Newly repotted phal-- blooming, but leaves seem to be deteriorating rather quickly...

[floataloft]

hello everyone, i'm new. i've been doing a lot of reading the past few days after retrieving my phal from my mother's house (she was watching it for me while i was recovering from a car wreck), but there is so much information here that i figured that i would just ask my own questions for some direct feedback.

my phal is about three years old-- but this is only it's second blooming. when i bought it, it was potted in a plastic pot inside of a clay pot, with some sort of soil/bark mixture (i'd say the soil/bark percentage was about 90%/10%, respectively). i realized that it's never been repotted, so i did that today-- i put the plant directly into a larger clay pot with bark and little bits of perlite (although not much). i didn't soak the bark beforehand (whoops). as i was repotting, the root system looked to be generally okay (the roots were firm and light green, & had grown so much they circled the plastic pot about three times!) with only about four or five short black withered ones, so i cut those away with sterilized scissors, put the plant in the pot with the bark, watered it a bit-- also wetting down the outside of the pot-- and set it in front of an east facing window with the blind drawn (i read that shade is best after repotting).

i did that earlier this afternoon and i've been noticing that the leaves are yellowing at an alarming rate-- the newer ones, specifically. the oldest leaf (which has been attached since i bought it) has a few nicks/rips/tears, but they seem to have healed, and the plant has continued to extend it, but now it's starting to look pretty bad. there are also some small black spots, and the edges of the leaves seem to be getting pretty rough. i first noticed a bit of yellowing after i had taken it back from mom but i'm fairly certain that was because i was putting it out in direct sunlight-- that lasted about four days until i realized it was harming the plant. all of the blooms look fine-- but should i have waited until all of them had opened? all are open except two.

and is the yellowing just a bit of shellshock? how long until repotted phals (especially ones who go from a soil mixture into bark) bounce back? i'm going to feel really awful if i kill it, i've sort of grown attached to it.

i've attached some photos, hope they help.

sorry this is so verbose! it's my first plant and i'm (overly) worried. :/

[Zoi2]

Hi and welcome to the Orchid Board.
Your phal is beautiful but it looks awful dry. Did you soak the bark after you repotted?
Joann

[floataloft]

no, i did not-- i wasn't aware that i should have. :/

possibly a dumb question, but how do i do this? i dont want to leave it in the sink (germs, etc)-- i have a big pot thats large enough for the orchid's pot to fit into; how do i soak the bark without it floating up and going everywhere?

[WhiteRabbit]

Yeah - if the bark wasn't soaked prior to potting it needs to be done - otherwise when you water its just wetting the surface of the bark and it won't retain any moisture
You could also soak some bark and repot again the next day
If you just want to soak the pot - put the pot in whatever you are using for soaking - bucket, dishwashing tub, etc
fill with water to just a bit below the level of the bark in the pot

[floataloft]

Originally Posted by WhiteRabbit

Yeah - if the bark wasn't soaked prior to potting it needs to be done - otherwise when you water its just wetting the surface of the bark and it won't retain any moisture
You could also soak some bark and repot again the next day
If you just want to soak the pot - put the pot in whatever you are using for soaking - bucket, dishwashing tub, etc
fill with water to just a bit below the level of the bark in the pot

ahh. i dont have enough bark left to soak & repot tomorrow and can't afford to get any more for another few days, so i'm taking yr advice. i'm assuming i soak overnight?

thanks for the help i hope she pulls through.

[WhiteRabbit]

Originally Posted by floataloft

ahh. i dont have enough bark left to soak & repot tomorrow and can't afford to get any more for another few days, so i'm taking yr advice. i'm assuming i soak overnight?

thanks for the help i hope she pulls through.

mmm well 30 minutes to an hour should do the trick I think - can always soak again in a few days. I just don't know why the leaves would yellow so quickly - not sure if that could be from being dry - or what
good luck

[Doc G]

I would usually wait till after flowering to repot.

[Pilot]

Originally Posted by Doc G

I would usually wait till after flowering to repot.

I've personally have repotted loads of times when the plants are in bloom and never lost a single bud or bloom. But thats just my experience.

[floataloft]

Originally Posted by Doc G

I would usually wait till after flowering to repot.

yeah :/ i know this for when i have to do it next time, but all of the blooms still look okay, and the ones that havent opened yet are still green and soft (yet firm) to the touch... i just checked on her (i soaked the pot last night for about an hour) and the bark is a little moist and the outside of the pot is as well, and there's a little bit of water in the saucer, but i know this isn't an overnight process, so i'm trying to be patient.

when should i soak her again? if the leaves don't change within a few days, should i have another go at it?
/amateur

[Pilot]

hi floataloft--

I think you're getting the right advice here. It isn't often that we see a terra pot being used as the preferred pot, though. Most orchid growers like to use clear (plastic or glass) pots so we can see the roots-- but it is perfectly fine to use a terra pot. But since you can see the roots or the moisture/condensation inside the pot, I would suggest using the pick-up method. Now that your orchid has soaked for an hour, pick it up and gauge its weight. When it has become noticeably lighter, chances are, its ok to soak her again. Some people suggest using a bamboo skewer- you poke it into the soil and leave it there. Occasionally you take it out and touch the end that was in the bark to see how moist/dry it is. If it is dry, chances are, she's ready for more water. You could use the two methods together and they'll likely tell you with a good deal of certainty when you need to water.

With that said, terra pots do wick moisture quickly. So be vigilant.

I personally have repotted my phals into a new medium called hydroton and am experiencing difficulty with them developing wrinkled leaves. I suspect they need more moisture.

Also, where do yo ulive? I live in Colorado and our humidity is quite low 90% of the time (very often in the teens and even single digit relative humidity!). This will have a direct effect on how often your plants will need to be watered.

Keep us posted!