Mini Phal in sphag

[lauraeli]

I like to grow my minis in sphag. My first mini has been in it since i got it and started active growth very shortly after getting it home. It has grown quite a few new roots, and is putting out two new leaves.

The one I potted in bark did not fair so well. The few roots it had left (after poor care at the store) rotted away to nothing.

Bark makes me uncomfortable, and I cant care for a plant well unless Im confident. I am trying again with bark, as my two new phals are potted in it. But, it makes me nervous every day when I look at them. So I don't look at them very much. :-(

[judith_arquette]

Originally Posted by james mickelso

Phals grow very well in moss. In fact they grow very well hanging on a wire with no media at all. Baskets, pots, mounted in an old tire. The media/pot doesn't matter at all. How you water and when you water is all that matters. This is most likely potted in moss that is very compacted. If left in this moss it will eventually rot, if it hasn't already started too. You can actually repot this now. In flower. Into the same moss in which it is potted now. Now kidding. I do it all the time and my flowers last a month or more. That depends on how old the flowers are to begin with and not being repotted. A month or so ago I posted a short repotting pictorial. I pulled out all the compacted moss, placed the plant back into the original pot, and proceeded to place the old moss right back into the pot. Plants grew very well. In fact they are still growing with new leaves and roots. If you are careful not to bend or break the roots while repotting then the flowers don't skip a beat. If you want to wait until the flowers drop naturally then keep this phal on the dry side. Skewers are fine but I much prefer the weight of the plant as it is a better indicator of how dry the entire root mass is. But I would rather you drip water onto the roots a little at a time. There is no harm in pulling this plant out of the pot right now and inspecting the roots. Won't hurt it a bit. If there is more than a little rot on a few of the roots....re-pot now. If they look healthy, wait. Your choice. Post a couple pics for us of the roots.

Took your advice and the roots looked pretty good despite it being packed so tightly in sphag

[james mickelso]

You'll notice the inner part of the root ball has some thin wiry threads which are the original roots. The inner portion of the root ball, directly under the plant has no roots left. All the roots came out of the plant and went right to the edge of the pot and then down and around the pot. They were seeking somewhere to hold onto and get out of all that wetness. Phals want a wet/dry environment in which to live. In the wild it rains, and then the rain stops and the wind dries the roots out. All that is left is high humidity if it is the rainy season. In the dry season it may go awhile with no rain. The phal roots, like most orchid roots, have adapted to this wet/dry cycle. So now that you have cut off all the dead or mushy roots and the old threads, place a good wad of moss, rolled up in a ball, inside the root mass. Place the plant back into the pot and continue to place small wads of moss into the pot to stabilize the plant in the pot. Once that is accomplished, water it. No place it in it's growing area, give it warmth, good light short of full sunlight, and don't water it until it is as light as a feather.

[RandomGemini]

Originally Posted by james mickelso

Phals grow very well in moss. In fact they grow very well hanging on a wire with no media at all. Baskets, pots, mounted in an old tire. The media/pot doesn't matter at all. How you water and when you water is all that matters. This is most likely potted in moss that is very compacted. If left in this moss it will eventually rot, if it hasn't already started too. You can actually repot this now. In flower. Into the same moss in which it is potted now. Now kidding. I do it all the time and my flowers last a month or more. That depends on how old the flowers are to begin with and not being repotted. A month or so ago I posted a short repotting pictorial. I pulled out all the compacted moss, placed the plant back into the original pot, and proceeded to place the old moss right back into the pot. Plants grew very well. In fact they are still growing with new leaves and roots. If you are careful not to bend or break the roots while repotting then the flowers don't skip a beat. If you want to wait until the flowers drop naturally then keep this phal on the dry side. Skewers are fine but I much prefer the weight of the plant as it is a better indicator of how dry the entire root mass is. But I would rather you drip water onto the roots a little at a time. There is no harm in pulling this plant out of the pot right now and inspecting the roots. Won't hurt it a bit. If there is more than a little rot on a few of the roots....re-pot now. If they look healthy, wait. Your choice. Post a couple pics for us of the roots.

This!

But I wanted to add, often when I purchase a mini phal, they are in a tiny pot, too small to fit a skewer in and yes, with compacted moss. You can loosen some of that moss now and simply tuck it back into the pot and there won't be an issue. Before doing this, I'd give the plant a thorough watering, if it's not already water logged from having been overwatered at the store. That will make the roots a little more resilient to being handled when you go to remove the compacted moss.

[james mickelso]

Actually if the roots are just barely damp they are the most pliable and the least likely to break. When they are full of water or when they are completely dry they break. I use tweezers to slowly pull out the moss which lessens any breakage as long as you are careful. It can go right back into the same pot in which it came. Another pot slightly larger is ok but not much larger as this will hold too much moisture and that is what fungus develops in.

[RandomGemini]

Good to know! I'll remember that for my next repot!