My newly-potted Phal keiki has developed a very floppy leaf

[Setebos]

Hello everyone, made an account here just to ask for advice as I have no idea what to do with my little one

I cut the keiki from the mother plant last Friday. Its two roots were only about 2.5 inches long but I cut it off and potted it because it looked like the stem it was attached to was dying. This is where the problems began.

I wrapped the roots in sphagnum moss and planted it into a clear plastic pot filled with the stuff. The moss was only very slightly damp when I got it out of the bag so I gave the orchid what I considered to be a small amount of water (500ml) along with some feed, diluted as recommended. Over a week later and the moss is still wet. I was worried about this, thinking I had overwatered it, but the worry increased today when I realised its newest (and not yet fully grown) leaf has gone incredibly soft and limp, as well as slightly wrinkled. I really don't know what to do next. Any advice is very gratefully received!

[WhiteRabbit]

I'd check the condition of the roots, as well as remove some sphagnum from the pot.

[Setebos]

Thanks for replying! Going to check roots in a moment.

[Setebos]

Sorry for the double post but trying to up my post count so I can post pics if needed.

The other leaves are now going the same way, very limp and shriveled.

The roots looks shriveled too. One of them even looks like it has shrunk in length which confuses me. However, they have developed fur-like stuff on them which appears to be root hairs; I did not think phals grew these but I tried gently scraping it off (thinking it was mould) and it didn't budge.

Would really appreciate a quick response from someone, the plant's condition is rapidly getting worse!

[Setebos]

What I have done is remove about a third of the moss that was in the pot and filled the space with four large stones (washed!) from my garden. This was so that the orchid's leaves/crown were still level with the top of the pot even with moss removed. I checked that it still drains well and it does. I hope that's alright.

When putting the orchid back in, I wet a couple strands of the moss and wrapped them tightly around the shriveled roots to provide moisture (they look so dehydrated despite being in soaked moss for a week!). I have not watered the orchid yet because I'm waiting for advice.

[RosieC]

If the roots look dehydrated rather than rotten then it sounds like you have done the right thing. However one thing to bear in mind is that roots grown in the air are tailored more for that than growing in moss.

I think you did the right thing to remove it if the spike was dying, but the transition could be a difficult time for it, as it stops getting moisture from the spike and has to switch to getting enough from the roots.

We usually say that 3" of root is enough for potting up on it's own, which is close to what you have.

Putting the stones in the bottom should help the moss dry, you can also try cutting extra slits in the side of the pot to help the moss dry fast.

[Setebos]

Thanks Rosie! The moss at the bottom and around the orchid (with the exception of the bits tightly coiled on the roots) was drier when I put it back in as I exposed it to air for a while, sitting it on kitchen roll. Not seen any improvement at all on the leaves but I expect it's far too soon for that. When do you think I could give it a proper watering? I won't use as much as last time, though!

Really hope this plant pulls through. It's my first keiki from my first orchid. I've since got another Phal though, a purple one, which is thriving and still in bloom despite buying it whilst in bloom a month ago. Very healthy looking despite coming from a big supermarket; has tons of roots and huge firm leaves and came in the correct type of medium in a clear pot.

[RosieC]

Wait until the moss is dry, hopefully it will dry quicker now. Use a wooden stake pushed into the pot to test if it's dry further down inside. If it's damp when you pull it out (cold to the touch) then you know it still needs to wait longer. Many people who use this method leave the stake in all the time so that it always goes in the same place and doesn't damage too many roots.

I always favour using a lot of water when watering because orchids do actually need plenty (they just need plenty of air at the roots as well). The key is to ensure it dries quick enough.

I usually work on the principle that if it dries in a week then it's drying quickly enough, if it's still wet after a week then something needs to be done to speed up drying or the roots will suffocate. It can dry faster, but then you need to water more often. My mounted orchids need watering daily and they dry that quickly, they get a lot of water each day but dry very quickly, but most of my potted phals dry in about a week.

Personally I actually prefer to pot phals in bark rather than moss but it's a case of personal preference. I find in the UK climate that bark dries at about the right speed. However you need good quality orchid bark for best results.

I bought a lot of my phals from supermarkets. I've had good success with those bought in bark, but found many of the ones bought in moss are already starting to have rotting problems (though I've saved a couple that were like that).

[Setebos]

Thanks for all the advice! I'm slightly regretting not using bark because it's what my other two orchids are in and I know exactly when to water them in this medium, I had just read that sphagnum moss was very good for orchids so I went for it! I've also heard about people using fans to speed up drying, do you know if this is effective at all?

[cbuchman]

I have two wall-mounted oscillating fans in my in doors growing space. They are on timers. Air moment is helpful not only to help dry out roots, but also helps keep leaves from spotting and I think it helps with bugs too. For me, the air movement also helps keep even temperatures and humidity through the room.

If you have a small space, computer fans can be helpful as they are about 4 inches square and about 2 inches thick. They are also relatively inexpensive. However, for safety reasons, you should make sure that they are configures so that children/pets cannot get to the fan blades.