The Phal abuse ends here.

[butterfly_muse]

Can anyone tell me what this is on my phal's roots? Fiance caught me eyeballing an orchid when we were out the other day and surprised me this evening. =) The plant looks very healthy, leaves roots and all. But there is some white fuzz on the bark and I am not sure if underneath the bark is fine bark or some kind of potting mix, I can't tell. The roots have some kind of scaling look on them and it's fuzzy. I am not sure if this is just because the plant is probably a clone hybrid or if it's because the roots are dry or if it's something else? I have attached pictures. It looks like many of the roots up top closer to the surface as well as the bark have white fuzz. The fuzz on the roots is kind of a mix of green and white. o_O What is this?

[gingersmommy]

First off, kudos to your fiance for thinking of you, noticing, and surprising you with something you enjoy. I have had a lot of experience with mealy bugs and they are a b#*%&. It doesn't look like them, though. I'm not sure what it is and will defer to the other experts on this site. Wow, the roots look spectacular on your plant!

[butterfly_muse]

Originally Posted by gingersmommy

First off, kudos to your fiance for thinking of you, noticing, and surprising you with something you enjoy. I have had a lot of experience with mealy bugs and they are a b#*%&. It doesn't look like them, though. I'm not sure what it is and will defer to the other experts on this site. Wow, the roots look spectacular on your plant!

They do! I love them! You should see the flowers. They are white with magenta diamonds on them and the diamonds are in a perfect line on each petal...which is why I liked it so much. I'm a libra so straight lines and geometry impress me for some reason, haha! Thank you! <3

[Ordphien]

Originally Posted by gingersmommy

Oh, please tell - species phal as opposed to? - hybrid? Do you have a greenhouse; what are your growing conditions?

Yes... It's just a straight species phal... not a hybrid.
Quite the find from a dumpster (where my friend found it) I would say.

I do not have a green house.

It resides in my kitchen window.

Let's see... growing conditions..
Between 40 - 75 % RH... temps in summer range from 80 - 110.
Normally around 90 to 95.
Winter temps range between 30 - 55.. Normally about 40.
Potting medium is medium grade bark chips and sphag moss in even parts.
The window is south facing so this receives strong dappled light from morning till sunset. With about 4 hours of direct sunlight in mid morning to early afternoon.
The pots just that clay orchid pot with the holes.
I fertilize with urea free orchid fertilizer from grow more.
20-20-20 at about 1/4 teaspoon per half gallon every other watering.
When I fertilize I mix RODI water with 25% tap.
When I'm just watering I use straight RODI water.
I mist the top of the potting medium every day. And water about once a week.
When I water I let it soak in the water for about 20 min.

And that's my complete orchid care schedule. Lol



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[gingersmommy]

Originally Posted by butterfly_muse

They do! I love them! You should see the flowers. They are white with magenta diamonds on them and the diamonds are in a perfect line on each petal...which is why I liked it so much. I'm a libra so straight lines and geometry impress me for some reason, haha! Thank you! <3

Sounds like you are catching the orchid bug - not hard to do! It is amazing to me how many gorgeous kinds of orchids there are; they are so hard to resist. I have 18 now and I swear to myself that that is it - no more.

I think that white fuzz on the roots is a normal health root. Those are the little fuzzies that stick to the bark that you sometimes have to pry off. I think you are okay.

---------- Post added at 08:49 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:42 AM ----------

Ordphien, sounds like they love whatever you are doing! I don't know what's up with my guys. I have them in a south window, although it is somewhat buffered by trees and I put the blinds down when it is full sun. I have them on humidity trays, give them a weak dose of fertilizer each watering, etc., but they didn't spike this fall cycle.

This last time around when I repotted, I discovered that the bark they were in was not retaining moisture and the roots were drying out. I repotted them all in a premium moss mix (18 of them!) and now I am hoping they will start to thrive. I am obsessed! They probably just want me to leave them alone.

[butterfly_muse]

Originally Posted by gingersmommy

Sounds like you are catching the orchid bug - not hard to do! It is amazing to me how many gorgeous kinds of orchids there are; they are so hard to resist. I have 18 now and I swear to myself that that is it - no more.

I think that white fuzz on the roots is a normal health root. Those are the little fuzzies that stick to the bark that you sometimes have to pry off. I think you are okay.

Derp, I feel dumb cuz I made my post a regular thread post this morning (I thought maybe nobody saw it or maybe it was better for it to have its own thread for people who are beginners and may have the same questions. Easier to find than sorting through 54 thread pages, right? XD). I hope that is all it is! I've got it in quarantine just incase and I am sad it is not with my others, lol.

Where do you get all of your plants at? We only have big box stores around here, though we will be moving soon and maybe I'll be able to find a nursery in our new location. I know Maryland has an orchid club (and dammit, I missed the show on Sunday because we were apartment shopping!) but they seem to use a local park. I don't know of any specialty nurseries in this area. Do you order your plants online or just go to a lot of shows? I am also afraid of killing them since I don't quite have "the hang of it" yet. I just started. So I would feel less bad killing a $14 orchid than a $50 orchid. xD

[gingersmommy]

I've gotten all of mine from our local grocery store - do you have Wegmans in DC? If not there, then Home Depot. They are usually $17.99; the most I've ever paid is $36 and that was from the grocery as well but for a bigger plant.

[butterfly_muse]

Originally Posted by gingersmommy

I've gotten all of mine from our local grocery store - do you have Wegmans in DC? If not there, then Home Depot. They are usually $17.99; the most I've ever paid is $36 and that was from the grocery as well but for a bigger plant.

Yes, I love Wegmans. It is so dangerous to send me there =X

[Ordphien]

Oh my gosh. So expensive.
The orchids at home depot near me are $8...
The most expensive orchid I've seen for sale here was $15...

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[butterfly_muse]

Originally Posted by Ordphien

Oh my gosh. So expensive.
The orchids at home depot near me are $8...
The most expensive orchid I've seen for sale here was $15...

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Yesterday I was at Giant here and I saw some dyed green orchids (we all know they weren't green) that were fading being sold for $30 for St. Patrick's day. I was like "really?" The florist picked four flowers off one of them and offered it to me for $6 but its roots were "meh" and I already have three of them. Figured fiance would probably kill me. xD