Phalaenopsis with droopy leaves - Orchid Board

Amanda L · #1 01-01-2009, 04:28 PM

I have a question. My beautiful NOID Phal has droopy leaves. The crown appears fine as do the roots. What else could be causing this? Do I need to water more? I water her on no real schedule, just when I see the roots in the pot have turned whitish in color. There are 2 CF bulbs "daylight" 20w=75 watts incandescent, 6500K, is this enough light? The plant is about 10 inches away from the light, is she too close? Too far away? I re-potted about 3 weeks ago, could she just be sulking a bit?

I really don't want to loose this Phal, she is a beautiful bloomer and fairly large plant, one of her leaves is about a foot long and 4-5 inches across!!

I won't tolerate losing another Phal

I don't handle orchid death very well! I'm still hanging on to the Phal that has crown rot, at least she is getting a new root!

ronaldhanko · #2 01-01-2009, 08:44 PM

I looked at your gallery pictures and the Phal. shown looks okay to me. All Phal. leaves are relatively droopy. It's when they get soft and wrinkly that you have problems.

Amanda L · #3 01-01-2009, 08:49 PM

My worry is that they are kind of limp, not stiff like they should be.

ronaldhanko · #4 01-01-2009, 09:42 PM

The amount of light can have something to do with that. The lower the light the darker green and more floppy the leaves (and the more susceptible to rot and other problems), the higher the light the harder the leaves and the lighter the color.

Shirley · #5 01-02-2009, 01:46 PM

Perhaps it hasn't yet recovered from the repotting. I think just keep on with what you've been doing and give it more time to perk up. Was the bark really dry when you repotted? If so, you could let it sit and soak for a bit when you water until the bark becomes more absorbent.

magda · #6 01-02-2009, 03:59 PM

Hey there! One more thing you might want to check. . .
How are the roots? Sometimes phals can look droopy because they have rotting or rotten roots. But otherwise, ditto to the above--especially if the leaves are a dark green it means you aren't getting enough light. Let us know how it goes.

Ross · #7 01-02-2009, 05:10 PM

I'd suggest the lights are way too weak. I have mine in a south window exposed to direct sunlight and supplemental CF bulbs that consume 105watts (equiv to 500 watts tungsten and output 6900 foot-candles.) Leaves should be light green and perhaps tinged with purple on the margins (but not always). The leaves of mine stand up straight, not wimpy. They are very firm to the touch. You don't need to let roots turn real white, just whiteish. You may not be watering enough.