What should I do with this Phal orchid? - Orchid Board

supersheep · #1 01-13-2013, 07:58 PM

Ok, so here's the backstory. This Orchid I got a few months before Christmas and it had lovely flowers. It's a Phal I got from a supermarket. They dropped off after about a month, so I cut back the flower stem. A couple of bottom leaves then went yellow and fell off.

I checked the roots and they were getting very black and mushy - it was in a very mossy medium. So I repotted it in a mainly bark orchid compost and cut away the bad roots. There wasn't much left after that, but a few aerial roots seemed ok, so I put them inside the potting medium when I repotted.

That was about a month ago, and it's not been very happy since! The leaves are now drooping quite a lot and I tipped out the potting medium to check on the roots. They're a bit blackish in places, green in others. They've broken a bit, but aren't mushy or anything.

The other week, seemed to be a bit of mould on the crown, so I dusted it with cinnamon powder. The mould hasn't come back, but I am getting rather worried about the leaves!

Ok, so now, I'm not sure what to with it! I'm worried about repotting it again in case the two remaining roots rot. And whether it needs more or less water...

And with the leaves, I'm not sure if they're getting dehydrated or not?

What do you recommend I do? Repot or try something else? I've tried searching the forums, but I'm still not really sure what to do for the best.

Pictures below

Thanks so much!

SlipperGirl · #2 01-13-2013, 08:09 PM

what are its growing conditions ? Also do you water it in that decorated pot or do you take it out when you water it.

supersheep · #3 01-13-2013, 08:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mothorchidgirl

what are its growing conditions ?

Well, I'm not entirely sure! It's very cold outside at the moment (it's snowing!), so I've been taking it into the warmest room at night. I've been leaving it under my desklamp to try and help in the evenings, but not all night.

And I try and put it back onto the windowsill during the day, though we've not had a lot of sunny days recently.

I'd say the humidity is quite low, because we've got the central heating on a lot to fight the cold!

Hope that helps!

ETA - Well, I've always taken it out of the pot when I water and let it drain, but when it had all that moss, it didn't seem to drain very well.

When I repotted it, I put it into a small, clear yoghurt pot, as it was the only thing I had small enough. I put holes in the bottom, but I'm not sure if it drains quite as well as a proper orchid pot.

I'm not sure, judging by the leaves, if I'm not watering it enough, or too much!

The flowers were really pretty and yellow, so I definitely don't want this to die!

SlipperGirl · #4 01-13-2013, 08:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by supersheep

Well, I'm not entirely sure! It's very cold outside at the moment (it's snowing!), so I've been taking it into the warmest room at night. I've been leaving it under my desklamp to try and help in the evenings, but not all night.

And I try and put it back onto the windowsill during the day, though we've not had a lot of sunny days recently.

I'd say the humidity is quite low, because we've got the central heating on a lot to fight the cold!

Hope that helps!

ETA - Well, I've always taken it out of the pot when I water and let it drain, but when it had all that moss, it didn't seem to drain very well.

When I repotted it, I put it into a small, clear yoghurt pot, as it was the only thing I had small enough. I put holes in the bottom, but I'm not sure if it drains quite as well as a proper orchid pot.

I'm not sure, judging by the leaves, if I'm not watering it enough, or too much!

The flowers were really pretty and yellow, so I definitely don't want this to die!

ok so there are a couple of things I think you need to change.

1. phals want it warmer in the day and colder at night. About 70 F in the day 65F at night

2. the humidity needs to be at least 40%. If the humidity is not 40% then you could put it on a humidity tray or mist it or both.

I dont think you are under watering it. I hope this helps

Paul Mc · #5 01-13-2013, 10:56 PM

What exactly are your temps in house? And you repotted in a chunky bark mix - if so, did you presoak the mix? Pre soaking helps dried bark mixes to hold water. I've had this happen when I repotted from moss to bark without soaking first. Also, you'll need to water more in fresh mixes generally because they aren't as water retentive. Moss holds a lot of water and bark, even older more retentive ones, won't hold nearly as much. My guess here is that the roots were already accustomed to moss (water retentive) and then under watered in the new medium (as they weren't prepared for less moisture).

Let's hear your temps daytime and evening and let's see if we can assist you better. I'm not sure you need extra light at this point.

Paul Mc · #6 01-13-2013, 11:51 PM

In some retrospect, I have a few other thoughts.

If your windows aren't drafty and are tightly sealed then sitting them by the window may know hurt through the night. Just be sure it's not too close or touching the windows. Although you are further north than I so just a thought.

By bark compost, I'm not sure what you mean. It may be a language difference between us. Could you expand further? If its not chunky and airy then it's bad. It should be chunky and airy enough that it doesn't look like soil.

Paul Mc · #7 01-14-2013, 12:12 AM

Also, just ensure your Phals don't get below say 60F (57 lowest) at night and you should be fine. Keep them slightly drier when this cold at night to keep them/it from having any issues. Sorry, not sure what that translates to for Celsius. While keeping a tad drier, remember that they do grow year round so they will need water and nutrients. Keeping it drier just helps to keep other issues at bay.

2nd also, lol... The temperature difference mentioned above is a bit more directed to flower spike development. Since yours had just finished blooming, personally I wouldn't expect it to bloom again until next blooming season (which depends upon the species or what species it is bred with if its a NOID or hybrid). The temperature difference is important for re blooming, as well as other factors such as light, feeding, overall health, etc... We generally shoot for 2 or 3 weeks with between 10 to 15 degrees F temp difference when attempting to rebloom (generally in the fall depending upon the Phal) base upon my understanding.

I truly hope this info helps and hasn't confused or boggled you too much! Please let us know how we can help further!

Ordphien · #8 01-14-2013, 11:31 AM

My house drops to the mid 30's through 40' all winter and my phals never mind.....
I'm worried now lol.

When I get s phal from the store the first thing I do is at least remove overt half the moss from the pot.
I normally repot them in bark.... like you did. But they handle the transition better off you mix in some chopped moss. Keeps them more moist for the first year while they get used to your house.

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mattryan · #9 01-14-2013, 12:40 PM

You sure 30-40 at less than 50 degrees celsius they start to turn to mush. Or are you sure they are phals and not some other orchid? I would never expose a phal to that temperature. I have had phals with less roots than that survive, but it must be in as small a container that you can fit. I believe you have over-watered to the point you rotted the roots. Also you must be careful when applying the cinnamon as it is very drying and it looks as though you have it all over the good roots as well as bad. I would definitely try to up the humidity around the plant as much as you can...maybe put it in the bathroom as it will help the leaves from desiccating as much until it can grow some roots. Sometimes just spraying the mix is all you need instead of watering as parts may still be moist near the lower part of the container. Goodluck and don't hesitate to ask for help, we've all been there

Cheryl

Ordphien · #10 01-14-2013, 01:10 PM

Not in Celsius no. 30 - 40 Fahrenheit.
My upstairs is 44 right now but my downstairs (upstairs has carpet, downstairs has tile) it's 36... most of my phals have been growing happily in these winter temps for 2 - 4 years now. One of my phals is right next to the window where it gets even colder and its doing fine... I don't have thermometer in the kitchen where it is but I can tell you it is always a few degrees colder.
Positive they are phals. ..

She's right! Don't give up! That phal still looks way salvageable to me.