The Phal abuse ends here.

[Bud]

Galant, trust your instincts on this. I already like what measures you have done to help the plant survive...read the postings of some of the members here and find a watering / fertilizer regimen for you and your plant...

[Galant]

Well that's good to hear. Right now, my feelings are uncertain on what to do next. I'm not sure my house offers sufficient humidity. I'm also not sure whether the open window lets in too much cooler air.
I've been thinking new media might be good, that the current media is too densely packed, but we lack a good garden shop here. I had seen on youtube someone using glass beads.

I also wondered if using one of those plastic bag set-ups might not be a good idea.

Watering has left me a little confused. I'm tending to watering less right now, and if I see dampness on the media then I'm leaving it be.

The roots don't seem to be doing much in terms of recovery, and in fact, since the changes I made, the only development I've seen is losing the one leaf.

Not sure if anyone can pinpoint anything further?

Thanks!

[BR@NDI LOVE'S PHAL'S]

Ya i live in moses lake i hpoe to have the same luck!!I'm very new!!

[Galant]

Anything further? The roots look worse now. Not sure if there are any healthy ones left. The two remaining leaves look fine. Not sure if it's a slow deterioration though.

I imagine the plant is taking in its food from the light rather than its roots.

Would putting a bag over it help?

Thanks.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Originally Posted by Galant

Anything further? The roots look worse now. Not sure if there are any healthy ones left. The two remaining leaves look fine. Not sure if it's a slow deterioration though.

I imagine the plant is taking in its food from the light rather than its roots.

Would putting a bag over it help?

Thanks.

You're better off with a dome from a 1L bottle of soda and cut in half with the neck facing up to provide some air circulation, than a bag if you choose to go that route.

Humidity in Gibraltar should be very adequate, considering that you're near the coast which should have enough humidity from the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.

I think you should purchase a hygrometer, that way you won't have to guess what your humidity really is. Going by what you feel is deceptive because your body acclimates itself to certain climatic conditions. This is why I've always recommended certain meters and tools. You just can't go by feeling, you lose accuracy and precision if you do.

I also recommend the smallest clear plastic pot you can get a hold of. Some styrofoam peanuts, to fill in empty space, and the recommended potting media that I've already mentioned.

I highly recommend you read this sticky from the very beginning. Since the information is already in this sticky, I will not repeat it.

Cross your fingers and hope that your care is adequate enough for it to bounce right back.

[nenella]

Galant If it were mine I would also be using a rooting hormone on it like KLN, this will incite new root growth. Good Luck!

[hyprgrl79]

Ok, so I have this deleriously happy Phal getting ready to burst into bloom & I'm pretty sure I just doomed it... I'm hoping for some advice how to help it recover.

I lifted it from its growing pot & trimmed back the brown mushy rotten roots & set it in some fresh media (mostly fir bark)... Now I've read that by cutting those rotting roots I may have introduced bacteria and/or fungus to the root system. Is there any way at this point to prevent a bacterial/fungal takeover?

On top of that, I am ashamed to say that (without doing any research first) I trimmed back all the aerial roots. Mistakenly, I thought they were dead. I didn't realize how vital they are to the health of my Phal.

So now, it has one open bloom, tons of buds, several green fleshy roots, healthy leaves.. but no aerial roots.

Is it doomed or is there anything I can do to encourage its continued flourishing... or do I just need to step back, let it be & let it recover in its own time...

Any suggestions/advice would be greatly appreciated

Thanks!

[TheJadeOrchid]

Hey, here are some pictures of my Phal. NoID. You can see someone has cut a leaf off and a leaf has been split. Where the blooms were has turned brown. Any recommendations for where I should trim the spike? Someone recommended to me to cut as close to base as I could without damaging the base.




Thank you!

[silken]

You can cut the spike just above the base. You can leave 1/2 an inch or so. It looks green to me so you could just cut it back partway to above one of the nodes on the stem. sometimes they will send out another spike from one of the nodes and produce some more blooms.

But if you want to let you plant have a rest and grow some roots or leaves, cut it to just above the base. That plant looks a bit over-potted to me as well. I'm not sure if you potted it or it came that way. Just make sure not to over-water and let it get dry before watering again. But don't leave it dry for more than a day or two.

[TheJadeOrchid]

Originally Posted by silken

You can cut the spike just above the base. You can leave 1/2 an inch or so. It looks green to me so you could just cut it back partway to above one of the nodes on the stem. sometimes they will send out another spike from one of the nodes and produce some more blooms.

But if you want to let you plant have a rest and grow some roots or leaves, cut it to just above the base. That plant looks a bit over-potted to me as well. I'm not sure if you potted it or it came that way. Just make sure not to over-water and let it get dry before watering again. But don't leave it dry for more than a day or two.

I potted it like that. The planters I had were either to big or to of a tight fit even for an orchid. Oddly the roots are healthy and the size of this pot, save for an inch on the bottom, which I put some stryeofoam peanuts. Plus, I would rather it work on growing leaves.