tea cup orchid roots..

[syspila]

No...white on the roots is not bad, it has to breathe. The green underneath is the active part. The velamen (white to wet green) collects the water. Wateer it very thoroughly when you water it...a little trickle here and there doesn't do it. As far as the belt on the root--look at the root that I spoke of, it has a narrow part around behind the green growth area, Of course, that is all green now!

[kindrag23]

I noticed that but had absolutely no idea what that meant.

[syspila]

Belt is my term! I meant a stopper in the sink earlier! Good luck!

[kindrag23]

Okay this may sound like an odd question. But when soaking my chid's really well is it okay for the end of the leaves to be in the water or do I need to prop them up out of the water. I know not to allow it to get into the center of the plants just not sure about the leaves and the end of the leaves.....

[syspila]

You can get water on the leaves, just if you get water in the middle, do that in the morning so it dries. Water constantly in the plant center is not a good cultural practice but every now and again it won't hurt. If you get water in the center use a napkin, paper towel or dry cloth to suck it up. Think about it. Orchids like these live in Rain Forest habitat so they are used to water. They usually are growing on the sides of trees so water drains off them. Rain Water is a good tool to clean the plant. Also, your plant is a mini Phal.
It should soon start a new leaf in the center. Then it might send up a flower spike--it might wait a bit...6 months or so.

[kindrag23]

Okay. Thank you so much. I knew that they are from the tropics. I had just read elsewhere not to get water on the leaves and thought that was the oddest thing I had heard.

[syspila]

In the tropics where they grow, they don't grow upright so much as in our in the "pot growing culture" so the water drains away very quickly, the sun somes out, its warm, so it drains very quickly. Here it is cooler and lower humidity so our growing culture has to take all this into account. So many Phal. cultivars trace their lineage back to the Philippines so we, in a way, adopt that climate and mechanics for what works here in our culturing practices.

[mattryan]

The best thing that you can do to help your mini phal out is to read the sticky: phal abuse ends here. Use a wooden skewer to help you determine when to water as watering changes over the season and your particular environment. It isn't water weekly as many factors determine when to water. If your medium is still damp below,but dry on top you can also mist. I would probably mist more than water weekly. Especially if you don't have alot of roots. The medium has no way of drying out sufficiently before watering again.
Welcome to the OB and feel free to ask questions lots of helpful peeps here. Remember though what may work for someone may not for you, we are all trying to find what our plants in our conditions like. Goodluck!!

Cheryl

[kindrag23]

Thanks I am misting mine about every other day we have been having 100+ degree weather around here and its drying them out quicker on the tops. So I have been misting quite a bit.

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[Cym Ladye]

Nowhere have i seen in your thread that you repotted your phal, which should have been the first thing to do when you got it. It appears to be in a ball of sphagnum moss topped with bark.

Now that you have read the sticky at the top of this Beginner forum. you should be able to do this and I would do it sooner than later. I suspect it will solve most of your problems and the plant will take off and thrive.

Cym Ladye