Yellowing Leaf - Orchid Board

aksquish · #1 06-15-2011, 08:16 PM

I’ve had my Phalaenopsis Orchid since May 5, 2011.

I keep it on a counter above my desk. There is flourescent lighting for 10 hours a day, non-UV bulbs. There is an East or West facing window, but I’ve not decided if I want it that close to the glass. I live in Alaska and the winters can get below zero. So most of the year it is too cold near the window. It is in a clear plastic pot with slits in it. I’ve placed it in a tray with water, it sits on rocks and no water touches the bottom of the pot, ever. While I am at work I have a fan on low that is positioned to blow at the Orchid, which I rotate the orchid once a week so not any one side is over aired then another.

I’ve been watering it every 7-10 days. I wait until the spongy moss stuff looks dry and is dry to the touch. I never pour water over the leaves.

It was in the middle of blooming when I got it so I haven’t fertilized it, nor repotted it as the articles I found on line several of them agreed to not fertilize nor repot while blooming.

My concerns are with a leaf that has the tip of it yellowing. It was yellowed when I got it and has since started moving a little bit further down from the tip of the leaf. There are 6 strong dark green leaves, two leaves that are on the bottom closest to the media and not exposed to very much light as they are practically touching the leaves above them. There is another large leaf that appears to be lightening at the tip as well.

The roots that I can see look mostly healthy. There are a couple that might need to be trimmed if I repot.

The orchid has since completed its blooming. I’m not sure what to do now.

What can be causing the yellowing? Should I repot with bark instead of the spongy moss? Should I trim the stick for future blooming?

Zoi2 · #2 06-15-2011, 09:21 PM

Hello and welcome to the OB!
The yellowing leaf could be natural die back or you could have a root problem. Since the plant is finished flowering, I would go ahead and cut the flower spike and repot the plant.
Most people find bark mix media easiest to manage, there are also those that can grow in sphag moss--I am not one of them.
There is a LOT of phal info here:http://www.orchidboard.com/community...ends-here.html that may help with your questions.
Good Luck
Joann

silken · #3 06-15-2011, 11:24 PM

I would check as soon as you can to see if there is a lot of wet moss in the centre of the root system. That is very common with Phals and can cause root rot very quickly. If so remove it as it holds way more water than the rest of the more loosely packed moss around the outer parts of the roots. I use a mix of moss and bark for my phals, but people's growing conditions vary so it doesn't work for everyone. It may be a good transition before going to straight bark at a later time tho.

aksquish · #4 06-16-2011, 02:39 PM

Thank you! I'll investigate today or tomorrow.

aksquish · #5 06-16-2011, 07:29 PM

I apologize for not posting these yesterday. I will take my plant out of its pot tonight or tomorrow.

Will repotting in new medium cause the new stem bud that has shown up in the last couple days any stress and not continue to grow?

Melissa

abigaillevans · #6 06-16-2011, 08:27 PM

If you mess with the plant it may abort its bud, but that's better than losing the whole plant!

If you are dealing with root rot and don't want to repot entirely, definitely do what Silken said. Remove 90% of the moss and leave just enough in there to keep the roots damp for a few days. You'll have to water it more but the increased air flow is better for the roots!

silken · #7 06-16-2011, 08:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by abigaillevans

If you mess with the plant it may abort its bud, but that's better than losing the whole plant!

If you are dealing with root rot and don't want to repot entirely, definitely do what Silken said. Remove 90% of the moss and leave just enough in there to keep the roots damp for a few days. You'll have to water it more but the increased air flow is better for the roots!

As mentioned by abigaillevans, I find by sliding a new Phal from its pot and dealing with the moss does not bother my flower spikes. If you wait for the blooms to be finished it may be too late as Phal blooms last a long time usually. Just pull out most of the centre packed moss and put it all back in the pot but with a much looser airier amount of moss. Then once the flowers are done you can re-pot it in bark or what you are used to using. Yours may not be a problem, but there are many many posts on here from others and most Phals seem to come with a soaking wet mass of sphagnum tight up against the crown in the centre of the root ball. It causes root rot very quickly after purchasing the plant. The minute I get mine home I 'fix' it.