The Phal abuse ends here.

[pinkhairedneko]

I just bought a Phal. on Saturday (the 7th) at the Red Butte Garden Show. I live in Logan UT, so it's pretty dry up here. I put the orchid inside a pot that has rocks and water to give it more humidity and I also have a fan in my room to keep air circulating all day. It's pretty cool at night, and I watered it on Monday morning and let it dry out all day. Unfortunately it's looking a little sad. I'm not sure why....







The petals on one flower are a little wilty too.

I watered it by putting it in a bowl for ~30min, then I let it drain out, and left it to dry. The blinds were open to let some sun in, but they were mostly closed. Any thing I can do, or is it just fine?

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Change the potting medium and I think your orchid should be ok.

[pinkhairedneko]

What should I change it to? I've never had an orchid before. I know that I can use bark and/or moss, but I don't know the specifics, or if there are more options.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

I recommend reading this sticky from the beginning. There is mention of some basic info on Phalaenopsis and how to cultivate them in the first 10 or so pages.

If the links don't work, I'll repost the links.

Should you choose bark as a potting medium, a medium grade bark should work fine.

Medium grade CHC will work too.

If you have further questions, ask away.

[Miadunn]

Hi guys! I have 3 Phals that I recently repotted and they seem to be doing worse. The leaves are all very droopy which I thought indicated that it wasn't getting enough water but then looking at the roots they are all mushy/rotted. I also noticed shortly after potting that the roots had some white mold on them. So I put a box fan on them and wiped the roots with alcohol. That seemed to eliminate the mold. I am holding off on my watering until they are completely dry in hopes of saving them. I am just very frustrated because to me the signs are confusing what I thought was correct:leaves look underwatered/roots look overwatered...

I just repotted these a month ago and they had some green roots but now them seem to all be gone. Should I pull them out of the pot and do some more surgery? Can these survive with little to no roots? I have been watering with a Superthrive/Physan mixture but don't have any KLN...

Also, another idea I had read on here is to take them out of their medium and mist them daily until new roots form. Ideas?

Facts:

South Window on humidity tray
Medium is :
•AAA New Zealand Sphagnum Moss
•Medium Orchiata™ Monterey Bark
•Medium Hydroton
•Large Sponge Rock
•Medium Cork Nuggets

Planted in 3.75/4.25/5.5 Oxygen Core Dual Net pots

Please help me save these!!!! I am getting so frustrated and discouraged.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Please click the links and watch the videos and look at the photos and read the blog:

Sarawak Lens: Phalaenopsis Habitat

Phalaenopsis in natural habitat ( in situ) - YouTube

Visiting Phalaenopsis cornucervi (orchid) habitat in the swamp of Borneo-part 1 - YouTube

Visiting Phalaenopsis cornucervi (orchid) habitat in the swamp of Borneo-part 2 - YouTube

Visiting Phalaenopsis cornucervi (orchid) habitat in the swamp of Borneo-part 3 - YouTube

Visiting Phalaenopsis cornucervi (orchid) habitat in the swamp of Borneo-part 4 - YouTube

Visiting Phalaenopsis cornucervi (orchid) habitat in the swamp of Borneo-part 5 - YouTube

I think after watching these, you will start to get a gist of what a healthy Phal looks like, and how to provide the proper care for these plants.

The closest habitat in the US that resembles where Phals naturally come from are the bayous of the south and the Everglades of Florida. So if you've visited these places, you'll know exactly what you need to do.

[unpubpoe]

I have a phal that I bought not too long ago. Check out my post! It's under "Is my orchid dead?"

[CasKinka]

I'm just curious-

If the most common way to kill an orchid is by over watering, why isn't it more common to mount orchids or use other methods to grow them outside of a pot?

I saw some gorgeous Phals this past weekend (in a greenhouse) and they were growing in tiny hanging baskets with the majority of their roots hanging out of the basket. I've been told most homes are too dry to grow an orchid this way, but what if one were to get a humidifier or just mist them a few times a day?

It just seems its much easier for the average person to kill a mounted orchid. Is this true?

[silken]

Originally Posted by CasKinka

I'm just curious-

If the most common way to kill an orchid is by over watering, why isn't it more common to mount orchids or use other methods to grow them outside of a pot?

I saw some gorgeous Phals this past weekend (in a greenhouse) and they were growing in tiny hanging baskets with the majority of their roots hanging out of the basket. I've been told most homes are too dry to grow an orchid this way, but what if one were to get a humidifier or just mist them a few times a day?

It just seems its much easier for the average person to kill a mounted orchid. Is this true?

Some people do and with good success. For me I don't because you pretty much need to mist them every day and hang them from somewhere. I am sometimes away for a few days so I would have to get someone in daily. My Phals in pots are good for a week! And once you figure out what they need, they do well in pots also.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Try mounting a Phal that's known to be fairly easy to grow first. A species to try out would be Phal schilleriana. Another would be Phal philippinensis. Yet another may be Phal stuartiana. Another possibility would be Phal equestris.

The species of Phals that need copious amounts of moisture through rain and humidity are usually much more difficult to grow mounted.

Doritis pulcherrhima are lithophytes in the wild, so mounted culture should work well for these too.

ImageShack® - Online Photo and Video Hosting