New Phal Surf Song and a few questions - Orchid Board

Fuzzy · #1 06-24-2014, 11:59 AM

Got a gorgeous and very healthy-looking new Phal Surf Song from the flower district this morning! Very excited - it has two spikes and many buds yet to open.

It obviously came in the flimsy grower's plastic pot packed with sphag, so I immediately got it out, loosened and removed a bit of the moss, and drop-potted it into a clay pot (the only pot I had on hand that was the right size). I hope that's ok. I was too chicken to go for a full repot because I have another phal that lost most of it's blooms due to repot, most likely. Can phals thrive in moss in clay pots?? What's the best way to water them in this setup?

Also, I got some of this pretty greenish moss (not sphag) just covering the roots very loosely. It looks good, but is it good for the orchid? Are they better off having the roots bare (I'm not planning to water this moss, I will remove it prior to watering)? The humidity here is quite low due to central a/c, and both my other phals had all their aerial roots wither and die...

WhiteRabbit · #2 06-24-2014, 06:30 PM

Nice Phal

For myself, I prefer clay pots when using sphag - I always use a skewer (as near the center of the pot as possible) so I can tell when to water

quiltergal · #3 06-24-2014, 06:44 PM

It should be fine. Just be aware that the sphag will dry faster in clay than it does in plastic, so you may have to water more often.

james mickelso · #4 06-25-2014, 12:56 AM

Your roots withered and died due to not watering them enough and because they weren't matured enough to absorb much water. If your air conditioning air flow is flowing onto your orchids, they will all die. Phals don't need a lot of humidity but do need warmth, and good light levels. If they dry out quickly, water them. I pot most of my phals in clay. Some with large side slits. I water them every time they are dry. I see one good looking root down in the moss. Orchids usually, for those we get from TJ, WallMart, Lowes, ect, are force bloomed on plants too young to really bloom and that stresses them out.

lotis146 · #5 06-25-2014, 02:14 AM

I've found that Phals can be happy in moss, in my case at least, when they can dry out most of the way then water them good. Someone at Hausermann's told me that they've found moss seems to hold fertilizer better and closer to the roots. It seemed to me when I was there that all their Phals were in moss. And I've got quite a few from them that I haven't yet repotted and they've survived not being watered for 3.5 weeks & 6 weeks while still holding their blooms and producing some new growth. Moss seems to require patience and attention (patience so as not to water too soon). That's my amateur two cents at least...

Fuzzy · #6 06-25-2014, 10:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by james mickelso

Your roots withered and died due to not watering them enough and because they weren't matured enough to absorb much water. If your air conditioning air flow is flowing onto your orchids, they will all die. Phals don't need a lot of humidity but do need warmth, and good light levels. If they dry out quickly, water them. I pot most of my phals in clay. Some with large side slits. I water them every time they are dry. I see one good looking root down in the moss. Orchids usually, for those we get from TJ, WallMart, Lowes, ect, are force bloomed on plants too young to really bloom and that stresses them out.

James, this phal has some of the best-looking roots I've ever seen (attaching another pic to show you). The aerial ones are all very, very nice. The ones in the sphag are thinner, but some of those are probably very very old from the times this phal was tiny. They all look green as far as I can see. There is no a/c flow onto the phal (the vents are covered), but it should have good air circulation and lots of indirect light. But the humidity here is pretty low. Do you think I should mist the leaves and aerial roots? Or not necessary? I don't want these nice aerial roots to start dying! Those phals in your pics, did you repot them into moss or did they come this way and you drop-potted them into clay pots? Thanks!

james mickelso · #7 06-26-2014, 12:25 AM

All my phals are rescued by dumpsters, trash cans, HD, Lowes, and orchid show donation tables. Most have or are losing most of their roots to rot or near death due to dehydration. Mainly because they were over watered at first, lost most of their roots to rot, and then left for dead. I take them out of the usual moss media, and then repack them with the moss I removed. But It has been shredded and placed back into the pot around the remaining roots (if any) and watered. Then I allow them to dry thoroughly before watering again. I also use either Ray's kelp stuff or some secret root growth stuff I got from my friendly hydroponics store. The stuff is amazing so far. Better than Ray's (sorry Ray). It has no trade marks or ID of any kind on the little squirt bottle. I'm just experimenting with it for my friend. I water only when they are completely dry. They are growing new leaves and roots. The roots I see in the new pic are immature and don't absorb water yet. Probably in the next few weeks they will expand and start slowly absorbing some of the water you put on them. I also pot in lava, bark, those expanded clay balls, but mostly in sphagnum moss. When their roots start to get more absorbent I repot them into bark. I like bark because it is so porous and I can water all I want without rotting the roots. They flower twice and sometimes three times a year once established.