Please take a look at my leaves - Orchid Board

bleweyz39 · #1 05-17-2009, 01:21 PM

Hi

I need some advise. My Phal leaves have spots. Not yellow, brown or black...just lighter green. Anyone know why and what I can do to treat this?

billc · #2 05-17-2009, 01:31 PM

Hello, and welcome. I'm not sure what's causing the leaf problem, but your mix looks about ready to replaced. The roots you can see in the picture don't look so hot. What kind of light is your plant getting? It looks like you got a spike there, did it flower?

Bill

bleweyz39 · #3 05-17-2009, 01:43 PM

I got this plant for Christmas and its been flowering ever since. Yes some of the roots look dried out, but I dont want to over water it...and read that over watering is a common mistake. Its near a East window. Any suggestions would be helpful.

Des · #4 05-17-2009, 01:56 PM

It's a bit of chlorosis which could be caused by a deficiency of some sort . Are you feeding your plants with a complete fertilizer ?
Also have a look under the leaves to see if some bug isn't perhaps having a feed

Des · #5 05-17-2009, 02:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bleweyz39

I got this plant for Christmas and its been flowering ever since. Yes some of the roots look dried out, but I dont want to over water it...and read that over watering is a common mistake. Its near a East window. Any suggestions would be helpful.

Under watering is also a common mistake with phals and with a lot of other orchids as well. Phals should never dry out, I prefer to flush mine completely with fresh nutrient at least three times per week. If you let the plants dry out too much then you will see that the roots dry out and become hard. Believe it or not, when it comes to phals under watering is more of a problem than over watering.
The roots are not killed by over watering, it is spent media that kills off the roots so repot regularly into a good media. I have found a lot of success with coconut husk, as it retains more moisture than other medias.

RosieC · #6 05-17-2009, 02:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Des

Under watering is also a common mistake with phals and with a lot of other orchids as well. Phals should never dry out, I prefer to flush mine completely with fresh nutrient at least three times per week. If you let the plants dry out too much then you will see that the roots dry out and become hard. Believe it or not, when it comes to phals under watering is more of a problem than over watering.
The roots are not killed by over watering, it is spent media that kills off the roots so repot regularly into a good media. I have found a lot of success with coconut husk, as it retains more moisture than other medias.

Everything I have heard, and my own experience, says the exact oposite. Phals cope quite well with drying out completely. Mine always dry completely for a couple of days before I rewater and have been known to go a couple of weeks without water and no sign of ill effect.

I think a difference here may be that there are some species Phals which like to be kept always moist, but most hybrid Phals like to dry out and are more likely to rot if you overwater.

Another difference may be location. South Africa is likely a lot hotter and drier than the UK or much of the US or Europe and here in the UK watering three times a week is WAY WAY too much for a Phal. Once a week is about average, but you go by when the roots turn silvery as a measure (like in the pic).

Everything I've read here has indicated in the past is that overwatering does more damage than underwatering.

RosieC · #7 05-17-2009, 02:53 PM

I agree that the medium looks very compacted and your Phal may also not be getting the nutriants it needs.

Looking at it, it probably needs repotting. But I can't advise that without saying that personally I get problems when I try to repot. If that were my plant I would give it a go anyway because it looks like it really needs it, but read all you can on repotting a Phal first.

RosieC · #8 05-17-2009, 02:57 PM

And I should have said that if you DO decide to repot then try and get hold of a clear pot.

These have two functions for Phals...
1. The roots can Photosynthasise which Phal roots like to do.
2. You can see the roots through the pot, and can see when to water by when they turn silver. If you just look at the colour of the roots on the surface you may be mislead as they may still be damp lower down.

Amanda L · #9 05-17-2009, 03:09 PM

Okay, here's what I do with my Phals, and have had great success, after I got the hang of growing them. I would re-pot your Phal in a mixture of Fir Bark and Charcoal, this an opinion and should be taken as such. Looks like you have a clear pot inside the terracotta pot. You should be able to reuse that pot. I love the clear pots, because it takes the guess work out of watering. You are able to see when the roots turn a silvery white and that's when it's time to water. The amount of time that lapses between watering depends on the growing area. If it's dryer where it's at it will need more, more humid it will need fewer waterings. Some people prefer to pot in Sphagnum moss, or a mix of moss and bark. This really depends on your growing style and how often you water. If you forget to water for some time, moss or a mix of moss may benefit you. If you tend to over water, then bark would be the best way to go. The most important part is to make sure that your medium is not compacted around the roots, for bark I tap the pot on the counter to help it work in around the roots. For moss, I'm sorry I can't help you, because I don't use it. Someone on here can help you with that. For fertilizer use a balanced one, balanced meaning, to me, that all the numbers on the package are the same, for example 20-20-20 or 10-10-10. Mix 1/4 teaspoon in a gallon of filtered water, this is a weakly/weekly solution. I hope this helps you clear some things up.

Also, I don't know why your leaves have spots on them. If there aren't any creepy crawleys and the plant seems to be growing and thriving, I wouldn't worry. Try to re-pot and water with a balanced fertilizer and see what happens. As for light, bright indirect sunlight is best. Early morning sun is great. Try to avoid the mid-day sun as it could burn your leaves.

Des · #10 05-17-2009, 03:25 PM

Rosie here in SA my plants actually stand in saucers of water and have been for a few years now, I am still waiting for the roots to rot!
I will say this again it is not water that rots the roots but a buildup of salts and bacteria in the media which in turn turns the media into a sludge at the bottom of the pot depriving the root system of vital oxygen supplies
The build-up of salts is usually caused by over fertilization and too little water going through the pot to flush out salt build up (under watering)