Phalaenopsis Sogo Yukidian v3 - Orchid Board

RandomGemini · #1 09-14-2013, 05:03 PM

So, I picked this guy up at a hardware store last weekend. I immediately repotted it because I suspected there was significant root rot given the condition of the leaves of the plant and how tightly that moss was packed. You could even see a few rotted roots on the outside of the clear plastic container inside the ceramic pot.

I now know what root rot looks like and it's nasty! I sterilized an exacto knife and trimmed all of the rotted roots away, but I was still left with a GOOD number of healthy roots, probably about half. Two of the leaves on this puppy are yellow and dehydrated. I'm going to wait for them to drop off. I think I should cut the spike on this baby, but I am going to be so heartbroken to see those blooms go away, even though one of them looks like something ate a hole in it.

From what I've been reading about this orchid, it looks like this is a great plant for beginners. It tolerates higher light than other phals and the blooms it puts up are huge and it apparently likes to grow and bloom a lot.

I got the cashier to give it to me for half price because I showed them the rotted roots and yellowed leaves. They recommended miracle gro potting soil to set it to rights, I smiled and left the miracle gro on their shelf.

Anyway, someone please convince me that cutting the spike is probably the right thing to do for this baby, or not. How long could I keep the blooms alive in a vase if I did cut the spike? The size of these flowers just makes me smile when I see them every morning and I'm looking forward to saving this plant and seeing it bloom again soon.

Here are the pics:

Roots are looking much healthier now. They were yellow/white and now they are quite green.

Island Girl · #2 09-14-2013, 05:33 PM

You should probably cut the spike.... It will be able to send the energy to roots & leaves, and grow big, and flower for you

I've heard (never tried it, but I believe it) that you can put the cut spike in a vase of water, and it will last pretty much as long as it would've if still attached to the plant.

Whenever I put (regular) cut flowers in a vase, I actually add Mello Yello (or Mtn Dew) b/c the sugars help to feed, and the carbonation, & acidic nature of the lemon/lime juice supposedly keeps it from going bad (thru bacteria and whatnot)... It's been awhile since I read about that, so I can't remember what the specific ingredients do, but I do know that it works, and has for years, my cut flowers last for at least a week longer than normal, and if you change out the water regularly (& add back in the M.Yello, then it lasts for another week or so.... Sounds weird, but it works, you could try that. Of course, even w/o the soda added, just changing the water often, helps it to last longer.

sorry for the novel there!

Orquiadicto · #3 09-14-2013, 06:50 PM

I once cut a spike from a phal to save the plant. I put the blooming spike in a vase with plain tap water and the blooms lasted at least a month.

RandomGemini · #4 09-14-2013, 07:43 PM

Okay… I'm gonna do it tomorrow. I can't bring myself to do it today, I want to enjoy the flowers on the plant for one more day, then I will put them in a vase. I have another plant that, of all things, my hubby brought home from who knows where that I am gonna research today. I'll enjoy the blooms while I do that.

Thank you all for your help!

kindrag23 · #5 09-14-2013, 08:36 PM

I just rescued two very pretty phal's and had to cut the spikes one had a lot of roots when I thought there were not going to be. My other that looked like it had a lot of healthy roots had like 2ish....So its 3 spikes had to go by by just now....sad day I know....

---------- Post added at 06:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:33 PM ----------

@island girl I have heard of bleach but never Mountain Dew I will give it a shot!!

RandomGemini · #6 09-14-2013, 09:01 PM

Yeah, this phal does still have a good amount of roots, in spite of my cutting about half of them away. I would say it has more than ten, possibly even twenty.

My daughter came home with a catt tonight that.. wow. Let's just say that I'm making her clean my potting area with a 50/50 bleach solution, just in case, because I know it had pill bugs in the media and lord knows what else was in there. At least this phal isn't that bad!

kindrag23 · #7 09-14-2013, 09:15 PM

Yeah its not the pill bugs I worry about!! lol!! do they harm plants?

RandomGemini · #8 09-14-2013, 09:18 PM

I believe, if I recall from the phal abuse thread, that they are an indicator of rotting vegetation. When she removed her catt from the pot, sure enough, probably 75 percent of the roots were mushy, dark brown and gross.

I've never kept a catt, neither has she, so we did what we'd do for a phal. We cut all the mushy gross out and have it sitting in a starbucks cup with the bottom cut off and holes in it, to air it out overnight. We tossed the old media and are soaking the pot it came in, in bleach water and have some fresh media soaking. I hope phal mix will work for it, it's what I have on hand. LOL!

Bill U. · #9 09-14-2013, 09:31 PM

Pill bugs, aka "rollie-polies" can be an indicator of rotting vegetation, although they are normally most seen in an exterior environment- not normally in an indoor setting unless it was transported there by contaminated media or after spending some time outside.

For the catt, you did the right thing of cutting all of the mushy gross roots out. One thing to know about cattleyas is that they like their roots to dry out significantly more than phals. Many of them will develop root rot quickly if they are over-watered. The roots will turn a light white or cream-ish color when they are dry, and like the phals, should turn green with a good watering. I highly recommend the skewer method of indicating moisture levels in catts because then you can really get the feeling of how your plant is absorbing moisture. For details on the skewer method, you can find it in the "phal abuse ends here" thread.

The phal mix may work as long as it is on the chunkier side- there are some mixes that have small chunks of bark that retain a lot of moisture (due to higher compaction in the pot) and also if there is any sphagnum moss, etc in there. If you feel that your mix may be borderline on the grade of chunkiness- the skewer method will help and putting it in a clay pot would help as well, due to the natural "breathing" of the clay to help the entire rootball dry out faster/ at an even rate.

Please let us know if you have any other questions!

RandomGemini · #10 09-14-2013, 09:44 PM

Thanks! The mix I have is the better gro phalaenopsis mix. It doesn't have moss. The mix does seem chunky to me. Half inch to one inch sized pieces.

This is what their site says it contains:

Better-Gro® Phalaenopsis Mix, is a fertile mixture of Canadian chunk peat blended with western fir bark, hardwood charcoal and coarse perlite.

I can run down to the hardware store for their special orchid mix, which says it's for cattelyas if that would be better. I was planning to grab a bag anyway because hubby brought home an oncidium that does need a repot.