Severely sunburned Phalaenopsis

[rvalkenburg]

I would still repot it at this point for many reasons. First since this is a "Store" bought plant and in moss it has probably been over watered and the media typically is soaked from what I have seen over the years. Second reason is that if it was left in the car that long to burn the leaves that means the root temperature was extreme and if in a moist media it may have boiled the roots. The other is since its a "Store" plant there is probably root rot, does not matter what the leaves look like or that is has a flower spike. The longer you keep it in the same pot and media the worse that can get as the bacteria will keep attacking the healthy roots. I have stripped down hundreds of these store bought plants (leaves, spikes, roots, media, pot) and have never lost one yet. It will take sometime for it to recover but nothing with Orchids is fast.

[james mickelso]

The leaves scorched because of sunlight not temperature. If it were from temperature all the leaves would have been fried. The roots are encased in moss and as you say, wet moss. I doubt they got boiled. My reasoning stays the same. Repot this and it will surely die. The roots and lower unburned leaves are all that is keeping this hydrated and alive. All that has been compromised at this juncture are what was exposed to strong sunlight. Repot it and the roots will become damaged further dooming the plant. We don't know if this store bought (most phals here are store bought) phal's roots are compromised. Many store bought phals have very good root systems. Most have old roots that are dieing back but due only to age. These are the original roots that the plant produced when laid on the first sphagnum moss plug. These will die back and heal themselves. The second set of roots are all that is keeping this alive. I wouldn't take the chance and injure them. Your choice.

[cra323]

Originally Posted by james mickelso

The leaves scorched because of sunlight not temperature. If it were from temperature all the leaves would have been fried. The roots are encased in moss and as you say, wet moss. I doubt they got boiled. My reasoning stays the same. Repot this and it will surely die. The roots and lower unburned leaves are all that is keeping this hydrated and alive. All that has been compromised at this juncture are what was exposed to strong sunlight. Repot it and the roots will become damaged further dooming the plant. We don't know if this store bought (most phals here are store bought) phal's roots are compromised. Many store bought phals have very good root systems. Most have old roots that are dieing back but due only to age. These are the original roots that the plant produced when laid on the first sphagnum moss plug. These will die back and heal themselves. The second set of roots are all that is keeping this alive. I wouldn't take the chance and injure them. Your choice.

I think I am just going to cut the spikes and leaves for now. Fortunately, this phal. was planted in a clear plastic pot, so I can see the roots deeper down; and they all look really good, firm, green and healthy. Not only that, but it doesn't look like it was planted too tightly or overwatered.

But I do have some more questions---

How can I distinguish between young roots and old roots that are dying off/back due to age? What do these roots normally look like? You say that these roots die back and heal themselves, so I'm assuming that when I do eventually repot I don't remove these roots?

Also, when would you suggest I do repot this? Like I said before, the root system looks good and healthy, and had this phal. not been sunburned, I probably wouldn't repot it till a year or so...

I attached pictures of the roots

[cra323]

Oh, I forgot one more question---

When cutting the leaves, I've read advice that says cut into the healthy part and advice that says to cut into the dead part (like half an inch from the healthy), can someone give me a little more info. about this?

Also, is there a good book I can buy about Orchid growing so I don't have to keep on bugging y'all

[RandomGemini]

Oh probably, but even better, there's a thread:

http://www.orchidboard.com/community...ends-here.html

Read about the first 12 pages. Do grab a cuppa and be prepared for a LOT of information. I'd focus on the posts by King of Orchid Growing. Pretty much everything you need to know about taking care of a Phalaenopsis is in there, and there's some cool science stuff in there too. Reading through that thread simplified a lot of stuff in my mind about how to best take care of my phals. I wish we had one for every genera too.

[james mickelso]

This looks as though it has been repotted already. There is a denser plug of moss at the center of this but few roots grow there as they mostly grow around that plug after their second repotting. These look very healthy so just water this when it is fairly dry. You can cut the leaves either place. I would cut at the junction between the two areas and dab cinnamon on the edge of the slice. There are many good books out there. The internet is still one of the best ways to get info. And we loved to be bugged.