The Phal abuse ends here.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Q: What do healthy roots on a Phalaenopsis look like?

A:

Please follow the link:

http://www.aboutorchids.com/blog/wp-...oots_640px.jpg

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Q: Do I need to mist my Phal?

A: I don't recommend misting a Phal, the water droplets can accumulate in the crown and cause crown rot.

Q: Then what's a good way to raise the humidity if it's low?

A:

1. A humidifier.

2. Keeping other plants around the Phal. The humidity will be derived from the moisture present in the potting media and the transpiration of the plants.

3. Humidity trays do work to some degree, but they're rather inefficient.

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[tree1]

Keeping other plants around the Phal

Are there any suggestions to which plants I could use that give off a lot of moisture to keep with my orchids?

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Originally Posted by tree1

Keeping other plants around the Phal

Are there any suggestions to which plants I could use that give off a lot of moisture to keep with my orchids?

It doesn't matter what it is, as long as it's not a plant that must be grown dry and arid.

It doesn't even have to be an orchid.

[hoalan]

Help! I just discovered this forum. New to orchids but looks like it will become a hobby. I have 3 phala. One of them has adequate roots but all the leaves are wilted still green. I think it needs more water because the medium was dry. Will the leaves survive? Is there a way to save the leaves? I read that if there's no leaves revival will be unlikely.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Originally Posted by hoalan

Help! I just discovered this forum. New to orchids but looks like it will become a hobby. I have 3 phala. One of them has adequate roots but all the leaves are wilted still green. I think it needs more water because the medium was dry. Will the leaves survive? Is there a way to save the leaves? I read that if there's no leaves revival will be unlikely.

Always check the roots 1st before making any conclusions.

You must know what is really happening with the plants, not blindly guess at what's happening.

Just because the leaves are shriveling doesn't necessarily mean it's because of lack of water just by itself.

It may mean the plant isn't getting enough water because the roots are mostly dead.

Finding the true problem is the challenge, there's no way to figure it out in simplistic terms necessarily speaking. Sometimes it is simple, other times the problem seems simple, but is actually much more complicated.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Originally Posted by hoalan

I read that if there's no leaves revival will be unlikely.

That's not necessarily true.

I currently have a Phal without any leaves whatsoever, and it's very much alive!

If you like I can post a picture of it just to prove my point.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Pics of a leafless Phal.

Been like this for about 3 wks to a month.

I got it with leaves, but the leaves were damaged, so the Phal dropped them.

This is a perfect example to also illustrate the photosynthetic nature of the roots and why this is an advantageous trait, and therefore the reason why they have retained that ability.

If you notice the roots are very green, which means there are lots of chloroplasts doing their thing.

These kinds of situations do happen, and there are times when those Phals, Kingidiums, or Doritis may not dead.

[kaarthiik]

Guys,

Great work!. Sharing your knowledge...

Its of great help for people like me who are new to orchids.
Really helpful.

Thanks a ton Philip and others!

Kaarthiik

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Originally Posted by OrchidMolly

thank you for your patience!

I have attached a picture in my previous post. What i meant about what its meant to look like, is that when i research it online, they all tell me what it looks like when growing, but they all seem to be at later stages when they are flowering and have decent roots. They dont say much as to what they should be like when they are starting right at the start.

Ok.

Originally Posted by OrchidMolly

i will def get to buying some wood chips/bark.

Cool.

Originally Posted by OrchidMolly

I bought the plant from a Tesco (kinda like Wal-Mart) so it was in soil but they sprinkled so chips on top to make it look like it was wood chips!

Bad form!



One of my Phals is throwing off a new side shoot, and it's still at the beginning stages. It may be difficult to see and the photo may not be all that great because the plant is a miniature Phal that gets no larger than 4" - 5" across.

I'll get a picture up soon.