Over watered Phal

[Trosk]

Recently bought a phal, a crazy blue with some yellow hints.. noticed a leaf had half turned yellow and investigated (found your site)...
I had assumed the outer pot had drainage prior to watering, (i want the only person watering it)., there wasn't.
When I removed the outer pot about a pint of water spilled out, the roots minus a very few bad ends which I clipped looked great.
I semi replanted it in a new pot, not disturbing the roots or its bark medium besides what had fallen out and just using cedar chips around the base of the new pot.
Living here in colorado springs is arid and water dissipates quickly.

Was this enough? will the decorative cedar I used be okay? The original bark was soaked... I hated to disturb it after just a few days of over watering...

[Wjs2nd]

You may have more root rot in the pot. The cedar chips shouldn't hurt anything (I've grown orchid mounted to cedar). Just watch how your orchid does to see what you may need to do. Phals are strong orchids and can take being repotted very well.

[Mira-Claude]

When I buy a new phal, I always repot and put her in my favorite medium. None of them, so far, complained about the treatment.
Of course, in some cases, you have a very bad surprise when you open it up. AKA lots of dead and rotting roots. But it is better to cut them off ASAP then to let them rot whatever is left that is still healthy.
I would however boil the cedar a few times to make sure to take out whatever chemicals might be in there.
Also I would repot in the smallest pot possible, also a preference of phalaenopsis. Food containers make superb pots once you put holes in them!
Good luck!

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Just a quick note...

I noticed you said that your Phal has blue colored flowers.

Guess what, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, or even sound like a jerk, but...

Your Phal is not really blue. That's not its true color. It was dyed that way to make it look more appealing to potential unsuspecting customers.

There are presently no known Phals in existence, species or hybrid, that is naturally colored what would be considered blue. Different shades of lilac, magenta, or violet - yes. Blue - no. And the probability of finding a species Phal in the wild with a flower that is naturally colored any given shade of what would be considered blue in the near or distant future, is very, very low.

Your Phal's true coloration is most likely white with some yellow in the throat along with some crimson speckling.

Just wanted to make sure you knew what you had so you don't have any "unexpected" or "unpleasant" surprises in the future.


On a separate note...

Are there any orchids that are naturally blue colored?

The answer is yes! They are rare in cultivation. These orchids mostly belong to the genus Thelymitra. There are other genera of orchids that are blue as well, but they are very closely related to Thelymitra. One genus of orchids that is blue flowered and is closely related to Thelymitra is Cyanicula.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

To answer your original question.

Please check the roots by taking the plant out of its pot and carefully removing as much of the potting media as possible.

If it still has any living roots, please post pics.

If it doesn't have any roots left, please post pics.

Should the plant still have roots, a more expedient recovery can be achieved versus if it didn't.

Repot the orchid into a pot of appropriate size.

Potting media recommendations will be provided if you have questions regarding this matter.

Further advice will be provided should you need any more assistance.

[tim abbott]

Trosk, You should be ok, since you have addressed the drainage problem quickly, phals are very hardy(I am too embarrassed to say all the ways I have tested mine & they live on). Thanks to this board I am improving.

Must be a blue marketing thing going on. I saw several dozen deep blue & white phals in the local Lowes or Home Depot last week(can't remember which one).

Tim Abbott

[Wynn Dee13]

I think you should repot and take off all the meadium too to make sure you don't have root rot. Like someone else said it is way easier to fix if you catch it in time. And many Phals bought in grocery stores or big box stores already have root issues even if you didn't over water your plant.

I also have a concern about you saying you used decorative cedar chips. Did you use bark chips that you decorate or cover your flower beds with? That isn't good for repotting orchids. You can buy an orchid bark mix at Lowes or Home Depot. I looked at both online sites and Lowes and Home Depot both have a product called Better-Gro Orchid Bark Mix. I like the bark mix that contains fir bark, hardwood charcoal, and sponge rock. I have used this mix and it works fine. They also sell a Phalaenopsis mix that also has peat in it. I haven't used this mix but it will hold more moisture than the other mix. I guess it depends on how much you like to water. Then there is a Better-Gro orchid bark that is just bark. I prefer the orchid bark mix. The bark used for orchids is a harder bark and it doesn't decompose as fast as some other kinds. Stay away from the Miricle Grow orchid mix. A lot of people have problems with it because it is more of a soil like mix and isn't good for Phals. Let us know how it goes and if you have any more questions!

[james mickelso]

Veeeeery dry in CS. While your orchid is recovering with the help of us here, You'll need to help it along by raising the humidity around 60-70% locally around the root area. Place gravel or marbles in a 2-3 inch deep saucer (clay pot holders from HD or Lowes work or a pie tin) and fill with water. Place spagnum moss (from Lowes or HD or even Michaels craft store) on top of the gravel and fill saucer with water. Place the orchid in it's pot on top of this. Try to keep the water just below the bottom of the orchid pot. The moss will wick the moisture into the air around the orchid and raise the humidity. This way the orchid isn't struggling to keep itself hydrated. Or, while the orchid is growing new roots, place a large plastic bag over the entire orchid pot and all. This acts like a tent to keep in the moisture evaporating from the orchid. It can be a shopping bag. They let in enough light. You can place this pot/bag in high light levels and the orchid won't suffer sunburn. Good luck.