The Phal abuse ends here.

[CR7cristiano]

Originally Posted by Bill U.

These have all been awesome replies, but now I have thought of another question for the Forum:

I have the 3 phals that are all currently being fertilized with a 30-10-10 fertilizer (miracle gro).

I have been doing reading on this forum and realized that I may be giving them too much nitrogen because they are all potted in sphag instead of in a bark (especially fir, which requires more nitrogen). Other places on the forum have posted that Grow More 20-20-20 (yellow) and Orchid Plus 20-14-13 are other fertilizers that would work.

Should I change from my current fertilizer to one of the others? Is one better than the other?

Sincerely,
newer phal grower that is seriously confused on what kinda of fertilizer to use...

I like to use a balanced fertilizer (20-20-20) which i can use all year round being that i am in a tropical part of the world. For someone that experiences the seasonal changes, I also recommend the 20-20-20 throughout the hotter months/sunny months. You would then reduce or cease fertilization in the winter and also reduce watering to a minimum.
During the Fall and leading up to the winter I recommend alternating between a balanced fertilizer and a bloom focused fertilizer so as to prepare the plant for the next blooming cycle after the winter or its dormant period.
To address the issue of fertilizing a plant potted in a moss medium which retains alot of the salts that build up over time; the solution is to fertilize every other watering. And when you are watering with pure water, ensure that you thoroughly flush out the orchid and the salts, thus eliminating any build up. (10-14 days between watering of a plant in moss medium is more than enough time for the orchid to absorb what it needs from the fertilizer).

I have fast draining mediums as well as a lot of free root vandas which allows me to fertilizer twice a week all year round.

[Puella]

I have five orchids which sadly have gone through the equivalent of orchid hell. I neglected and over watered them in turn, until now. Only I'm worried it may be too late at least for some of them. I'd really appreciate an advise.

The first one is actually flowering though the blooms are looking a little wishy washy, I suspect from recent over watering? Or perhaps it needs repotting? It looks to be pushing itself out of the pot a little.

The next best I've cut down with sterilised scissors, the leaves are cracked but otherwise look healthy and the roots are green so I assume it will recover in time??

The next best is a small one potted in moss rather than a bark mix (may not even be a phal!?) one of the outer leaves have gone strangely bumpy/kind of mottled? Some of the roots look a little brown and ropey but there are also some green healthy looking ones. Does it need repotting? Should I cut off the less healthy looking roots?

The next I suspect has root rot. The aerial roots have gone brown and some of the lower ones are turning black. The bark mix it's in is really wet, I must admit when I took it out today it was sat in water... (sorry orchid lovers) I don't currently have any potting mix on hand, would I be better off just taking it out and putting it in some twigs or gravel or something for now to dry out?

The last I'm not sure is worth mentioning... *sob*

The ones that need repotting... If I repot them into bits of bark and things I find in the garden and then feed it, will it be better than leaving them in the wet rotten mix they're in now?? Please, any help would be really appreciated. And I'll vow never to kill another orchid again!

[Rowangreen]

It would help if you could post some pictures

1) Can't say without pics, doesn't sound too bad
2) Same. With Phals in bark you want to wait till the roots in the pot (assuming you have a see through pot) go silvery before watering again: really green roots are wet roots, so it's probably best if they are not like that all the time.
3) If it's not a Phal you are best starting your own thread for it.
4) Leave it on the draining board to drain, maybe cut some extra holes in the pot to help it dry. You can also grow it out of a pot for as long as you like really as long as any good roots get wetted when they've dried out. I wouldn't use stuff from the garden: it could quite possibly contain a few pests and things and may be pretty rotted. Don't be too hung up about feeding yet. Again, they can go a while without. Could really do with a pic to assess the damage...

[Puella]

Honestly I'm not sure if they're phals or not, since I wouldn't know how to recognise one without its flowers and they haven't flowered in years. Really it's amazing they lasted this long as well as they have! I assume most if not all of them must be though. I'm not sure how to post pictures as a newbie unfortunately, I shall endeavour to figure it out !

[Wynn Dee13]

Puella start a new thread so more people see it. Especially if you are not sure what kind of orchids they are.

I agree with the above advice. Don't use random stuff from the garden. Also bark mulch you use for flower beds is not good for orchids. Orchid bark is different than bark mulch. I would just let the pots drain if they are sitting in water and run a fan over them to help them dry out. They should dry out in a few days. They can survive with no medium if you heavely mist or wet the roots a few times a day and soak the roots for about ten minutes a day too. Only water or mist when the roots dry out.

It sounds like they need to be repotted especially if you have never done it since you got them. Post a few more posts and you should be able to post pictures. Start a new thread in the beginner forum since you have multiple questions and since you are not sure if your orchids are all Phals. That is where I would post anyway. You should think about getting some new medium and pots. If they are Phals with a lot of root rot you will need to go down in pot size. When you repot you want to cut off all the dead squishy roots. Healthy roots will be firm. Then choose a pot that the healthy roots snugly fit in. You don't want to over pot so match the pot to the roots not the top growth. The medium you need to buy will depend on your watering habits. If you tend to over water then a bark mix would probably be good. You can mix in a little of sphagnum moss for a little more moisture. Post some pics in a new thread and we will help you with repotting.

[Puella]

Thankyou, I will make a new thread

[orchid-recruit]

I have bought numerous phals from grocery stores that I've had for years. Some of them bloom two or three times a year, and others lie dormant for years. The only drawback that I've ever felt buying them from grocery stores is that they are never identified, which can be frustrating. I now try to only buy online where they come tagged.

[Brenda Aarts]

Originally Posted by silken

How come your Costco sells orchids and ours doesn't??
.

You're funny Silken, sorry, but our Costco sells them as well for $15.99 I believe. It's what got me hooked 7 or so years ago!!!

[Margy_11]

sorry I really dont know how to use a forum...

[Margy_11]

I received a supermarket Phal as a present 2 days ago- it's my first orchid, and I have a suspicion I may have killed it!

It came in a plastic container with tightly packed pieces of soft bark and stones, and some of the aerial roots looked wrinkly.

In my (perhaps, premature) enthusiasm, I decided to water, drain then 'repot' the orchid by tasking out some of the medium so there are more air spaces inside.

Now the leaves look like they are starting to turn yellow and the aerial roots still look wrinkly...did I just kill it?? I would hate to throw it away...