Sad Phal - Wilted & Yellowed

[Unseelie]

Through unfortunate impulse (and $2 from the clearance shelf) I am the owner of one Sad Phalaeonopsis. You know, sort of like finding a mangy cat in the alley and taking it home in hopes of maybe doing something for it.

Impulsiveness aside, the plant has issues. The leaves are a little shriveled and curled, one of them is yellowish. The stem is a little shriveled, and what remains of the flowers are droopy (one is discolored yellow).

From what I've read so far, I should check the roots for rot. How do I do this? Just pull it out of the pot/its medium and take a look? (The medium looks like moss but I think there is some sort of dirt below.)

I am a complete orchid n00b and probably should not have stepped up to this undertaking, but I figure I'll do what I can for the thing!

http://crystalchrome.net/photos/sadphal01.jpg
http://crystalchrome.net/photos/sadphal02.jpg

[nutgirl]

Welcome to the 'Board!

Yep, that's a sad phal!

Pull it out out the pot and check the roots. Very possibly you will find rot. Post pictures of what you find and we can take it from there.

Maureen

[Unseelie]

I would guess this is what's called a rotty mess. Should I put it out of its misery, or is surgery an option?

http://crystalchrome.net/photos/sadphal03.jpg

[Becca]

Hi and welcome to our family! Personally I would toss it. I think it is to far gone. No roots, they are all rotted from the looks of it, and the leaves are very dehydrated and shriveled looking. It will only be a frustrating experience for you. You need to start with a healthy orchid not a dead one! It will be a much more pleasant experience for you!

[nutgirl]

Becca's right. Start with something that you will enjoy right away.

Maureen

[Claire25]

Hold on a minute...I, too, have rescued a few "sad Phals" of my own, and--though I agree with the other posters that you should go get yourself a healthy Phal a.s.a.p.--I think that this Phal may have a lot of life left in it. I've rescued far worse. If you're in luck, the roots may not have rotted but may have instead shriveled up due to lack of water (the fact that its youngest leaf looks fairly hydrated makes me think this--if the roots had all rotted off I would have expected the plant to have uniformly shriveled leaves). What you need to do is first identify whether this is truly the case--an internet search should yield you some photos of what healthy Phal roots look like. Definitely remove the plant from its pot to check those roots, immediately. If the potting media is in fairly good shape (non-decomposed), and the roots are dry and shriveled, then you can be almost certain the issue with this Phal was under-watering...which is good for you because it's an easy fix. Just begin watering it regularly (not letting the plant either go bone dry nor stay sopping wet). A little extra humidity would be good for it, too.

You haven't stated what kind of media your Phal. is potted in--sphagnum moss is quite commonly used by many retailers for Phals.--if the plant is shriveled due to over-drying, I would leave it in this media for now, as it is moisture-retentive when watered properly. Plus, it has anti-microbial properties and may help inhibit any potential fungal infections. However, if root rot has gotten to most of the roots (or if you tend to be a heavy-handed waterer) you'll want to repot it into a fast-draining bark medium soon. Hope some of this info helps...FYI my very first Phal was a "rescue" like yours and it survived to flower beautifully in subsequent years, getting me thoroughly hooked on orchids in the process.

[Claire25]

Hmm...didn't see your last pic of the roots before I posted my reply. It looks like many of your roots are goners (you should go ahead and remove the rest of the moss to see if there are any healthy roots...one of the roots in your photo looks like it may be alive, but it's hard to tell). I would definitely repot into fresh mix...at this point it probably doesn't matter whether you use moss or bark--you just need to get it to grow some healthy roots, stat! Even so, those thoroughly wrinkled leaves aren't a good sign...by all means go get yourself a "happy Phal" while you're trying to save this "sad" one!

[Sandrilene]

I would soak it for a couple of hours if you have orchid fertizlier i would put a tiny bit in with the water (make sure the water is not cold) if you have already repotted it soak it in the pot it looks really dried out then I wouldn`t water it for at least a week give it time to dry out some. Remove the roots that are mushy don`t remove the green ones or whitish ones so long as they are firm to the touch. maybe also add a tiny bit of sugar to the water u soak the plant in will give it some nutrients maybe help it grow a bit faster. I would also cut off the really yellow shriveled leaf on the bottom so that the plant doesn`t waste energy on it it cause that one looks too far gone to save. But the spike looks healthy and I think the plant has hope. It might be frustrating but look at it this way even if it does die you got experience and you did the best you could plus it would have died without you anyways.

[jeffg]

Well, having undertaken a few "salvage" jobs myself, here's what I can tell you. When I asked my Orchid Mentor about how to care for / revive a particularly ill plant he said "You're not running an infirmary!" He also told me he would come by when needed to "issue last rites"

He helped me see that growing healthy plants is challenging enough, and I don't need to be in the resuscitation business. I have found this to be helpful.

[frostedeyes]

for me ill just remove all the stuffs inside and give them a dry rest maybe 3-4 days would be okay... and mount them no medium then start to water it once or twice a day depending on your condition..