The Phal abuse ends here.

[glengary54]

Woowoo - first off Welcome to the Orchid Board. Your plant looks fine, flowers don't last forever. You will need to repot your plant soon, into a bit larger pot.

[tucker85]

Originally Posted by woowoo

Thanks so much for your response.

The plant is pretty freestanding, sitting on a plant stand in my bay window, so it doesn't really touch against anything.

I've moved it for some more photos - hopefully these are ok!

whole plant:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...y/IMG_0934.jpg

remaining blooms:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...y/IMG_0935.jpg

leaves:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...y/IMG_0931.jpg

roots:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...y/IMG_0933.jpg

pot:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...y/IMG_0932.jpg

Thanks for your help - I really want to learn how to do this right.

I think your plant looks great. It's normal for them to lose their flowers eventually. Most phals bloom once a year and after they become acclimated to their environment they can stay in bloom for several months. Over watering kills more phals than under watering. Check the roots before watering. If the roots are greenish colored and the bark looks moist, wait a couple more days before watering. The roots should look white and the medium should appear dry before rewatering. If you're worried about the plant not having enough moisture as you wait for the medium to dry, you can mist the roots on the surface of the medium just a little each day. When it's time to water put it in a sink and run water trough the medium to get it good and wet.

[woowoo]

Wow thanks so much for your responses

Maybe I worry too much!

Really enjoying the site, super informative.

Thanks again!

[aberardi]

my phal is looking like its gonna root rot. wanna water with some physan 20..what strength should i use and for how long, than should i give it a boost with some kln and if so what concentrations and for how long

[LouieP]

Question on my phal?
I'm getting some bud blast on my phal, which i expected when i brought it home. Now i am noticing alot of the buds wilting ? I can't see the roots but i wanted to know if i take it out of the pot to see the roots will it damage the plant? If you guys need pics i can post tomorrow. Thank you

[NatalieS]

Originally Posted by LouieP

Question on my phal?
I'm getting some bud blast on my phal, which i expected when i brought it home. Now i am noticing alot of the buds wilting ? I can't see the roots but i wanted to know if i take it out of the pot to see the roots will it damage the plant? If you guys need pics i can post tomorrow. Thank you

As long as the roots are not wrapped around the pot, you shouldn't have any problems gently lifting the plant out and taking a look at the roots. It won't damage the plant. Most phals are pretty tolerant of having their roots disturbed.

Just be sure to sterilise any equipment you might use for getting it in and out of the pot! That includes keeping your hands clean if you've been handling any other plants or potting equipment - you can spread bacteria, fungus, pests, and viruses to your plants if you don't keep your workspace clean.

[BR@NDI LOVE'S PHAL'S]

Hi I Have 4 phal orchids i got from safeway and..i think one's already sick..i believe due to overwatering??It's lookin better now though!?My orchid's are in their plastic pots with spagnum moss..And they are inside plastic decorative pots...They are so new i havent even watered them yet?Do i want to leave them in the plastic or should i place them in the decorative pot?What's a good amount of water to add??

[LouieP]

so i looked inside the pot and found most of the roots to be mushy and dark brown. i felt bad for my little plant what can i do next ?

[NatalieS]

Originally Posted by LouieP

so i looked inside the pot and found most of the roots to be mushy and dark brown. i felt bad for my little plant what can i do next ?

Louie, you will need to remove the bad roots and repot your plant. It can recover but it will lose its flowers. There is plenty of advise about repotting your plant in the Potting and Repotting section of this forum, but here's a recent link from the beginner section:

http://www.orchidboard.com/community...g-lots-qs.html

[Galant]

Hi guys, I'm new to all this, and plant-care in general. I'm hoping you can help. I've been given an orchid, a Phal I do believe, and it's not in too good shape. At least, it doesn't appear to be.

It's in the original media and pot in which I received it - although I took it out of a ceramic outer pot because I read that they do enjoy some air movement.

It had three health looking leaves, but one developed a yellow spot at the base and then fell off.

The stems have been cut back.

The roots don't look so good either. It did have a lot of dead roots so I cut back a lot of those. Not much remains.

An album with photos can be viewed here: Pictures by GalantKoh - Photobucket

I'm located in Gibraltar, Europe. We have mild winters and warm summers. My house has no sort of temperature control.

My house also has only west or east facing windows. However, the east-facing windows look out at street level and directly opposite is a large apartment block, and directly behind that there is the major face of the rock of Gibraltar, so it's not the brightest direction. The west facing windows look over a bay, and so get decent light most of the day, and good light in the afternoon. The windows do get opened most days.

I have it in the west-facing kitchen window so far.

I've read these plants can come back from some dire circumstances so I'm hoping that with your help I can rescue this one, and I aspire to learn how to have greener fingers over all!

Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks.