Leaf Tip Blackening - Phalaenopsis

[RebekahJoy]

Thanks for that link - Those potting instructions look good. I purchased a bark orchid potting mix today, will let it soak for 24 hrs, and then will get to re-potting my orchid. Hope I don't find too much root rot!

[RebekahJoy]

Originally Posted by King_of_orchid_growing:)

Yes, I'd recommend bark, SH is fine too. If you've got the place, desire, and time, mounting them on wood is good too.

There is a section on mounting here on the OB.

Repotting:

This is one way...

How to Re-pot Phalaenopsis Orchids: Gardening Help | eHow.com

I wouldn't "jam" anything in though. Just lightly pack the potting medium in.

Btw, as you can see from the pics of Phals in the wild, they don't naturally grow upright.

Alright, I've repotted the plant, and now I have some additional questions that I'd really appreciate your thoughts on!

1) I repotted the orchid in bark. It seems to dry out really fast now. How often should I water it? I did soak the bark for about 24 hrs before I potted with it originally and now about 36 hrs after potting it seems quite dry.

2) What should I expect the black/yellow discoloration on the leaf tip to do? Should it go away, stay the same? Will the leaf change or stay the same if the plant becomes "healthy" again after this repotting? I'm just wondering if there's some way of gauging the plant's happiness based on that leaf. (Since I first posted the picture of the leaf tip, the black coloring has continued to creep down the leaf.)

3) When I repotted this, I didn't find many mushy or dried out roots, but a lot of the firm whiteish ones did have a lot of brown breaks in them (about every inch). Is this root rot? I did not cut them off because I read online not to cut anything firm (and I didn't want to "over chop"), but I'm not sure if this was the correct decision.

If you have the time to answer my questions, I'd really appreciate it! Thanks!

[beanluc]

Originally Posted by RebekahJoy

It seems to dry out really fast now. How often should I water it?

When you water, water VERY WELL. If all you do is pour water through the pot, it runs off almost immediately and pretty much only damps the roots. The plant doesn't have much time to get a drink. So, many of us use little buckets or a sink and let the plant stand in it for anywhere from ten minuts to an hour, and then pull it out.

What will happen is the plant will drink some while it's in there, and the inside of the pot will stay damp a little longer too. Remember: A dry pot, or a dry medium, or dry roots, aren't bad things. If they're dry, they're not rotting As long as the plant can draw up substantial water at watering time, it can usually last a few days at the very least between waterings. It depends on your climate, of course. If your climate is very hot or very dry (low humidity), then a soak every couple of days
might be necessary.

Hint - Two signs of UNDER watering Phals are these: Leaf tip blackening, however it looks different from your pictures. If the whole leaf is green but the very tip is crispy and black at the edge, and there's none of this yellowing or rapid creeping, that's one possible sign of under watering. However that only happens when it's been consistently under watered for a long time. The FIRST sign of under watering is that the leaves will sort of shrivel and get dry and leathery looking. Instead of being plump, thick, smooth, and shiny, they thin, wrinkle, and get dull. A soak will bring them right back, if they get underwatered to this degree.

[beanluc]

Originally Posted by RebekahJoy

What should I expect the black/yellow discoloration on the leaf tip to do? Should it go away, stay the same? Will the leaf change or stay the same if the plant becomes "healthy" again after this repotting?

The damaged part of this leaf will not get green and healthy again, but the healthy part of the leaf will be just fine if the damage doesn't keep spreading.

On the whole, the plant looks healthy. If you were to cut off the damaged part below the damage (cut through the still-healthy green part), with a sterilized blade, and use an anti-fungal such as cinnamon to protect the wound, then that might be the end of it. Plant could wind up recovering very well.

Originally Posted by RebekahJoy

When I repotted this, I didn't find many mushy or dried out roots, but a lot of the firm whiteish ones did have a lot of brown breaks in them (about every inch). Is this root rot?

It sure doesn't sound like it. Rotted roots are usually black or at least very very dark brown, and they look slimy and are mushy to the touch. Not just tender and soft, not spongy, but smushy like banana rot.

[camille1585]

Beanluc pretty much covered it.
Bark tends to dry out very fast the first few months, even with a 24 hour soak beforehand. Soaking will help speed up the process of getting the bark to hold more water. I usually let the plants sit in the buckets for 20-30min, sometimes up to an hour. Because bark doesn't wick very well you don't want to just sit the pot in a little water, you want the water level to be at least 2/3 up the side of the pot.

To know when to water, either go by root color since you have a clear pot (green roots = enough moisture, silvery-white = time to water) or put a wooden skewer down in the center of the pot. When you pull it out, if it feels damp to your cheek wait to water.

As for the cracked roots, sometimes the velamen (spongy outer layer on the root) cracks from being being bent to be repotted for example. They crack quite easily. It's not a problem at all, if they're firm, they're healthy!

[Eyebabe]

Just make sure you cut off the diseased part of the leaf an inch well into healthy tissue and put some cinnamon on the open edge.

[RebekahJoy]

Thanks for the help everyone! I appreciate your thoughts on how to water this and what to expect with the leaf! I've cut off the black leaf tip about an inch into the good green part, and will hope for the best with the plant. Thanks!