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  #1  
Old 03-28-2013, 04:19 PM
MittenOrchidLove MittenOrchidLove is offline
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Phal blossoms wilting
Default Phal blossoms wilting

So I was able to get my Phal repotted using Better-Gro orchid bark mix.

I was not sure about the roots- some of them appeared to be dead, but I didn't have anything handy that I could use to trim the roots.

I bought the plant on 3/10 with 3 flowers in bloom. I'm now up to 11 flowers in bloom, 4 more buds, and 1 bud that failed to open and withered.

I noticed today that one of the flowers is wilting, and one more looks droopy.

I've been watering on a weekly basis (3 ice cubes every friday). I have not used any sort of fertilizer yet. Should I be?

Am I just at a normal life stage, or do I need to be concerned?

Last edited by MittenOrchidLove; 03-28-2013 at 04:22 PM..
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  #2  
Old 03-28-2013, 04:29 PM
SlipperGirl SlipperGirl is offline
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Dont ever water with ice cubes the cold shocks the roots. You want to use room temp water rain, distilled or RO are best.

Your plant is having whats called bud blast where the buds fall off before they can open, this is from over or under watering and not cutting the bad roots off and the roots are probably getting worse.

I think you need to repot and this time cut the bad roots off. put the plant in a well draining soil and in a pot with lots of drainage holes.

Also whatever you use to cut the roots off needs to be sterilized first.

Last edited by SlipperGirl; 03-28-2013 at 04:36 PM..
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  #3  
Old 03-28-2013, 05:12 PM
MittenOrchidLove MittenOrchidLove is offline
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Phal blossoms wilting
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mothorchidgirl View Post
Dont ever water with ice cubes the cold shocks the roots. You want to use room temp water rain, distilled or RO are best.

Your plant is having whats called bud blast where the buds fall off before they can open, this is from over or under watering and not cutting the bad roots off and the roots are probably getting worse.

I think you need to repot and this time cut the bad roots off. put the plant in a well draining soil and in a pot with lots of drainage holes.

Also whatever you use to cut the roots off needs to be sterilized first.
Except I only lost 1 bud- so it's not bud blast. The rest of the flowers (save the 3 that still have yet to bloom) are in bloom and healthy.

I'm using the ice cubes per the recommendation of the exhibitor I purchased the plant from.

It's already in a well-draining medium (western fir bark) so I'm not worried about the drainage. If anything I'm worried it may be draining *too* quickly.
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Old 03-28-2013, 05:17 PM
SlipperGirl SlipperGirl is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MittenOrchidLove View Post
Except I only lost 1 bud- so it's not bud blast. The rest of the flowers (save the 3 that still have yet to bloom) are in bloom and healthy.

I'm using the ice cubes per the recommendation of the exhibitor I purchased the plant from.

It's already in a well-draining medium (western fir bark) so I'm not worried about the drainage. If anything I'm worried it may be draining *too* quickly.
If you repotted it in bloom then it may just be stressed out and thats why it lost one of the buds.


I still dont think you should water it with ice cubes.
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  #5  
Old 03-28-2013, 05:42 PM
MittenOrchidLove MittenOrchidLove is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mothorchidgirl View Post
If you repotted it in bloom then it may just be stressed out and thats why it lost one of the buds.


I still dont think you should water it with ice cubes.
I'll definitely take that into consideration. As for repotting in bloom- I had no other option- it took a 5 foot fall from the shelf in my cubicle to the ground and destroyed the pot it came in. I'm surprised the spike didn't break, and it's continued to bloom.
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  #6  
Old 03-28-2013, 09:29 PM
SlipperGirl SlipperGirl is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MittenOrchidLove View Post
I'll definitely take that into consideration. As for repotting in bloom- I had no other option- it took a 5 foot fall from the shelf in my cubicle to the ground and destroyed the pot it came in. I'm surprised the spike didn't break, and it's continued to bloom.
I understand repotting orchids in bloom I just got done doing that with one of my phals
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  #7  
Old 03-28-2013, 10:10 PM
silken silken is offline
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I often re-pot my Phals in bloom to get them out of the wet moss as soon as possible. Few of them ever object to it. However I would never use ice on a tropical plant and its roots. Where these grow in nature they never see ice or snow! There are lots of discussions about this on Orchid Board. If the ice cubes touch some of the surface or air roots it will damage or kill them. Just give it a good watering by flushing under the tap and then using a bit of water with plant food. If you are using RO or rain water, just soak it good to the top of the fir bark for a few minutes, drain well and never let stand in water. Don't use water that has been softened with salt. Then only water again when the bark all the way to the bottom and centre is almost bone dry. It can be slightly damp but not wet. I like to use a kebab skewer stuck in the pot. I pull it out and see if it is wet or dry before watering.

The ice cube thing is just a gimmick by a company called Just Add Ice who sell orchids and claim they are totally care free so more people will buy them. It is likely intended for a market of people who just toss the plant when the blooms are done.

Last edited by silken; 03-28-2013 at 10:13 PM..
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  #8  
Old 03-29-2013, 10:28 AM
gardengirl13 gardengirl13 is offline
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I agree with silky, The only two plants I have not re-potted right away are an expensive phal I got that I don't want to have any problems with, and one I just got at a show I went to, it seemed slightly stressed from getting to the show then to my house and has wonderful blooms on it now so I'm waiting. Otherwise I have re-potted every single orchid I've bought within a few days of buying them.

At our house we have real hard water. I collect rain water (well snow that I melt in winter) to use on the more delicate plants. But for most of the orchids they get tap water and are fine with it. I water once a week by bringing the plant to the sink and let the water flow right through the pot until it's heavy then let it drain for bit. Then I add fertilizer (which due to the sensitive plants is mixed with the rain water not tap so I can use it on all of them) Again letting it somewhat drain through. Then I put the plant back in the window. I'm not sure how this will work in summer since the last bunch of years it's been super humid so I could get away with only watering every 7 days, but with new orchids this fall I may have to water more since some need to keep more moist. And no, no matter what the grower said, don't use ice, it's too cold for them and not enough water. If it's at work, then it's really not enough water as offices tend to be VERY dry.

Losing flowers could mean it's in shock from getting to you and falling and getting re-potted all in a short time, or from lack of water since you're only doing the ice thing. Once it perks back up the flowers should stay for 4 weeks or more.

Glad you found us! Of course you do know that this is just the beginning! Once you get this guy happy you'll want another!
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