Dry, Shriveled Phal roots - Orchid Board

CasKinka · #1 04-04-2012, 04:33 PM

Hi Guys!

This is my first post (well second I guess, I tried posting this under the Phal abuse thread but that might have been the wrong place, or maybe this is... anyways) I am a beginner orchid grower with a lifetime of experience with pretty much everything else (my father is a horticulturist, but doesn't do exotic plants).

My Phal's roots are really dry looking and shriveled.

I dont have a pic but here are two I found on google which are from this board. (apologies to the owners of the pics, I hope you don't mind me using them)

http://www.orchidboard.com/community...b-img_0988.jpg

http://www.rv-orchidworks.com/orchid...chid-photo.jpg

The foliage looks fantastic! The leaves are actually turning a deep red/purple which I was told is an indication that they are getting ready to flower (is that true?) The plant has no spike so I can't tell. It has felt a little soft/wilty to the touch the past few days which inspired me to check the roots. They look terrible!

It only has about 4-5 roots, some look totally dried out while others have a tiny hint of green.

It's in a south facing window sill with morning/early afternoon filtered sun (my next door neighbors have a massive tree which really filters the light) its been repotted in a bark/charcoal medium over the past 3 weeks and watered once a week. I also mist it daily.

This orchid was an anniversary gift so I hope I didnt kill it- any advice would be very appreciated.

nenella · #2 04-04-2012, 04:50 PM

Hi & Welcome to OB!
One thought has just struck me. Are the roots dry & hard? or brown and soft?
If you can post pics of your plant & roots I am sure you will get excellent advice. Pics speak louder than words!
Good Luck in saving this special plant!

Rowangreen · #3 04-04-2012, 05:22 PM

Agree, pics would be good...

Failing that: I have a plant that over the last few months has had rather shrivelled tops to it's roots (you can see it in bloom when I got it here: http://www.orchidboard.com/community...scue-phal.html). Though it was in surprisingly good nic for a phal that had been on a supermarket shelf for a long period I soon realised it had been left damp at some stage, was half buried in potting medium, and had some signs that not all was perfect around the base. I removed some medium to allow things to dry out a bit, which did result in some shriveling of roots.

However... those roots, though shrivelled at the top, have remained green further down. Just recently it's decided to send out a mass of new root growth, so I think I might be removing some of those shrivelled roots soon!

So... if the roots are shrivelled at the top (dry, not soft), but still green further down, they may still be working.

Watch you don't overwater. Any green roots should dry to a much paler silvery colour before you water again: this applies to the one's in the pot, not just in the air. If your pot isn't clear, so you can't see the roots in the pot, then you might want to use a wooden stick/stake left in the pot, so you can draw it out to see if it's damp.

I'd leave off misting: getting water into the crown of the plant can cause rotting as phals in the wild actually hang downwards so any water runs out!

You might want to try a rooting hormone compound suitable for orchids (not just any rooting powder/compound...), eg KLN (mine has had a bit of this recently...)

As far as I know red tints are NOT a sign it's getting ready to bloom. Some phals do have a fair amount of red colouration, but if mature leaves are turning red it may mean the plant is getting too much light.

CasKinka · #4 04-04-2012, 05:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nenella

Hi & Welcome to OB!
One thought has just struck me. Are the roots dry & hard? or brown and soft?
If you can post pics of your plant & roots I am sure you will get excellent advice. Pics speak louder than words!
Good Luck in saving this special plant!

Thank you!
Dry and hard for the most part.
I'll take some pictures when i get home but they look at lot like the previously posters dry roots. They are on the verge of being flat and totally dry but they are quite short so I'm afraid if they do go there will be nothing left at all.

CasKinka · #5 04-04-2012, 05:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rowangreen

Agree, pics would be good...

Failing that: I have a plant that over the last few months has had rather shrivelled tops to it's roots (you can see it in bloom when I got it here: http://www.orchidboard.com/community...scue-phal.html). Though it was in surprisingly good nic for a phal that had been on a supermarket shelf for a long period I soon realised it had been left damp at some stage, was half buried in potting medium, and had some signs that not all was perfect around the base. I removed some medium to allow things to dry out a bit, which did result in some shriveling of roots.

