help! My new Phal is wilting :( - Orchid Board

Marisol · #1 07-13-2011, 02:50 AM

Hello to everyone and thanks for your time.

I am obviously a newbie and so I have no experience with plants, let alone orchids! But i am very excited.

I've had my Phal for about two and a half weeks. It was an impulse buy at the Swap Meet off of an asian lady who hardly spoke English so it was hard for her to communicate the care instructions. But she was kind enough to give me a pack of "vitamins" (it looks like blue sand) for the orchid for free!

My Phal has two spikes in the same pot, is that normal? When i got it, the first spike had nine flowers in full bloom. The second one had three and two buds.

A few days later, the second spike wilted one of its buds until it dropped. The other one bloomed so i thought everything was fine. Yesterday, the new bloom started to shrivel. I checked the roots and they appear to be green. It is packed in moss and it feels damp in the bottom of the pot. The leaves seem to be in good condition, so what's wrong? Please help, i don't want to lose my beautiful Phal

WhiteRabbit · #2 07-13-2011, 03:12 AM

glad you found us!

sometimes a change in environment can cause that

make sure there are holes in the bottom of that pot for water to drain out

water when the roots are no longer green, but white or silvery

sii · #3 07-13-2011, 09:31 AM

I was just about to say the same as white rabbit...check the pot to make sure it has drainage holes and only water the moss when it's dry.

Paul Mc · #4 07-13-2011, 09:45 AM

I agree with all of the above. However, depending upon your personal home environment, moss can be difficult to grow phal's in. Some people have success while others do not.

A lot of growers use sphagnum moss but they pack it in really tight around the roots. It is important to remember that phal's grow on trees in nature and that their roots need the breathe. They also need to dry out between watering just like they would in nature.

Many people opt for 3-dimensional (chunks, not flat) pieces of wood mixed with charcoal and other substances. You should be able to find this mix at local nurseries, but if you do not then you can try searching for vendors online such as RePotme. com, but shipping can be expensive.

While "bud blast" is common in orchids when they move from one place to another (one environment to a different one), phal's tend to be a bit more resistant when it comes to this. This does not mean this can't happen and it has for me several times.

Keep a watchful eye on your leaves and roots. If the leaves start changing then you should realize that the leaves are the last place you will see a change and the issue has progressed quite a bit before you recognized it. Watching the roots is sure tell sign enabling you to catch an issue quick before it reaches the rest of the plant.

If you could post pictures of your leaves, that might be helpful as well. There might be some things we can suggest after seeing the leaves that might help as well (such as more water, less water, more light, etc...).

The most important thing when growing orchids is to learn patience, self-confidence and have fun. There is a bit of a learning curve, but once you figure it out it will be quite addictive!

silken · #5 07-13-2011, 12:12 PM

I would suggest sliding the entire root ball and moss out of the pot and check the very centre of the root ball. Too often, the centre is packed differently and has a very wet tight ball of moss right up in the centre against the crown. This remains soaking wet, even when the rest of the moss appears dry and people think it needs water and add more. This results in a very quick case of root rot and loss of the plant. I do it with every phal and have never found 1 NOT packed this way. Normally you wouldn't re=pot a plant in bloom, but phals don't seem to mind this root inspection. If it is like that. Dig out almost all of that tight moss. It usually is as much once dug out as in the rest of the pot! then making sure there are a few small air spaces, slide it all back into the pot. also make sure as others said that it is never sitting in water. And that blue stuff likely needs just a bit mixed with water and fed to the plant once a week or whenever it needs water. Good luck and keep us posted!

Zoi2 · #6 07-13-2011, 03:47 PM

Hello and welcome to the OB!
Joann

Kimbubbley · #7 07-13-2011, 04:16 PM

Totally agree. First thing i did with my new Phal this morning was unpack the roots to make sure no moss ball was packed solid in the centre. Once you've unpacked a plant like that you realise just how MUCH theyve been packed tight, and how saturated they really are!

Phals suffocate if theyre not all fresh and breezy round the roots... i would start there

your Phal wont mind too much.

Good luck!

Kimbubbley · #8 07-13-2011, 04:24 PM

Totally agree. First thing i did with my new Phal this morning was unpack the roots to make sure no moss ball was packed solid in the centre. Once you've unpacked a plant like that you realise just how MUCH theyve been packed tight, and how saturated they really are!

Phals suffocate if theyre not all fresh and breezy round the roots... i would start there

your Phal wont mind too much.

Good luck!

Marisol · #9 07-14-2011, 12:53 PM

Thank you everybody so much! I wasn't expecting this much help

I am really starting to love this site.

Marisol · #10 07-14-2011, 03:10 PM

Thank you all for your support. Your diagnoses have been very accurate.

I slid my Phal out of the pot and the moss was in fact packed tight! Also very damp and some of the roots have started to rot.

I've read in previous forums that I should cut off the damaged ones, and after that I'm thinking of repotting and getting rid of the sphagnum moss. Any pointers on that?

Here are some pictures of the leaves. I think they look pretty good, and I hope it's a sign that there's still hope.

Once again, thanks a lot. You have been very helpful