Oh Boy, Sad Phal

[mychi88]

Hi all, I'm a new member and thanks for all the great info I found! But first, let me make it known that neither of my thumbs are green.

I've had my phal for about a year now. I received it as a gift when it started to bloom. It bloomed very nicely for a number of months. I suppose it's currently in its resting period. Right now, it has 2 green leaves (about 4 to 5 inches long with one leaf slightly limp and has length-wise ridges) with a new third one that just sprouted a month ago. But the new leaf seems to have stopped growing. I just bought a Better-Gro Orchid food last week and I decided to soak it in the food-added water for a few hours (this was the first time I added food in the water). I used the full recommended amounted as labeled on the bag. When the limp leaf did not show any difference after a few days, I thought maybe it's a good idea to repot the plant (the medium came in a fine bark with a little bit of perlite).

So after doing research on how to repot, I took the phal out of the pot and saw it had LOTS of roots, some up to 6 or 7 inches long. However, 99% of the roots were brown and shriveled, and the rest had brown spots (looked like rot). So I cut off all the dead roots and all that's left is 4 roots the length of the end joint on my baby fingers. Also, some of the roots I cut off were brown on the outside, but when I cut it off, the cross section looked green with a slightly white center. I then throughly watered the the phal in its new medium with the same orchid food but at half strength.

I really want to know if what I did was the correct thing to do as well as what else I'm suppose to do now that my poor baby has almost no roots! I've heard of people using root hormone, but I'm really scared to shock the plant too much (which I'm afraid I might have already). Any advice on how to nurse my baby? And am I suppose to leave the paper sheath part (where the leaves grow out from) above or under the medium? I was watering it once a week as it gets pretty hot and dry in Southern Calif in the summer and once every other week in the winter. Is that too much or too little? I would feel really bad if I killed this plant and would probably shy away from getter another...

[Ray]

I believe you did the right thing with the trimming of dead roots and repotting into fresh medium, but now that the plant is distressed from all of that, the key to having it survive is keeping it in maximum humidity so it won't desiccate while growing new roots.

I would water it thoroughly with rooting hormone (a cap full of K-L-N or SuperThrive per gallon is OK for a single treatment), then put the plant, pot and all, in a clear plastic bag, close it up, and keep it warm and shady. It'll recover shortly.

[mychi88]

Thanks Ray! I've read somewhere that once new root has sprouted, the plant can be removed from the plastic bag. Am I supposed to take the plant out of the pot once a week to check on its roots? If I am to take it out of the medium every week to check on the roots, do I use new medium every time to repot it? How should this be done? And do I only need to water it once with KLN the whole time my "kid" is in the bag?

Thank you again!

[gmdiaz]

I'd leave it in the bag and let it do what it can do. Once it's potted don't remove it to check the roots. . .that adds a lot more stress.

The bag will keep the water in, sort of like a terrarium. Just check to be sure it's not getting too dry in there & give it a little air now and again.

Some people, blow air into the bag and then tuck the flap of the bag over onto itself with a little twist; closed but not sealed shut.

I am trying something similar just now with ONE of my orchid fiascos. . . .a masd. *gasp*

I took it out of its pot and washed away all traces of the spagnum media and roots with good RO water, to get a good look at their condition. Amazingly, they were all good. I dusted the roots and the stem with NO leaves with cinnamon and repotted it in new spagnum.

I put the little pot into a terrarium with warm temps and bright light. . .although I moved it off to the side where it is slightly more shaded. Now to see how strong a will to live it has. . .or if a save is even possible. Did I mention there were NO leaves? *Double Gasp*

[mychi88]

I took a look at my poor "kid" today and the new leaf is splitting in half down the center vein. Is this normal?

[Ray]

Not "normal", but seen occasionally. Nothing to be overly concerned about.

I recommend that you keep the plant warm, shady, and in maximum humidity until it has really taken hold and starts growing new leaves.

[mychi88]

Ok I will do that.

Just before I watered the kid with SuperThrive yesterday I checked the moisture level by pulling out the bamboo stick. The stick was still wet (there were a few tiny wet drops of water on the stick that was in the medium). I thought this was odd as I just put the kid in new medium (Special Orchid Mix) a few days ago thought the new medium should not be retaining that much moisture? After seeing the bamboo stick wet, I decided to check on the roots (I hope I did the right thing as gmdiaz said this will stress the plant too much) and saw there was a little bit of mold (white cottony spider web looking things) so I cleaned it off with bleach and water with a cotton swab and also swabbed the brown blotches on the roots. Then I soaked it in a cup of sugar with a cap full of SuperThrive in a gallon of water for 3 hours. Now the kid is in a sphag and bag. But the good news is that when I took the kid out of the new medium i noticed 2 little tiny new roots that emerged since the cutting of the roots.

Should I keep the kid warm at night as well? Like by placing it near a reading light? It's starting to get chilly at night here....

I'm posting a picture of the kid later today once my camera is charged...

[mychi88]

The roots look really sad... Also, does anyone know what the 2 white spots are on the leaf? They're hard and will not come off. The other leaf doesn't have them.

[quiltergal]

Sad, but definately viable. Go for sphag n bag. I'm sure it will respond. Can't really tell what the white thing is.

[mychi88]

Thanks Ray and Terri. Should I be concerned at all with all the black stuff? Also I just read in another post that when the roots have a wiry core, they are dead. Should I cut the remaining roots off since they do have that wiry core?