New Phal- suspect bad roots, drainage problems

[lucRiv]

Hi everyone! Just joined the Board a week ago, and (sigh) I have SO MUCH to learn. I am attaching 3 pics of my new Phal that I bought from a chain store. **Must give an update... I was the person trying to save my deceased mother's orchids. Two more died, leaving just one more Orchid left, which is in my father's care. I'll try to get that a.s.a.p.

So here's my story: When I bought the plant, it was packed tightly in spagnum moss which was sopping wet. I immediately removed the moss from around the roots, however when I bought the Orchid, it was before I started doing ANY research so I am sure that everything I did was wrong and I am probably killing the poor plant.

I put it in a generic "Orchid potting mix" and did water it, but I let all the water run out completely. I set it above a tray of gravel w/ water (you'll see the rack I have above the gravel so that the pot doesn't sit on it). I have a ceiling fan going lightly in the room.

Here are my concerns: The roots, in my opinion look and feel terrible. There are only a couple of them that are exposed to the air. There were more of them, but they were so papery thin and wrinkled and brown that I trimmed them off. I left only the fatter, "healthier" ones. But there is only a couple left. Also, is the plant in too big of a pot? The pot is plastic with a LOT of holes in the bottom. I'm just worried that it's not going to make it, based on all the pictures that I'm seeing of your plants... the roots are so lucious and thick with the green tips. Mine aren't remotely like that.

I don't know what the heck I'm doing! I live in Rochester, NY and we have both Gardenscape coming up in a few weeks, plus the Genesee County Orchid Show in April. I am sure that I can get healthier plants at these two venues. Any advice for someone that is probably doing more harm than good for her Orchid? Thank you so much! (I have another picture of just the leaves, but was having trouble attaching that to my post, so I'll have to do it in a second post. Sorry about that.)

[lucRiv]

Hi again,
Here is my last picture, which shows the condition of the leaves. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[scy]

I think you made the right decision in repotting. However, I would use a more airy medium as the one you are using appears to be too fine. I use an orchid mix with medium bark chips. The photos of the aerial roots look good, but hard to say with the other roots as there is no photo. If they are brown and mushy, then they are dead roots and it is ok to trim them (with sanitized blade). The pot does look too big for it. Phals like to be tightly potted so pick a pot where the roots are a tight fit. I used this to help me with my first repot: Orchid Repotting Clinic - Phalaenopsis

[quiltergal]

Hi luc. Welcome to OB !

It looks like you have a couple of issues to deal with ASAP. Your first issue is the pot that plant is in is waaay to big. You want a pot that the roots will just squeeze into. When a pot is too big like that one is the media in the center of the pot never really dries out and all the roots in the middle suffocate and die. The second issue is the media you are using. It is way to fine (as in close to dirt) to be healthy for a Phal. Phals do much better in media that drains quickly, like large chunky fir bark or large coconut husk chunks.

I find it very useful to use clear plastic pots with lots of slits in the sides and lots of drainage in the bottom. There are clear orchid pots that acually have an inverted slotted cone in the bottom of the pot that allows for extra air movement into the center of the pot. The clear pots give you the advantage of being able to see what's going on in the root zone. Also, when repotting don't pack the media in too tight as that will compress the media and make the air spaces smaller.

This online shop has a good variety of potting supplies, and they are pretty reasonable. I find it difficult to get quality potting media locally, so I usually have to order online or wait for an orchid show to buy the good stuff. rePotme Orchid Supplies - Orchid Mix - Orchid Pots - Orchid Care - Orchid Fertilizer

Whatever you decide to do needs to happen fast. Your plant is showing signs of distress.

[lucRiv]

Thanks for the feedback... do most of the members recommend spagnum moss or some type of bark mix for Phals? When I repot it, I'll definitely add some packing peanuts to the center to aid in aeration. Just wasn't sure about the moss or the bark.

[scy]

Oh forgot to mention that if you do decide to repot in bark, it is important to rinse the medium thoroughly first and soak in water overnight.

It's hard to tell when it needs to be watered by looking at the surface, because the medium can be damp in the center of the pot where we can't see. So rather than shoving my finger in the pot to check for moistness, I use wooden skewers in my pots to help me determine when it's time to water again. If you put the wooden skewer in the medium, pull it out and you can see how wet/dry the medium is by feeling the skewer. Others can tell by the weight of the pot. It's much lighter when it's dry as opposed to wet. Clear pots can also help you see how moist it is along with the root conditions. Good luck!

[scy]

Using moss or bark is a matter of preference and your growing conditions. People have had success using either method. I tend to have a heavy hand when it comes to watering, so I like to use bark so I don't have to worry about overwatering. With moss, you have to be careful about not watering it too much or the moss will be overly wet. Be careful not to overpack it as well with moss as you want good air movement.

Originally Posted by lucRiv

Thanks for the feedback... do most of the members recommend spagnum moss or some type of bark mix for Phals? When I repot it, I'll definitely add some packing peanuts to the center to aid in aeration. Just wasn't sure about the moss or the bark.

[RosieC]

My first thought is that the pot size is way to big for that orchid. Also the medium looks too broken down/soil like which could be smothering the roots.

P.S. I've merged your follow up pic with the original thread, so that everyone can see all the info in one place.

[lucRiv]

Thank you Rosie... don't know why, but I was having trouble with the last pic.

[RosieC]

OK, my last comment was made without seeing the rest of your comments and other's answers. I see others have said about it being too big a pot and the medium being too broken down.

Unfortunately some of the things sold as 'Orchid Mix' just aren't right for Phalaenopsis orchids (even ones with a picture of a phal flower on the bag) and I learnt this the hard way by almost killing a couple of phals.

Whether you should use Sphag or Bark is dependent on both you and your enviroment. The majority of people favour bark, but for some people moss is better. It all depends on how quickly it dries. In my view it needs to be thoroughly dry in two week (optimum is 1 week but 2 weeks as the outside). If it dries slower you need more of something faster drying like bark. If it's drying too quickly for you to keep up with watering then you need more of something slower drying like moss.

The leaves look dehydrated from what I can see. This can be a sign that the roots are rotted, so I would suggest you unpot it ant take a look at the roots.