Phalenopsis, spike or root?

[Marisol]

Hello, and thank you for your time.
I need help with my Phal. I am fairly new to orquids and I am learning as I go. My Phal has been a good sport.
Now, there seems to be something growing at the base of my Phal, just not sure whether it's a spike or a root. If it is indeed a root, how can I encourage it to grow downwards? Help! Pretty please?

[Judi]

Looks like a root to me--but roots are good! How wet do you keep the moss? Looks like it is planted in moss and the moss looks quite wet. Maybe you just watered it, but if the medium is kept too wet the root may be trying to get out of the moss to dry out a little. Make sure the pot has plenty of air holes, doesn't sit in water, and isn't kept constantly wet.

[magicatt]

It is a healthy root. Yay for roots! A spike will emerge from between the leaves and will look like a mitten on the end.

Good growing on the root though. It means the phallie likes you and good roots makes good blooms!

[Marisol]

Thank you so much Judi and magicatt for your replies. I feel reassured now.
Yes, I had just watered the medium. I usually water it when the moss feels dry, almost like straw. Is that good?
Also, how can I encourage it to go down, is it still possible? I am also thinking of repotting to a bigger sized pot so the new roots have plenty of space to keep growing What do you guys think?

[Rowangreen]

If you are keeping the plastic pot in a planter it's possible the root is trying to reach the light (phals can photosynthesise with their roots). But don't worry too much: it's normal for roots to go in all directions. Remember phals in nature grow up in the branches hanging by their roots, so roots growing up is pretty natural! If you wait till it gets a bit longer you might be able to bend it down, but it's not important.

The rule with pots is that they should be just big enough to get the roots in. If you 'overpot' you risk the medium not drying out evenly/fast enough which could cause rot. So you are probably better sticking to the pot it's in, unless it's really climbing out!

[brownthumber]

I wouldn't repot this plant yet if it were mine. All I can see is one root, quite healthy growing out of the pot and as previously mentioned phal roots will do this. If it were a stem, in my experience it would be more like the color of the leaves. I know that sounds stupid but its true. I have a phal that has a lot of roots, looking like what you posted and a new stem growing as well. If I every figure out how to post pictures ( I am working on it) I can post a picture of the stem for you ( if you want).

[RosieC]

It's a root, but it doesn't look like it's recently been growing, they have a bright green tip when growing, when they stop the green top will gradually shrink over several weeks or even months.

It is possible that the moss is still wet in the center when you water, try using a wooden skewer pushed into the center. Pull it out after a few hours and if it's damp you know it's damp in the middle still.

I agree with the comments that sometimes roots will point up to escape medium that is too damp. However phals often grow arial roots anyway regardless of the medium so it might be nothing to worry about at all.

[The Orchid Boy]

The way I care for my phals is put them all in clear plastic or net pots and plant in straight sphagnum moss. I water only when the moss is totally crispy dry all the way through.

[Marisol]

Thanks everyone for replying!

@Rowangreen, I keep my phal in the plastic pot shown. I can see some healthy green roots at the bottom, which seem to be getting long, but not enough to outgrow the size of the pot.

@RosieC, you were right. The moss is now very dry but the middle is quite damp and there is some rot
@brownthumber, I would love to see the pictures of the stem you are talking about, thank you.
@the Orquid Boy, mine is in a clear plastic pot as well, and I thought I was watering when the medium was completely dry, but I made a mistake

Now what do i do? anyone?

[RosieC]

Originally Posted by Marisol

Now what do i do? anyone?

Personally I don't like to grow in moss because it stays too wet for me, however phals grown in moss don't much like switching to bark as the roots are tailored for the moss.

Personally I would switch it to lecca beads then keep it quite moist. The lecca gives air even when kept moist. I've found I can switch ones grown in moss to this if their roots are not too far gone to start with.

You might instead want to try and make more holes/slits in the pot to allow more air to get in and dry the moss quicker. And/Or pull out some of the moss to make sure it's not too tightly packed.