Super newbie looking for a good start!

[mts678]

Thank you all for the generosity and warm welcoming to the forum, you never know what kind of welcome to expect on a forum when your a newb!

Jenny, your post was very helpful. I just watered it as you described how to. I believe it is moss, not bark that's for sure. One side of the plant has a few bulbs and flowers that still felt like they're ok, so I left those, but on the other side of the plant I cut all of those flowers off, well they feel off basically..
I'll read around here on the fertilizers and see what I can learn about those for the US.

Thanks guys!

[Zoi2]

Hello and welcome to the OB.
Joann

[Daethen]

If you want to ensure that the plant is not using energy for the spike, cut it off about an inch from the base. Then dust the cut with cinnamon (yes, the spice).

[WhiteRabbit]

welcome!

I have bamboo skewers in all my orchid pots to help determine when to water - for Phals I allow the media to get almost to completely dry before I water ...
If your plant is in a clear pot, and you can see the roots inside, water when roots are silvery/whitish

sorry it took a while for you to get replies ... I think board traffic has been slower than usual with the holidays

[RosieC]

Welcome to Orchid Board

Sounds like you've had some great advice already

I agree with others that you may be underwatering it, however growing in moss can be tricky and it's all too easy to overwater with that.

The two easiest ways to judge watering are by the colour of the roots (which you can see at the top half of your pot). If they are silvery they are ready for watering. Green and they don't need any more. This only really applies to the roots at the edge where they get light though. Ones in the center of the pot where it's always dark will be white all the time.

With moss I would be really tempted to use the bamboo skewer method WhiteRabbit suggests, even though you can see the roots. Moss can still be deceptively damp low down and seem dry on top. Stick the skewer in the medium and leave it there. When you want to know if it needs watering pull it out and see if the skewer feels damp (cold if held against your cheak). If it does it's not ready for watering again.

If you leave it in moss and up the watering I would also cut more slits or holes in the pot. One hole in the bottom will allow it to drain, but you really want to increase the air flow as phal roots like plenty of air flow.

Many people grow in bark as it dries faster than moss. I personally prefer it and find moss either takes too long to dry or I water to often and rot the roots. Some folks like it though so you have to find what suits you.

[RosieC]

My rough guide is that I think the medium you use (whatever it is) should dry in about 7 days, 14 days at the very outside. If it takes longer to dry than 14 days than I find the plant does not grow as well. In my experience Phals like to be watered more often than that... however if the medium is not drying in that time you can't easily increase the watering without rotting the roots. If it takes longer than 14 days to dry then I would take measures to reduce it, which might be increased air flow arround the roots (more holes in the pot) or adding more of a fast drying medium such as bark to the mix.

On the other side though, if it dries in just a couple of days it might be too much work for you. In which case adding more of a slow drying medium such as moss may help increase it. Aiming for 7 to 10 days I find to be a level both good for me and good for the plant.

[RosieC]

Sorry about the long replies, but a final couple of notes.

It is actually lack of air flow, not too much water that rots roots. The water fills the gaps in the medium and prevents air flow. You may come accross a growing technique called Semi-hydroponic which many people here on Orchid Board use (myself included) which seems to go against the whole concept of letting Phals dry out between waterings, and keeps them constantly wet. The difference is that this technique uses a medium (lecca) which has large air gaps (and does not decompose) and so keeps the air flow while keeping high water levels.

Finally, moss should be replaced every year as it decomposes and there can be bacteria and toxins develop in it, as well as a further reduction in air flow due to the decomposing medium filling all the spaces. If you have bought an orchid in moss you don't know how long the moss has been there. I would probably wait until the spring to repot, as new root growth is an advantage when doing that, but it's worth considering repoting soon-ish even if you choose to replace the moss with further moss.

[CTB]

Hope you enjoy being a member of a forum of over 16,000 members, you'll get plenty of help. Welcome!

[nikv]

As for watering, just pick it up and feel it's weight. If it feels light, water it. If it feels heavy, don't. Or poke your finger about an inch into the mix to check for moisture. You'll do fine with it.

Welcome to the board!

[BobInBonita]

It looks to be in sphagnum, so the number of days between watering means little. Sphagnum, especially if tightly packed, can easily become too wet. It obviously depends also on how heavily you water. If it is still damp at 20 days, then 25 days is pretty reasonable. The leaves don't appear wilted or wrinkled so it is not badly dehydrated. I like Rosies target of 7-10 days, but with sphagnum you really have to be careful with the amount going in to get it dry that fast. The idea of the "Just Add Ice" orchids is that you use a measured amount of water (one ice cube) to prevent over watering. Could work here.

To me sphagnum is a hard medium to grow in, but if you can control the water in so it's not overly wet, and let it dry almost completely between waterings, others have great luck growing in it. If you let it get completely dry, it can be hard to rehydrate - you have to soak it and then it's really wet.

Your description of the roots sound healthy. The buds drooping a little could be temperature related as well as moisture related. The leaf color looks to me like it could use just a little more light. Dark green on a phal means it needs more. I try for an olive green. The leaves will frequently get a reddish tint around the edges when you're at the maximum it can handle. Pale yellow to white is bad sunburn.