Struggling phal can't make up its mind

[lauraeli]

New roots, leaves, keikis, and speedy white dots

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by lauraeli

Update, mystery phal is loving terrarium life. What are these fast moving white specks on the underside of the leaf? Probably not spider mites, too humid, and no webbing. Possibly benign? I don't have a magnifying glass

Are these the white specks that you show in a previous photo? Mealy bugs are very common (I think"Phalaenopsis" is Latin for "mealy bug magnet") , but they don't move fast. I'd suggest spraying with a soap solution, or neem oil (with a bit of dish soap) even better.

[lauraeli]

Yes, i have a video of them too. Tiny white bugs (mites?) on terrarium phal - YouTube

No mottling of the leaves or any sign of being fed on. I would like to determine what they are before spraying anything, I have shrimp living in the water of my terrarium.

[bil]

I have to say that my advice is as follows. Choose the medium and where you want it finally. Do that and then leave it alone.
It had clearly been suffering prior to the first pics, so don't repeat that. Personally I don't like phals in moss, they are more susceptible to cold, and you have to be ultra careful with watering.
The exception is when they are mounted, whereupon moss is your friend.

Above all, don't keep checking and fiddling with them. Root tips are horrifically fragile, and moving the plant can rupture the tips and stop the roots from growing.

[lauraeli]

Originally Posted by bil

I have to say that my advice is as follows. Choose the medium and where you want it finally. Do that and then leave it alone.
It had clearly been suffering prior to the first pics, so don't repeat that. Personally I don't like phals in moss, they are more susceptible to cold, and you have to be ultra careful with watering.
The exception is when they are mounted, whereupon moss is your friend.

Above all, don't keep checking and fiddling with them. Root tips a horrifically fragile, and moving the plant can rupture the tips and stop the roots from growing.

I'm growing it barerooted from now on. It will be in the terrarium until it outgrows it

[Dollythehun]

If you don't want to spray it, take it out, wipe is with soapy water, let it sit a bit and rinse. Then put it back.

You have the advise of three of the best growers...

[lauraeli]

Thanks. I can certainly take steps to get rid of the bugs if need be. I am more so curious what they might be. I like bugs and I dont kill them unless I have to.

[Dollythehun]

When it comes to bugs, bil and I have the same mindset...

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by lauraeli

Yes, i have a video of them too. Tiny white bugs (mites?) on terrarium phal - YouTube

No mottling of the leaves or any sign of being fed on. I would like to determine what they are before spraying anything, I have shrimp living in the water of my terrarium.

To identify these tiny bugs, a hand lens is going to be necessary... if they have 6 legs they're insects, if they have 8 legs they're mites or other arachnid. They could be larvae of something bigger. You're going to have to get a better look.

[estación seca]

I agree; I don't kill bugs unless I'm certain they're causing trouble. There are predatory mites that eat bad mites.

At this stage I would wet the roots once daily. You could also consider repotting now into something with large chunks. They're easy to move with short roots in active growth.