Issue with a new phal

[MtnDweller]

I purchased this phal last Thursday and it was beautiful. Now, it looks like it's under attack.

Upon looking at it with a magnifying glass, neither my daughter (who has eagle eyes) or I can see any type of bug.

The first two pics are of what it looked like when I got it.

The rest are of what it looks like now. There's something eating the petals of the flowers and I'm not sure what's going on with the roots. The last pic is what the overall plant looks like today.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[Bud]

Check for small snails, you think its part of the media mix but its not. Look for a small round grayish brown tiny avalone shaped creatures attached to the bottom of the pot or at the sides of the pot...cure this with cracked egg shells spread to the pot make sure to resize the particles as the media...snails die from this

[calypsoB]

I agree with bud it does kinda look like snail damage.

[MtnDweller]

Thank you, Bud and calypso. I was fearing the worst.

So, do I just add the cracked egg shells on top or do I remove the plant and mix them into the media.

[Bud]

Just spread the eggshells on top of the media.
Your plant is in bloom and it is being stressed out ... tampering with the roots might make you loose all the buds still about to open its bloom.

try this cheap homemade mix:

10 drops dish soap
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon extract (on the aisle of the supermarket with the vanilla and almond extracts=I got the McCormick brand)
2 cups tepid water

spray the whole plant soaking wet
then make some more to soak the pot for 5 min to kill the eggs
repeat it for two weeks intervals
rest for two weeks and repeat it again

your phal will have blooms for a long time
looking at its 2 spikes you might have a keiki and another batch of blooms from it
so dont cut off the spikes unless they dry out and turn brown
take good care of it. its a healthy happy plant producing large beautiful blooms
i also love the color, texture and form

*I have four Phals currently in spike...I cant wait for it to open its blooms; I will post pictures

[MtnDweller]

Will do. Need to go to the store and get the extract.

The phal (first pic) has two spikes and the one on the left has a secondary spike with buds on it. At the node just above the secondary spike...something's beginning to peek out. Not sure what it is, but I'm patiently waiting to see what it is.

Thanks! The colors of the flowers is what was my decision maker on this one.

[FairyInTheFlowers]

The white hairy stuff on the roots is a normal feature of the roots.

[MtnDweller]

Originally Posted by TheBlazingAugust

The white hairy stuff on the roots is a normal feature of the roots.

Really? I tried to scrape some of it off as my other two phals do not have that. DOH!

Learned another new thing today.

[silken]

I've never seen white hairy stuff on my Phal. roots!

I also find that Phals. tolerate re-potting very well while in bloom. I always re-pot immediately when I bring them home. Quite often the media they are in is so wet and packed that if they aren't re-potted ASAP they will suffer major root rot before blooming is done. Phals can stay in bloom for months.

Since you possibly have snails in the media, I would consider re-potting. Then you can remove all old media and rinse or even treat the roots so no eggs remain. Then re-pot into a new cleaner media.

[MtnDweller]

Originally Posted by silken

I've never seen white hairy stuff on my Phal. roots!

Hmmm....

Originally Posted by silken

I also find that Phals. tolerate re-potting very well while in bloom. I always re-pot immediately when I bring them home. Quite often the media they are in is so wet and packed that if they aren't re-potted ASAP they will suffer major root rot before blooming is done. Phals can stay in bloom for months.

Since you possibly have snails in the media, I would consider re-potting. Then you can remove all old media and rinse or even treat the roots so no eggs remain. Then re-pot into a new cleaner media.

I've read that about phals. I seriously considered re-potting immediately upon discovering my problem.