Paper towel issue.... - Orchid Board

Benjamincody · #1 05-24-2009, 12:05 AM

Paper towel issue....

Ok I just acquired a Phaleonopsis, it is in an adequate size pot and the medium seems to be ok. There are roots on top that have some damage and are drying and dying but it is putting up new aerial roots (I assume to replace the dying ones). The only issue I have is it does not seem to be drying out as fast as it should, I was looking at it today and noticed there was entirely to much condensation on the inside of the pot (another reason I did not repot the pot it cam in was clear). I started looking and noticed what seemed to be a square of paper towel or perhaps a folded paper towel in the bottom of the pot and I am not sure if it being there is allowing enough air flow through the pot, and maybe letting it retain too much water. Now nothing seems to be wrong but without repotting I cannot be sure, and I am trying not to until it has finished blooming and giving it some time to get accustomed to the new environment, I was curious if others have run across this before and what was your experience? Thanks in advance…

John D. · #2 05-24-2009, 12:37 AM

If you are careful not to damage the spike you can go ahead and repot. It should be able to fit back in the same pot and fresh coarse medium will help with airflow as well as giving you a chance to check everything.

King_of_orchid_growing:) · #3 05-24-2009, 12:53 AM

I would choose the plant over the flowers. If you feel that there could be a problem with the potting media, I suggest handling it right away. Flowers will come back if you still own the plant. If you lose the plant, because you chose the flowers instead, you'll also lose the money you used to buy the initial plant and the money you'll use to buy a replacement. Your choice...

Benjamincody · #4 05-24-2009, 12:52 PM

I agree with you king I do not want to waste money by killing the plant and from what I can see as stated the plant does not appear to be in any distress. The flowering is almost done. I was just curious if others had seen this paper towel practice before as I have never seen it in the previous orchids I have bought. I will be repotting within the next week or so because I believe by then the flowering will be done....Thank you for everyone’s input..

Grandma M · #5 05-25-2009, 08:52 AM

I'm interested in what you find when it is un-potted. Is it really a paper towel?

Marilyn

Ross · #6 05-25-2009, 09:19 AM

You will really want to use as large a mix (chunks) as you have on hand. The roots need to get air to avoid rotting problems. The square in the bottom might have been placed there to stop particles from falling through or to hold moisture during display for sale. I'd get rid of it, keep the clear pot (be sure to clean it well) and use large mix chunks. Good luck.

quietmorning · #7 05-26-2009, 09:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Benjamincody

Paper towel issue....

I started looking and noticed what seemed to be a square of paper towel or perhaps a folded paper towel in the bottom of the pot and I am not sure if it being there is allowing enough air flow through the pot, and maybe letting it retain too much water. Now nothing seems to be wrong but without repotting I cannot be sure, and I am trying not to until it has finished blooming and giving it some time to get accustomed to the new environment, I was curious if others have run across this before and what was your experience? Thanks in advance…

I've run across this with orchids I've purchased from Wal-Mart and Home Depot. My second one died because it rotted due to how much moisture the paper towel retained - the roots were completely rotted by the time I figured it out and what to do about it. My third and fourth orchids also had papertowels in them, but I repotted immediately - despite their blooms. . .I cut off some rotted dead roots, but I got them in time, thank goodness. The plants thrived for another two years until I gave them to a home that has more light.

Since my second orchid (Phal) I've always repotted immediately despite blooms. I'm just very careful when I do it. The Phal I have now has two stems and is in full bloom - and did just fine when I repotted.

Benjamincody · #8 05-30-2009, 08:57 AM

Ok so I could not wait I had to repot the orchid before it finished blooming I was just afraid of doing damage to the plant...Warning this will be long. So I unspotted the plant only to find it was not paper towels but Styrofoam peanuts put there for drainage, but the bark had decomposed and needed to be changed. As I took the old potting mix away I saw that indeed where I bought the plant from had not maintained it right so there was trimming of the roots that needed to be done, and you could see new growth had started even though I have not had this plant long it was liking what I was doing….Now I live in the middle of no where Florida and am right now caring for my grandfather pretty much full time, I asked my aunt to pick up the things I needed to repot my orchid and she came home with the wrong thing LOL….. She thought she would do me a favor and buy me some nicer orchid potting mix than I asked for and brought home some Miracle Grow Orchid Potting mix. On a side note I use a lot of their products with great success. When I had already un potted and disposed of the old potting mix I opened the Miracle Grow Orchid Potting mix only to find it was not chunky like I expected but instead more like potting soil…..I was not happy so I re-read the back of the bag and followed the directions to the letter and the as with all of my orchids I put a light layer of Styrofoam peanuts on the bottom of the pot and a light layer of coconut fiber over the top of the pot……so here is what I am wondering….Has anyone used this Miracle Grow Orchid Potting mix before? How successful with it were you if so? …Thanks again for input….

quietmorning · #9 05-30-2009, 10:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Benjamincody

……so here is what I am wondering….Has anyone used this Miracle Grow Orchid Potting mix before? How successful with it were you if so? …Thanks again for input….

I use Miracle Grow for Orchids, but specifically for the tree growing kind - it has a ton of bark in it, and is nothing like potting soil. The kind that comes like potting soil is specifically for ground growing orchids, and will do well with those, but not with the tree growing kind. I told my husband when he was picking up supplies for me that if he picks up the bag and it doesn't feel like he's picked up a bag of bark, it's not the right stuff. So far so good.

quiltergal · #10 05-30-2009, 01:12 PM

Ben, I think you're going to have a problem with that stuff. It is intended for use with terete and semi-terete orchids. Cymbidiums come to mind. Your Phal. will not like it at all. There are plenty of online sources for potting medium if you can't find what you need locally. I'll post some links if you like.