Phal root help/general advice

[bagoly14]

Hi,

I just got my first phal orchid a few months ago, and now its dropped all its buds. I cut off the spike at the base and now while doing that, I realized the roots are looking quite strange.

The some of the roots are a light brown, but when I cut one of them off, there is still a very strong strand of the plant root inside. Any advice on what I should do?

I am unaware if this is a problem due to overwatering or underwatering. I water the phal once a week by slowly pouring water over it. The phal faces a west window, so it recieves quite a bit of indirect sunlight all day. Also, my room is quite hot, usually around 75 F
and quite dry too. I also have very little air circulation in my room. As for fertilizer, I give it a very small amount every week.

I will post some pics soon, but if anyone has any advice on what I should do with the light brown roots, or just general advice, please let me know. Also, the phals leaves seems a little soft and sometimes quite weak.

Thanks in advance for any help.

[camille1585]

The conditions you have it in sound fine, other than the humidity. Do you know how low it is? As for the roots, color is not a good indication of their health, since healthy roots can be green, cream, brownish.... Instead, gently squeeze the roots between your fingers. If they feel firm, they are healthy, if they are squishy or hollow, then they're dead.
One thing you don't mention is what it's potted in. If it's tightly packed sphagnum moss, you'll want to repot it into something else. Tight packed moss really isn't all that good for phals!

[nutgirl]

Welcome to the Board. Any pictures you can send will definitely make things clearer.

I don't know if this is what you are referring to, but often the roots that are exposed outside the potting medium have a kind of dry brownish look to them. If they are firm, they are OK. Don't cut them off.
If the roots inside the potting medium are brown and soft and they slide off the root strand then they are rotten.

Have you ever taken the plant out of it's pot and checked the condition of the roots? It's a good idea to, it won't hurt the plant.
Starting now, and especially if it's finished blooming, is a good time to repot in fresh mix.

There's lots of info on repotting on OB.

Maureen

[bagoly14]

Ok, here are some pictures to better show my phal.

Pictures by bagoly14 - Photobucket


The phals leaves seem just a little bit weak. I am using bark as the medium. As you can see in the root picture, the root was a light brown, and not mushy at all, very dry and crisp. The "root inside the root" can also be seen in the middle and it is VERY strong. I think I am underwatering...but I am not sure. The other roots are all a light green and seem to be doing fine, but more and more of the roots keep turning light brown...Please help...

[camille1585]

The bark looks really dry. I can't tell you if you are under or over watering, but a good trick when phals are in clear pots is to watch the root color through the sides of the pot. Green roots, with beads of moisture on the sides of the pot means that there's still enough moisture. Once the roots turn silvery-white, it's time to water again. That's the way I water all my phals, and it seems to work well since when I repot I find very few dead roots.
However, seeing that it seems like there are good roots in the pot, the limp leaves could be from underwatering as you say. 75F with low humidity probably means that watering once a week is not enough.

As for the center part of the root, it always stays very strong. If the outside part is coming off, the root is pretty much dead.

[bagoly14]

Ok, I will water more frequently, I think every 2 days, because the roots don't have any moisture on them and the bark is quite dry.

I will write again if something bad happens.

Thanks for all the help.

[camille1585]

Every 2 days might be carrying it to the other extreme. You need to water when the plant needs it, and not on a fixed schedule! I assumed it was underwatering based on the pics and your conditions, but without seeing the plant in person, I could be very wrong.

Another quick and easy way of checking humidity deep in the pot is to stick a wooden skewer in the pot. When you want to check if the plant needs water, pull it out and put it to your cheek. If it's cool and damp, hold off on watering.

[nutgirl]

Also, how do you water?

Some who are growing in dryer conditions find that soaking the pot in a container of water works better because the bark can hydrate better.

Camille is right, though, you have to tailor your watering to the plant and your conditions. There is no set formula. It may take some trial and error and experimentation.
Looking for condensation on the inside of the pot and green roots are good indications for determining when to water.

Maureen

[bagoly14]

Ok,

I will monitor the roots and water accordingly. I think I will try soaking the roots in water in a container since that seemed to be working better, but I read that it can promote root rot, so I stopped doing it...

Hopefully I figure it out, every plant I have ever had has died, even cactuses -which I didn't even think you could kill.

Wish me luck!

[camille1585]

Soaking doesn't cause root rot since bark is such an airy medium. I've ever accidently left orchids soaking overnight with no problems.
What does promote root rot is leaving the pot sitting in a saucer of water.