Phal, First Aid

[Bralandros]

I bought this little yellow phal at lowes packed in spag with no drainage. I brought it home and tended to it letting it get bone dry before wattering just a very smalll amount with a spray bottle. The flowers started falling lost 4 in one night with 4 left and two unopened. I took it out of the pot to find to my horror all but 2 roots had rotted. I repotted it in orchid bark in a clear pot . My girlfriend likes the flowers but im worried the plant has 2 of 5 leaves yellowing and turning limp Should i sacrafice the spike and see if the plant will recover of do you think nature will take care of it and the spike witll abort on it's own.

[Skayc1]

yes sacrifice the spike to save the plant.

[gnathaniel]

Cutting off existing spikes doesn't help a distressed plant. Better to leave it on and allow the plant to reallocate mobile nutrients within the spike tissue as it needs.

[KrissieLynn]

Put it in a warm, semi-bright, slightly humid place. This will encourage the plant to make new roots. This is a VERY slow process, anywhere from a couple of weeks to a couple of months, so be patient. I know this works- I saved my first orchid by doing that.

You can use an aquarium or some sort of tall enclosure to help increase the humidity and keep the temperature steady around the orchid while it "heals".

[Island Girl]

^+1 ~ I second Nat's post... And as long as the yellowing leaves are the bottom leaves, and they don't have any squishy brown/black/or clear-ish squishy, &/or water-y spots on them, leave them be as well (any combination of those are bad). These leaves will also provide some nutrients to the plant as they die back, just like the spikes do.

Just keep the Phal in the highest humidity you can provide. Also, make sure there is nice air circulation, along with the humidity, otherwise you r asking for another kind of death But u don't need a hurricane either . You will want some good warmth, (not Hot!) around 83°-89°F (daytime). Fyi, if it's too warm/hot, and the humidity is low, the orchid will lose water, instead of retaining it, so watch for that as well.

I've also heard to put an ailing orchid in slightly less light, as that will help it to not lose so much water (thru the leaves), b/c it won't perform as much photosynthesis as it would with normal light. But, I can't recall if I have ever heard a confirmation on whether this is a fact or not.

Edit: The above poster beat me to it! That post wasn't there before Well, sorry for the repeat! Lol

[KrissieLynn]

Originally Posted by Island Girl

I've also heard to put an ailing orchid in slightly less light, as that will help it to not lose so much water (thru the leaves), b/c it won't perform as much photosynthesis as it would with normal light. But, I can't recall if I have ever heard a confirmation on whether this is a fact or not.

I had mine low (sitting on the carpet) in an eastern window, so it got some morning light, but not much as it went away quickly once the trees leafed out. I've had to move it because the air vent that was keeping it warm in winter is now pumping out cold air.