stems off will help too. The cut stem can last a long time in a glass of water if the flowers are still in good shape.

Thank you! There’s actually a keiki with no roots growing on the stem so I’m trying to keep both the mother plant and keiki healthy

---------- Post added at 10:43 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:29 PM ----------

Originally Posted by Dimples

Under most conditions, mold grows on dead/dying tissue, not living tissue. Avoiding soggy conditions will be your best bet. Do you need to use sphagnum moss? Could you use bark by itself?

I have a thin layer of sphagnum moss on top of some bark because the bark dries pretty much in a day, but I can definitely remove the moss if that can prevent mold

[estación seca]

That kind of mold is commoner at lower temperatures. What are the temperatures in your growing area?

[Misscd15]

Originally Posted by estación seca

That kind of mold is commoner at lower temperatures. What are the temperatures in your growing area?

Around 23C to 28C, or 73-83F, and roughly 50% humidity - does the temperature need to be warmer?

[estación seca]

I looked it up on Orchid Roots. It has three ancestors, and is 75% composed of warm to hot growing species. Your temperatures are OK but it might be happier warmer. I definitely agree with raising the humidity.

[Misscd15]

Originally Posted by estación seca

I looked it up on Orchid Roots. It has three ancestors, and is 75% composed of warm to hot growing species. Your temperatures are OK but it might be happier warmer. I definitely agree with raising the humidity.

Thank you! I just put a tray of water underneath it