Phal - Virtually Rootless

[Kino]

Hello everyone,

I am relatively new to orchids although I have accidentally killed my share. I just repotted a phal and noted that it had virtually no VIABLE ROOTS. They looked like brown strings of paper and fell off to the touch. It had ONE root but that one looked sick.

Should have checked here first but I repotted it in a combination of bark, perlite and charcoal. Then I watered it.

Should I re-pot in something more "airy" like sphag to get the roots going? Alternatively, I could simply keep an eye on it. How will I know if it is doing well or poorly?

Sorry, no picture.

Thank you for your help.

Kino

[meliana]

Hi Kino! I am relatively new as well (and certainly to the forum). My experience is that when you repot with a failing root system, the whole thing will be toast within months if you water normally. I think you could keep it in its current pot and medium IF: you encourage the plant to grow air roots in search of moisture by keeping the humidity high, and spray the base of the plant often, but water pretty much never. Keeping the orchid supported and stable will be very important since there are no roots to anchor it, use a stake or something similar. It will be slow going. Keep an eye out for anything black, fuzzy, crawling, or mushy, otherwise, any sign is a good sign.

If the whole plant is on the smaller side you could go the sphag and bag route, but I've never done this.

[WhiteRabbit]

I've not had luck reviving rootless Phals....

If you haven't already, check out the first few pages of this thread
http://www.orchidboard.com/community...ends-here.html

Hopefully some other members have advice for you.

[Polarizeme]

Bag and Sphag.... There is a good description and direction in that thread that White Rabbit posted for you. I've had good luck using this method on Phals. I have 3 growing and spiking right now that were in bags this past Spring.

Good luck and remember, if you do bag and sphag, for goodness sakes, LEAVE IT ALONE!!!

[Kino]

Thank you everyone for the helpful suggestions.

The "take away" I have gotten from the responders here on this thread and from other members is to keep the phal at 60F to 90F with HIGH humidity.

The current medium is bark, perlite and charcoal. Alternatively, I could re-pot in sphag moss if that is best for its recovery. One member suggested maintaining the medium but I wanted to point out that it is a bark, perlite and charcoal mix I made myself. An important point I should make is that I do not know if my medium is any good. (I am a newbie).

I should be able to handle the temperature. Not sure how to raise the humidity.

However, I have a large walk-in shower. It has a west facing opaque window and a large skylight.

(The window is actually beside where I currently keep most of my orchids. None of them have re-bloomed yet but I do not think it is a lighting issue. It is likely my poor water quality, lack of fertilizer, et.al. Fortunately, I am in the process of remedying these factors).

The shower generally gets used twice daily. I could set the plant far enough out of the way so it does not get "sprayed". With this method, it will get two nice doses of humidity each day. In fact, I could add to this by turning the shower on a couple of additional times as well.

Is placing a phal in a large walk-in shower an absolutely ridiculous idea or a possible solution to saving the rootless phal?

Again, thank you for your help!

Kino

[MrsH530]

I would get some KLN Rooting Hormone or KelpMax. Soak the plant in it and then put it back it its pot. I like the shower idea provided the plant itself isn't getting sprayed by the water - I would even inspect it each night to ensure that no water has collected between the leaves and the stem (will lead to more rot).

You can use the KLN or KelpMax on your other phals, too, to encourage good root growth, so it's a good investment anyway Good luck!

[Kino]

I ordered "Dyna-Gro K-L-N Rooting Concentrate 0.009-0.011-0.006, 1-Quart". Can not wait until it arrives.

What is the most effective way to make use of the product? Take the plant out, then soak it? Then replace. How often should I do this?

Kino

[aaaeeerrr]

Originally Posted by Polarizeme

Bag and Sphag.... There is a good description and direction in that thread that White Rabbit posted for you. I've had good luck using this method on Phals. I have 3 growing and spiking right now that were in bags this past Spring.

Good luck and remember, if you do bag and sphag, for goodness sakes, LEAVE IT ALONE!!!

can anyone explain this method of "bag and sphag" it ca be usefull one day