Just root rot or something more? Phal help - Orchid Board

Cathryn · #1 05-19-2013, 11:17 PM

Hello! Prospective Orchid guru here with a few questions.

I had been pretty successful with all of my Phals, until my most recent two. The first one I purchased in Canada first suffered from shock due to mid-winter transportation. Then, once I got it home I noticed it had some sort of fungus on it. I sprinkled it with cinnamon once and after about 4 days it cleared up. After that, the leaves started to wilt, but from that I got 2 new leaves and about 5 new roots!

My most recent orchid was a gift. When I got it, the roots were completely compacted by wet, smelly sphagnum moss. I cut away all the black roots and re potted it in some orchid mix in a self watering pot. About a week ago I noticed it still looked over watered.
I took it out of the pot and noticed that it had gotten root rot a second time, and the whole bottom of the pot was filled with soaking wet mix. I cut back the rotten roots again and re planted it in a different pot. There are still about 6 good roots so I'm hoping it comes back. I noticed this black spot at the base of my plant. I scraped away the back stuff, but underneath it was hard, like a root was trying to grow out of it. I ended up dusting it with cinnamon.
Is it just root rot or is my plant diseased?

I also wouldn't mind knowing what these little green bud things are.

Any tips or instruction would be greatly appreciated.

jesscorine · #2 05-20-2013, 12:07 AM

the last pic looks like a secondary bloom spike!

King_of_orchid_growing:) · #3 05-20-2013, 03:08 AM

That "little bud", is a newly emerging spike. You may not like what I'm going to advise...

Remove the entire spike and any subsequent spikes that may want to grow out. It is sapping the plant of precious energy it needs to recover.

Flowers are just plant genitalia. It is used for reproduction, and reproduction expends energy.

Focus on having the plant conserve energy.

RosieC · #4 05-20-2013, 03:58 AM

I agree with Philip. I have a struggling one I've just removed the tip of a new spike from for just this reason.

If you haven't already, pot in the smallest pot you can to allow fast drying, but also keep it watered regularly so it dries quickly and can be watered often without staying wet.

Cathryn · #5 05-20-2013, 06:06 AM

Well, there is another one at the very end of the spike as well (I think). Should I cut the whole spike off or just trim it down to the node that the other spike is growing off of?
Also, I put it back into a smaller pot, but its currently just sitting on top of some orchid mix. Should I cover the roots a bit or leave them out in the open for a while?

rosemadder · #6 05-20-2013, 07:52 AM

Orchids need so much air around their roots, and are so sensitive to excess moisture, that a self-watering pot can be a big problem. Generally speaking, any organic mix-- particular anything with small pieces-- is very prime for rot in that setup.

An inorganic, very porous media on the other hand, can work very well with a water reservoir. Check the semi-hydroponic forum for information on that method. I really like semi-hydro myself, because I'm a beginner and it takes a lot of guesswork out of watering. (for phals though extra heat can be important, as semi-hydro is prone to evaporative cooling)

By all means let it dry out for a few days. Phals grow on the trunks and branches of trees, with their roots largely exposed. With the right watering habits, some people can just put the plant in a pot totally barefoot with no media and grow it that way. We pretty much only stick phals in pots because we don't live in a jungle with super high humidity, high temperatures, and frequent mist/rain. Covering the roots helps hold moisture longer so we don't have to water them five times a day or whatever, but it comes with certain risks/issues.

Do some research and decide which potting method appeals to you and might best fit your habits, resources, and conditions-- ie, sphag moss, bark, S/H, or mounting.

Looks to me like the plant is probably vigorous enough to pull through this, but chopping the entire spike off at the base would make the recovery somewhat faster.

Cathryn · #7 05-20-2013, 08:19 AM

The roots are dry now, I think I'll just stick with misting once a day until I have a better system to try. I really don't want to cut it back, but I think everyone here is right. I'll give it a day to settle into its new pot then give the spike a good snip.

rosemadder · #8 05-20-2013, 08:41 AM

If you live somewhere very dry and/or hot, more than once a day might be good. A lot of the details of orchid care are specific to your conditions. Keeping it barefoot is a lot like keeping it mounted, it can be very good for the plant, and gives you a great ability to observe it and check on it often. So long as it is misted frequently enough and gets the right food, it will likely stay happy until you decide what else you want to try.

That's how I've been keeping my Vandas, with just a little bit of sphag and spanish moss tucked among the roots. Both of them had major root damage, and they're springing back nicely with new growth now. Gotta figure out what to do with them, if I ever want to go on vacation or anything else that means not getting to spray them every day.

Cathryn · #9 05-20-2013, 08:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rosemadder

If you live somewhere very dry and/or hot, more than once a day might be good. A lot of the details of orchid care are specific to your conditions. Keeping it barefoot is a lot like keeping it mounted, it can be very good for the plant, and gives you a great ability to observe it and check on it often. So long as it is misted frequently enough and gets the right food, it will likely stay happy until you decide what else you want to try.

Both of my Phals sit in an East facing bay window. We keep the house at 70*F, but the window creates its own little climate for the orchids. Its never overly humid, or warm. Would spraying twice a day work better? Its hard for me to tell because over watering and under watering look the same in the leaves.

rosemadder · #10 05-20-2013, 10:33 AM

When the orchid is barefoot, it's almost impossible to overwater. Nothing soggy sits around on the roots blocking air from reaching them.

The leaves won't tell you much about watering-- look at the roots, they will tell you everything, fast. Each time you water, spray it (or soak it in a bowl) until the roots darken from silver to greenish (use tepid water and take care not to let water sit in the creases between the leaves in the middle afterwards, and don't water in the evening). If the roots are plump, it is getting enough water. If they start to wrinkle, it needs more. If they get mushy and/or hollow, or if they don't plump up at all after a good soak, they're rotten or dead.

70 is good, but the window may expose the plants to different temperatures. Phals don't like getting much below 70, and below 60 may hurt them. If the window is bringing in a lot of cold, a heat mat under the orchid pot will fix that real quick.