Phalaenopsis root care questions - Orchid Board

Sahlabiya · #1 07-02-2013, 04:09 PM

Hi Everyone,

I just joined today because I am worried about the roots on my phal...I've had it since October and I got it from a friend - clearly from a grocery store type location. It had great flowers that bloomed for 4 months. In spring I re-potted it and one flower bloomed, a couple of buds did not. It's growing a beautiful shiny new leaf.

A few days ago I realized it has some root rot, so I took it out of its medium (mixed fine and coarse bark), which was very wet at the bottom. I cut off all of the roots that had skins that came off easily to reveal strings inside, or were mushy. I soaked the roots in a fungicide (Agri-Fos) for about 10 minutes, cleaned the pot, and repotted in a mixture of coarse bark and Hydroton. Now I just want to check if things look OK and where to go from here - I am new to growing orchids and I lost one phal to a long, slow death of root rot so I'm trying to do things right at an earlier point.

I'm attaching photos - I'm curious about the following questions: (I last watered 2 days ago but have done some mild misting on the aerial roots and leaves each day).
1) Do the aerial roots look OK - especially the fuzzy one in the third photo? They have some parts that are green/silver and some parts that have brown parts or strings attaching green parts. I tried not to cut any root that is solid no matter the color - some have brown blotches.
2) I left more aerial roots out then there were before this repotting. Should I make sure more roots are covered?
3) Is a mixture of bark and Hydroton ok?
4) The lower leaves look like they could be starting to turn yellow (see photo number 4). How can I tell how often I should be watering? I've been feeding once a week with a 20-20-20 orchid food at half the prescribed strength (I use the prescribed strength for my Oncidium

I will be so grateful if anyone can check if I am going in the right direction with this, and steer me towards how often to water!

WhiteRabbit · #2 07-02-2013, 11:13 PM

Looks good to me

KrissieLynn · #3 07-03-2013, 09:21 AM

I'm of the opinion it looks like you caught the problem before it became a big problem. Good job!

Sahlabiya · #4 07-12-2013, 04:21 AM

Thanks! The new growth still looks good so I guess it's doing OK!

tucker85 · #5 07-12-2013, 07:53 AM

The roots look fine to me. I don't think you need to cover the roots with mix. I like the chunky mix that you're using. The new mix will not hold a lot of water initially but as it ages it will hold more and more water. That means that 6 months from now you may need to water less than you water now. Lower leaves turning yellow is probably just a normal dying off of older leaves. I, for one, like the idea of misting aerial roots. Phals need a constant supply of moisture because they don't have pseudobulbs to store water, but the roots also need air and need to dry a little bit to prevent rot. You can allow a few extra days for the mix to dry while you mist the aerial roots to make sure the orchid is getting enough moisture. Good luck.

Sahlabiya · #6 07-12-2013, 03:32 PM

Thanks so much - I really like the idea of misting the top roots while waiting for the ones in the mix to dry!

WhiteRabbit · #7 07-12-2013, 07:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sahlabiya

Thanks so much - I really like the idea of misting the top roots while waiting for the ones in the mix to dry!

Be careful that misting those roots doesn't lead to media being to wet

lornaheath · #8 07-13-2013, 02:54 AM

Can I ask HOW you are watering this plant?

Lorna
x x x

Sahlabiya · #9 07-13-2013, 04:32 PM

Thanks for asking - I run water through it for several minutes from the sink and then pour a cup of water with fertilizer 20-20-20 at half the strength that I use for my oncidium. I do think that other than the new leaf, the leaves are looking too dry.

lornaheath · #10 07-13-2013, 05:59 PM

I asked about your watering methods because you are using the Hydroton in your mix Sahlabiya.

To my mind, you should be using the capillary action that the Hydroton causes by drawing the water up to the roots.

Fill a saucer with about 225 mls of water and leave to stand for 48 hours. That should completely rehydrate the roots and plump them out.

I am finding fantastic success with feeding the roots. When they are this plump and moistened, they are much better receptors for receiving the food and nutrients given too.

I believe that if you get the roots right then the leaves will follow.

Let me know how you go on please. I am really interested to see how you fare.

Lorna
x x x