Is my mini Phal dying?

[jamielewis35]

I've had my mini for over a year, and recently repotted it in Orchid mix. I gently teased out a good bit of the tighly packed moss that was still in the roots. My baby has 7 leaves right now, and the lowest just turned yellow on me. The next leave up has a little yellow spot forming on the very edge, however, the other 5 leaves look great. It hasn't bloomed for me in a very long time, but has had new leaf growth. I'll post a photo as soon as my camera recharges. I only water when the potting mix has dried out, about 1 time a week.

[snappyguy]

How do the roots look? Are they doing well or did the tight sphag rot them?

[jamielewis35]

a few of them were not so great, but over all they are nice and firm

[jamielewis35]

tried to upload some photos, but I'm getting an error msg re a missing security tag. I'll try to upload the pics again from my home PC (I'm at work, which is where my mini Phal lives). I'm hoping once more knowledgeable eyes can see her, that you all can tell me what the deal is. I'm hoping that it's just normal leaf turnover, but I've killed my fair share of plants so I'm not counting on it.

[Paul Mc]

A few things come to my mind having read this.

1.) When you say orchid mix, what are you referring to? Would you possibly be referring to Miracle Gro Orchid Mix? If so, you need to repot it immediately as most "orchid mixes" such as Miracle Gro's are too heavy and don't allow proper water/air movement around the roots of epiphytic orchids such as phal's. I would also not suggest planting your new phal in a sphag mix right off the bat. You might want to try looking for a bark mix of some sort such as what RePotme.com offers. Of course, the choice of sphag or bark mixes is totally up to you and depends upon your individual environment and caring patterns. Some people prefer sphag while I personally have never had any success with sphag, only succesful with bark. That having been said, it's a really good thing that you removed the rest of the original potting medium from the orchid. Personally, I would never leave an orchid in the medium I purchased it in (or at least until the flowers were gone then I'd remove the old medium). You never know how old the medium is or what's in the old medium.

2.) If it is just the lower leaf that has yellowed, and maybe the start of another leaf (presumably the next one up), don't fret. That's just the orchid's natural life cycle. As they grow larger, they will eventually shed their older leaves towards the bottom. When you remove the leaves, just be sure to sterilize your cutting instrument and then dust the wound lightly with cinnamon (regular store bought for cooking) as the cinnamon acts as a natural anti-bacteria and anti-infection.

3.) How long is a long time since you have had blooms? Most orchids only bloom once a year. If you bought yours in bloom in say fall of last year, you should be aware that they forced it to flower at that time of year more than likely. Sometimes the forcing of the flowers causes the plant to skip a year in blooming as it adjusts to the natural weather patterns of summer/winter. I've had orchids that have skipped almost a year and half because of the time of year I bought them in bloom.

Hope that helps a bit.

[Lagoon]

Without some kinda photo' its only guessing right now. But it does sound like you're leaves are just sheding as Paul was saying. Some phals can hold onto many many while other just stick with 4 or 5 then shed any others. New forming spike(s) can also help out with the older shedding leaves.

[jamielewis35]

I honestly can't remember exactly when I bought the plant. It's been over a year since it has bloomed, however it's grown 2 or 3 new leaves in that time...the last new leaf came in about 5 months ago. I don't have any new leaves starting.

The roots over all are good. I have a couple that had dried up and have a husk like consistency, but none that are mushy.

I've tried to upload photos a couple of times but I keep getting an error message (I've contacted the webmaster for assistance). As soon as I get the upload issue straightened out I'll post photos.

I am in a commercial orchid mix like the Miracle gro one, so I will track down some bark medium and repot in that and see if that helps.

The leaf that is yellow if the very bottom one, and the leaf with the yellow spot on the tip is the next to bottom, so it may very well just be normal turn-over

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

For uploading photos...

Either the length or the height has to be resized to 600 pixels max. When you adjust one, it usually automatically adjusts the other measurement accordingly. Nothing should exceed 600 pixels.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Most Phalaenopsis usually have a growing season that corresponds with the wet season and the drier season. Some Phalaenopsis species experience a slightly pronounced drier season than others.

Wet season is spring through summer.

The drier season is during fall through winter.

The heaviest growth of leaves is not surprisingly during the spring through summer.

Root growth tends to occur regardless of season, but leans towards being the heaviest during late winter all through mid-spring. Sometimes even all throughout the fall.

Your man-made hybrid will still follow this regime.

[jamielewis35]

Pictures