Sick Phalaenopsis continual root rotting and now shriveling? Please help! - Orchid Board

Cassey · #1 08-11-2016, 04:25 PM

Hello,

I've had my first orchid, a phalaenopsis for about two months now. It came in bloom with two flower spikes and gorgeous blue blooms! I didn't know anything about orchids. My husband bought it for me and since I've fallen in love with them! Anyway, the flowers started to wilt soon after he brought it home. Also, I had used miracle grow orchid spikes on it, having them in the pot at half strength recommended for about two weeks. Since then, I have tried to educate myself as best as possible on Phalaenopsis and orchids in general. I stopped using the miracle grow spikes because I am worried it caused bud blast. I ordered a urea free orchid food but it has yet to get here. It came potted in bark. My humidity here has been around 30% give or take it is summer right now heading towards fall. I put a humidifier next to my orchid as soon as I noticed it declining. About a month after having it I checked its roots and many were brown, mushy and rotten. That is when I really started to worry and repotted the poor guy into another bark only mixture also cutting away the dead roots. I didn't care if the blooms died as long as the plant survived. Also I have kept it in super low light until this last week keeping it about 1 foot away from the window to let it have more indirect sunlight. I will attach two photos taken today of the plant. one is of a root that looks like it is starting to rot again after repotting, and another of the top or an aerial root that is looking shriveled. I have been misting the aerial roots for 3 days now seeing as they have been pretty dry and are the healthiest roots my poor phal has. The crazy thing is that it seems like the aerial root started shriveling in the last day and today after I've started misting the top of the roots and the top of the media. Since it is potted in bark it dries out quickly. I usually have watered as soon as the pot is fairly dry about every 5 to 7 days. I also recently put holes in the plastic pot to try and help with aeration since the roots seemed to be rotting. I have also kept it out of its decorative pot to try and help keep it drier as well. I am at a total loss here and I really don't want to lose my orchid! Any help is very very much appreciated!!! I am a total newbie and desperately need help :'(

cmoonbeam1 · #2 08-11-2016, 08:41 PM

Hi,

I'm not a great expert, but I do have several phals that do well.

I would say first and foremost, don't panic. Phals are pretty hardy. You can do this.

also, don't worry too much if the roots appear dry. Phals can handle drying out. the most common cause for shrivelled leaves is root loss (leading to dehydration) but an orchid can recover from this.

I would also recommend watering less freuently, as it's in a plastic pot. the centre of the media can remain wet for a while. Once again, don't be afraid to let it dry out. Drying out a bit can actually have the effect of giving the roots a chance to recover.

If you're still having problems, I'd recommend repotting yet again, into a plain clay/terracotta pot. These tend to wick water out of the pot and let the roots breathe.

When/if you repot, once again, cut off the roots that have rotted, and clean the roots with tepid water. finish up by spraying them with hydrogen peroxide 3% (available in almost every pharmacy) as this can act as an antifungal agent.

Last but not least, and I'm not sure if this is a problem for you, but make sure to always water with tepid water - not warm and not cold. This was one of my first orchid mistakes. Watering with cold water can also cause blooms and buds to drop.

Hope this helps

(edit) Your orchid will almost definitely not rebloom blue. Blue orchids are generally dyed unless they're fancy schmancy varieties, and even then, they're more purple than blue. It may be white, or even something else - a mystery!

Cassey · #3 08-11-2016, 09:14 PM

Hello,

Thank you so much! I guess I probably need to calm down and have patience with this poor guy too. I will cut back on watering and see how my little phal does! If I don't see improvements or more roots look dead in a week or so I'll repot again and look into a terracotta or clay pot! I usually have used tepid water but I do use tap water and I know it has chlorine in it. I guess I've been meaning to ask if that is harmful for phals as well? I have a water filter but I've heard mixed things on using tap/filtered water. I was an idiot in the beginning and used ice cubes because this company had recommended watering this way so maybe that caused the bud blast and started other problems

I will just be happy if it blooms again ANY color! lol I think the tag said it would rebloom white and that is perfectly great for me!

AnonYMouse · #4 08-12-2016, 04:38 AM

Everything you need to know about Phals is in the The Phal abuse ends here thread.

And I recommend using the skewer method to check media moisture.

Leafmite · #5 08-12-2016, 05:28 PM

Good luck with your first Phal! I wish I could give you great advice but I have just two (Phal bellinas), both in red lava rock and basket pots as that is the only way I do not render them rootless. I have tried everything else but fail, likely because I cannot get the watering quite right. :|

rbarata · #6 08-12-2016, 07:05 PM

Watering every 5 to 7 days with 30% HR might be too long.
One question: when you took the photo of the root, was it after you've water it?

One more thing...your phal seems ok, no shriveled leaves, nice and normal green tone...and the aerial roots thend to shrivel when they get old and they don't recover even if your watering is correctly dosed. They are replaced by new ones, usually when new leaves start to grow.

Cym Ladye · #7 08-12-2016, 07:06 PM

What are the little white specks in bark in the first photo? Is it part of the media or a fertilizer? I looks suspiciously like larva. If in fact they are, it would account for your loss of roots in the media as they are eating the roots from the inside. Otherwise, the aerial roots and the plant leaves look fine.

rbarata · #8 08-12-2016, 07:10 PM

Quote:

What are the little white specks in bark in the first photo?

I asked myself the same question but I never thought about larvae. It looked to me some kind of seed.

fishmom · #9 08-12-2016, 08:43 PM

Hm. I thought it looked like rice hulls, which are included in some mixes I have ordered online. Hope we find out!

gngrhill · #10 08-13-2016, 01:08 AM

Looks like rice hulls to me also. in photo 1, that rotten spot on the otherwise green root looks like some kind of damage that allowed a bacterial rot to start. the root otherwise looks healthy enough. Maybe you just need to unpot it, clean up the rotten spots and plant it back in some new medium. I don't think that spot is caused by too much water. The roots on top look ok, just need to be misted occasionally to green up.