However... those roots, though shrivelled at the top, have remained green further down. Just recently it's decided to send out a mass of new root growth, so I think I might be removing some of those shrivelled roots soon!

So... if the roots are shrivelled at the top (dry, not soft), but still green further down, they may still be working.

Watch you don't overwater. Any green roots should dry to a much paler silvery colour before you water again: this applies to the one's in the pot, not just in the air. If your pot isn't clear, so you can't see the roots in the pot, then you might want to use a wooden stick/stake left in the pot, so you can draw it out to see if it's damp.

I'd leave off misting: getting water into the crown of the plant can cause rotting as phals in the wild actually hang downwards so any water runs out!

You might want to try a rooting hormone compound suitable for orchids (not just any rooting powder/compound...), eg KLN (mine has had a bit of this recently...)

As far as I know red tints are NOT a sign it's getting ready to bloom. Some phals do have a fair amount of red colouration, but if mature leaves are turning red it may mean the plant is getting too much light.

Its just the new leaves not the mature ones. The mature ones are dark green. I'll post a pic when I get home rather than attempt to describe it. I don't think my descriptions are very helpful to you.

Thank you for the feedback so far!

ps your rescue phal is GORGEOUS! I almost bought a very similar one last week.

I have to curb my addiction until i get better about keeping my orchids alive!

Bud · #6 04-04-2012, 05:41 PM

if the leaves are turning reddish tinge then it means it has too much sun...maybe put it a foot back from the window.
instead of spritzing it everyday...soak it for 5 min in water once a week...making sure the crown is not wet.
if the leaves are perky then it means theres some roots that still give it moisture. if it is soft and soggy then the plant is not getting anything from the roots...
dry hard shrivelling roots means the plant is dehydrated. Soft mushy roots means it is rotten.

CasKinka · #7 04-04-2012, 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bud

if the leaves are turning reddish tinge then it means it has too much sun...maybe put it a foot back from the window.
instead of spritzing it everyday...soak it for 5 min in water once a week...making sure the crown is not wet.
if the leaves are perky then it means theres some roots that still give it moisture. if it is soft and soggy then the plant is not getting anything from the roots...
dry hard shrivelling roots means the plant is dehydrated. Soft mushy roots means it is rotten.

Thanks Bud, I'll try moving it and soaking it. The roots are definitely not rotting... hopefully it can be saved.

keithrs · #8 04-04-2012, 06:32 PM

Welcome....

Your root problem is an induction that your roots probably rotted because there was little air circulation through the media than the media was allowed to dry out(most likely at the store). I would suggest cutting out the old dead roots(plumb green or white is good) let it dry over night then pot it in a airy but moist mix like a mixture of spag moss and large bark or medium size bark. You can add styrofoam peanuts at the bottom to help with drainage. After that put it in a warm(70-80) location. If the leaves are only slightly red/purple than your light is good. Red/purple leaves is good indication that your plant is getting good light. Phal. Can quickly go from red/ purple coloring to burnt fast so be careful where you place it. You can also soak the plant in seaweed extract once a week for 5-10 min.

I think there a Phal. mix at Home Depot that may work.... Make sure it's bark mix and not a soil mix.

CasKinka · #9 04-04-2012, 06:44 PM

Thanks for all the feedback so far. I have updated my post with pictures. Hopefully this helps.

@Keithrs- what if I have no white or plump green roots left? They all look awful. (Pics in first post)

nenella · #10 04-04-2012, 07:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CasKinka

Thanks for all the feedback so far. I have updated my post with pictures. Hopefully this helps.

@Keithrs- what if I have no white or plump green roots left? They all look awful. (Pics in first post)

Just my 2 cents worth for a start.... I would soak in KLN to promote new root growth, also keep the medium on the drier side as, this too promotes root growth and, watch leaves don't go completely floppy by providing more humid conditions to the leaves. (put a bag over the leaves but not the whole pot as medium needs to dry out could be a method but depends on your growing conditions). Good Luck!