Dying Phal! Hardly any roots

[moerae]

Hi everyone,

I am hoping you can help me! I am a newbie, and I think I have abused my Phal in all sorts of ways, the poor thing.

Here is the story: My boyfriend got me this phal for Valentine's day from the grocery store. It had two flowers and three buds, which bloomed under my care. It seemed like the plant was thriving, until one of bottom leaves turned yellow and fell off...

I read that this could be due to overwatering (though i was careful to do it only when the bark looked dry). Upon examining the roots through the clear plastic container, I though some of them looked mushy and kind of brown. It was in a bark medium, or so I thought. Soon, another bottom leaf started yellowing... I decided to repot though the orchid was still blooming well because I read that root rot will slowly kill the plant. When I took it out of the pot, to my surprise, the medium actually looked like dirt with just some bark thrown in! Or perhaps it had decomposed pretty badly because I overwatered it, or I got a bad one... I don't know, but I once I cleared off all the dirt, the root system looked bad, even to me...

I cut away the rotted roots, but since some of the root were only mushy in the middle, I left them with the wiry part attached; the bottom part of the root was firm to touch. (I now realize is a mistake... The brown wiry thread is apparently useless to the plant? You live and learn, right?). I repotted in one of the bark medium mixes I bought after soaking it. I left the plant sitting in the plastic pot, but a couple of days later, again noticed some more decaying....

I did more surgery and cut the roots off, including the wiry stuff, to the point I deemed to be healthy (which is quite close to the crown); I also dusted a little bit of cinnamon on the cut edges and repotted it, but there are hardly any roots left . The roots that you see in the pictures do seem okay?

I did not cut off the spike though, because the attached stake is helping the plant sit in the pot. Couple of the flowers have wilted as you can see, but the spike has not yellowed and the other leaves still look green, so I am still hoping the plant is salvageable. Although there are these two dark spots on a couple of the leaves; they were there all the time and haven't spread or anything, so that is not something to be worried, right?

After repotting, I read it was good to mist the leaves to help the plant, so I did that (didn't water anymore after the repotting though). This morning I got excited by something green coming out of the crown, but now I have noticed white wrinkly things underneath the bottom leave, so I don't know if the plant is now diseased? Could it be crown rot? Or is this normal and am I just freaking out for no reason?

Do you think this phal can survive? Should I cut off the flower spike to the base to help the plant concentrate on root growth? Does my repotting look okay? Sorry for all the questions! I am obviously very worried. I would dearly like to save this plant, as it has some sentimental value, and I hope I haven't doomed it completely . Praying for a miracle here...

I am attaching lots of pictures so that I can hear you verdict!

Thank you so much again!

Cheers!

[Brooke]

I don't know exactly what the marks on the leaves are but I would take a felt tip marker and draw a circle around the bumpy parts. If the marks spread beyond the circled area, you have a fast moving infection. To be on the safe side I would pour peroxide over that area and onto the stem of the plant.

The pot you used is much too big (depth) for the amount of roots. Put an inert material in the bottom of that pot, about 1/3 the total depth, and replant. Don't mist the plant anymore. It has roots, let the roots provide the needed moisture.

You could cut the spike below the blooms and still use it to stabilize the Phal in the pot.

Good luck - Brooke

[moerae]

Thank you so much for getting back to me, Brooke! Is there a particular concentrate of peroxide that I should use? And would gravel or pebbles be acceptable as an innert material or is there something better I could use? And finally, when I repot, should I also apply root growth hormone or just let nature take its course?

[PaxTea]

After I water, I take a soft cloth and try to remove all of the water (if there is any) from the crown, and then I blow on it through a straw if I think there might be some moisture left.

I'm sure this would be too much work for people with 100 plants, but I only have three to worry about.

I would suggest you do that any time moisture gets near the crown, including hydrogen peroxide. Once hydrogen peroxide stops reacting, it's just water, and standing water isn't good.

It seems like you've done a lot of good research and taken all of the usual steps. I wouldn't feel too bad, your plant doesn't look that bad. The roots are short but you've got several of them.

I also keep reading that it's normal for Phals to drop their bottom leaves. I think it's a bigger red flag if the leaves on top are the ones turning yellow.

Disclaimer: I got my first Orchid on Valentine's Day this year, too. I'm not an expert like the rest of these guys.

[birdybrain]

It may take some time & patience, but I certainly wouldn't give up on your phal! I would suggest getting some rooting hormone to help this guy get going on making new roots.

Take a look at these threads for some ideas on how I've dealt with orchids in similar situations as yours:

http://www.orchidboard.com/community...-recovery.html

http://www.orchidboard.com/community...remaining.html

Since you don't have much in the way of roots to support all the top growth, keep an eye on the potting medium. Your roots will be only in the top section of the pot, so that's the part you want to watch for dryness. If your roots went all the way down, you'd need to keep an eye on moisture lower in the pot.

[shaelyn]

a lot of people use styrofoam or packing peanuts (the regular kind, not the kind that dissolve in water or are otherwise treated) to stuff in the bottom of a pot. I can't imagine stones being a terrible idea so long as the water still drains well from the pot, but I think styrofoam may be a better idea...someone else here may be able to better answer that.

[Jinx]

I use lava stones at the bottom of my pots then moss at the top. Seems to keep it from being to wet in the center of the pot.

[Orchids4ever]

I second Brooke
the Pot is way to big for those small Roots.

[moerae]

Thank you all! I will implement these suggestions and let you know how things go! The hardest part is being patient! I think I will have to cut the flower spike near the base to give the plant a fighting chance, though it makes me so sad... I suppose I could stick it in some water to keep the blooms going for a little while longer though. Thanks again, everyone! Hope to report back with some good news soon

[Wild Orchid]

Originally Posted by moerae

Thank you all! I will implement these suggestions and let you know how things go! The hardest part is being patient! I think I will have to cut the flower spike near the base to give the plant a fighting chance, though it makes me so sad... I suppose I could stick it in some water to keep the blooms going for a little while longer though. Thanks again, everyone! Hope to report back with some good news soon

The spike will last in a vase the same length of time as if it was attached to the plant (for a good number of weeks!), sometimes it lasts even longer as blooms get more supply they need to bloom.
It wouldn't rebloom right away anyway, so there's no loss. On the positive side, cutting off the spike gives an orchid a chance to regroup and focus on recovery process. I cut spikes & place them in a vase most of the time right after bringing the new orchid home as it usually needs repotting.

I hope this provides some comfort.

Best of wishes,
Lilia