Phal with sponge growth on roots!

[Apricot]

Hello all.

I recently received my first phal for my birthday two saturdays ago. I was ecstatic and excited and all I want in the world is for her to be happy. She came to me with blooms and I have repotted her in a bark mix. For the last week or so I noticed that her leaves have gotten floppier so I decided to water her at least once a day. (Whenever the aerial roots looked gray/white) However, when I checked on her this morning I saw some sponge like growth on her roots! There were about 5-6 areas with the growth so I panicked and snipped them all off! (With a pair of scissors I cleaned with alcohol) I transferred her out of the pot she was in to a disinfected vase with the left over roots exposed. I'm wondering if I should remove even more of the yellowing roots and if I should do more for her. Any input or advice is very welcome.

Here are some photos taken by my phone. One of them is how I have her set up now. A few of the roots are green and many are yellow. I read online that as long the roots are not mushy or dried looking, I should leave them on. What do you think? And the sponge thing that was growing on the root I left in the bark mix.





Thank you!!

[cbuchman]

Daily watering is too much! Phals roots need air, so let them dry out a bit and then report in a loose mix of bark. Read the Thread here called the http://www.orchidboard.com/community...ends-here.html. It's a lot of reading, but well worth it (don't try to read it all in one sitting!)

Orchids in general don't take the same care as "regular" houseplants, but you'll get the hang of it. Generally, less care is better!

[Apricot]

Thanks for the reply! I'll definitely get to reading that thread. If orchid roots need to dry and aerated generally, why do we need to put them in a potting medium?

[cbuchman]

The potting medium is really for our convenience! Phals grow in nature sitting on trees branches and their roots anchor them. Growing them mounted is closer to their natural habitat, but takes a lot of effort on our part.

[Apricot]

Mmm. I see. Thanks! Do you have any suggestions for the yellow roots on my phal? They're not mushy but they aren't green and healthy looking either. Is it going to rot?

[Cintirella]

don't cut the yellow roots as I discovered too late that is normal. I learned the hard way. But I was able to save the plant after I cut these yellow roots. " Never again " I learned LOTS here, is the best place I know for Orchids care

[cbuchman]

Kepp roots unless they are brown and feel mushy. Some plants just have yellow roots. If you expose the roots to light, they can turn more green. Since Phals can photosynthesize through their roots, a lot of people use clear pots to 1) see the moisture levels in the medium; 2) check the color of the roots (green = moist, white-ish=drying); and 3) the roots get to make food for the plant.

[Apricot]

Thanks. I will keep the advice in mind. Is there a reason why the leaves have gotten very limp? I thought that occurs because the plant isn't getting enough water, but I shouldn't water too much. So are there any reasons as to why leaves would become floppy asides from watering level?

[RandomGemini]

I would check the stem for signs of rot. You're looking for black spots (not purple, purple is OK!) that don't wipe away with a paper towel.

I received an overwatered orchid and it had a very fast moving sort of rot that progressed through the root system and into the stem within a week. The first sign I saw of a problem, was droopy leaves. The next sign I saw, was yellowing leaves. Overwatering causes the roots to rot and that's actually our biggest problem with orchids. Often times, when you buy an orchid from a local store, they water the plants daily and orchids really only need to be watered every 7-10 days if they are kept in pots. When I bring home a new orchid, I often don't water it for up to two weeks, because the plants are usually so water logged, that it takes that long for the medium they're in to dry out. I just set it in my isolation room and forget about it until it's time to relocate it to my grow space.

[Island Girl]

Sometimes, when phal leaves have gotten wrinkly (either from being under-watered, or from being over-watered - in which case, they're wrinkled because their roots have rotted, leaving them incapable of taking in enough water to support the leaves (which will NOT be fixed by watering more often)), they will stay wrinkly... Eventually, with proper care, & good culture, it will drop those leaves, replacing them with new ones.

As an FYI, orchids are slow growers, so don't expect it to replace these leaves quickly.... Orchid growing requires us to have a lot of patience