repotting a very unhappy phal

[WhiteRabbit]

yeah - don't want it too cool right now. I would cut the spike - pot it up = 3" pot should be fine. I don't know - I don't do anything different for plants after re-potting - I just care for them as usual.

[deathofregret]

do i just clip the spike down to the base, or is there some special technique for spike trimming? i feel insane second-guessing myself!

[WhiteRabbit]

Originally Posted by deathofregret

do i just clip the spike down to the base, or is there some special technique for spike trimming? i feel insane second-guessing myself!

hehe - yeah cut it as far down as you can without damaging the plant - don't worry too much about it. Just below the lowest node at the very least

[deathofregret]

alright, that's easy enough. i think. i'm definitely gonna go pick up a couple of those books, too - makes it easier to clarify the terminology! thanks again.

[Zoi2]

I'd just clip the spike about an inch or so from the base of the plant.
Joann

[Rosiefuture]

Originally Posted by deathofregret

the color on it is so awful; should i remove it completely? what do you guys think about the three sad left-over roots?

thanks, as always,

h

Almost all my phals spikes are that purple colour, it's quite normal as far as I can tell.

Marion

[deathofregret]

prior to the onset of root rot, the spike was decidedly green - that's the only reason i was worried. thanks though!

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Grow indoors. Temperatures should never be below 60 F.

Repot smaller.

Medium grade to large grade bark.

Don't worry about whether the repotting stresses it out. Phals adjust slowly anyways.

It's salvageable.

[Autumn Child]

I have a very different advice. I have never tried bark before so I have no comments. You can also try water culture. I have saved two plants with yellowing leaves and no life roots. Water culture, if you do it right, is like an orchid ER. A shock teraphy that allows the plant to produce new growth/shoots as fast as possible. In my case, new shoots start growing after one or two weeks and new roots grows after two weeks. I did not even use root growth hormone. I just use RO water and very weak fertilizer. After the plant produce new root growth, you can repot it to s/h or other medium of your choice. I am experimenting water culture for long term growth. For phal, you need to be extra careful not to wet the crown, so just put the rhizomes underwater but not let the water wick up to the crown. You should read up more about water culture in this forum or on the web. Every patient need a second opinion

[RosieC]

I would say with the amount of roots you have I would go for a 2' pot, soaking the roots to ease them in. I have one with slightly more roots than that in a 2' pot.

When I said 'fine' bark above it is not so fine it is dence and almost soil like... it is still well defined pieces of bark, just much finer than the medium stuff I have. With a 2' pot the medium stuff would not seem to work well for me, where the fine stuff sits nicely in the pot size and my four phals with bad roots are loving it and after 6 months will probably have grown so many roots I will have to move them up to a bigger pot. (Three of these are the orchids I almost killed before I came to orchid board, the other I rescued from a relative, and they have hardly grown or improved at all in the last 2 years but have suddenly taken off in these tiny pots).

I also agree that you shouldn't worry about the stress of repotting again. One of my worst ones has been repotted many times in the last 2 years as I tried different things with it. It's best not to keep chopping and changing too much and give a solution long enough see if it is working before trying something else, but equally if you find something is making it worse it's better to change sooner rather than later.

And yes... your orchid is salvagable. One of mine was about the same as that and is now growing like mad and also spiking.