Can phal be saved?

[mrsb102]

Can this one be saved? I bought this phal 2 1/ years ago. It was a repeat bloomer and then all of a sudden it starts to dye. As you can see, it has a new leaf sprouting. I water once a week, if that.


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[rbarata]

You have 6 posts already. This means you can post photos which will be really helpful.

[mrsb102]

Originally Posted by rbarata

You have 6 posts already. This means you can post photos which will be really helpful.

I did post the picture .. not sure what happened to it.


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[MrHappyRotter]

All hope is not lost, but it's going to be a long road to recovery. I've seen phals in much worse shape, but that plant is quickly approaching that point of no return. When they get to this level of sickness, though, getting them back to life can be touchy, and there can be set backs.

If we're going to help you, you really should provide us with detailed notes on how you care for the plant so we know how to help you. Almost any info you get otherwise is guess work.

To become that dehydrated, one or more of the following likely apply: You may not be watering enough. The plant doesn't appear to have particularly healthy roots, so you may have watered too much, or inconsistently, and leading to rot. The potting mix may have broken down too much, causing root death. Your humidity may be too low, or the air movement may be way too high. It's also possible that you've fertilized too much, killing off roots. Also, temperatures that are too low for too long can result in poor root health. And I'm sure that's not even the full list of ailments/concerns that could lead to the plant's current health.

To recover the plant you need to get the humidity up and move it to a shadier place temporarily. Phals like warmth, so make sure your temperatures aren't too low. While it is in recovery, keep temps in the 70F - 85F range at all times if possible. If the potting mix is old and deteriorated, you might as well repot now. If there are few to no healthy roots, then there's no point fertilizing the plant, and watering should be kept minimal until you see healthy, active growing root tips. For the time being you can sprinkle or spray water on the few remaining viable roots to try and get some moisture back into the plant. If the plant tries to send out a flower spike, you need to cut the spike off to prevent it from putting energy into blooming when it needs to reserve that energy for recovery.

In the long term, though, it will be important to figure out where things went wrong, correct those issues, and provide consistent improved care.

[mrsb102]

Originally Posted by MrHappyRotter

All hope is not lost, but it's going to be a long road to recovery. I've seen phals in much worse shape, but that plant is quickly approaching that point of no return. When they get to this level of sickness, though, getting them back to life can be touchy, and there can be set backs.



If we're going to help you, you really should provide us with detailed notes on how you care for the plant so we know how to help you. Almost any info you get otherwise is guess work.



To become that dehydrated, one or more of the following likely apply: You may not be watering enough. The plant doesn't appear to have particularly healthy roots, so you may have watered too much, or inconsistently, and leading to rot. The potting mix may have broken down too much, causing root death. Your humidity may be too low, or the air movement may be way too high. It's also possible that you've fertilized too much, killing off roots. Also, temperatures that are too low for too long can result in poor root health. And I'm sure that's not even the full list of ailments/concerns that could lead to the plant's current health.



To recover the plant you need to get the humidity up and move it to a shadier place temporarily. Phals like warmth, so make sure your temperatures aren't too low. While it is in recovery, keep temps in the 70F - 85F range at all times if possible. If the potting mix is old and deteriorated, you might as well repot now. If there are few to no healthy roots, then there's no point fertilizing the plant, and watering should be kept minimal until you see healthy, active growing root tips. For the time being you can sprinkle or spray water on the few remaining viable roots to try and get some moisture back into the plant. If the plant tries to send out a flower spike, you need to cut the spike off to prevent it from putting energy into blooming when it needs to reserve that energy for recovery.



In the long term, though, it will be important to figure out where things went wrong, correct those issues, and provide consistent improved care.

I want to say I re-potted it in 2015 sometime. I keep it in a window facing west, like the rest of my phals. The last time it bloomed was last year. I am thinking maybe I over watered and then inadvertently killed it, which I am trying to bring it back to life.


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[rbarata]

Do you know your humidity levels?

[jkofferdahl]

The leaves and roots of your plant appear to be quite dried out. My feeling is that after you repotted in 2015 you didn't alter the watering; broken down potting media will hold moisture considerably longer than fresh media. A Phal in this condition may be recovered, but you have some work to do and a lot of TLC to give.

The first suggestion I'll make is to take that plant to the sink and thoroughly soak it. Flood the pot, then let it sit in water for 10-15 minutes. Once soaked, use a wooden skewer to test the moisture in your pot - stick a skewer into the pot, let it sit for 15 minutes, then remove it and see if you feel any moisture. Right now you may need to water early, but normally you don't water the plant if any moisture at all is found on the skewer. You should probably check the plant at least every other day for moisture. With hope, you'll soon see new roots develop. However, bear in mind that a Phal as far gone as yours can quickly go South and so be prepared for the possibility of losing this plant.

[mrsb102]

Originally Posted by rbarata

Do you know your humidity levels?

No, I don't.. How would I go about determining that?? I can tell you that we keep our house cooled at about 73 during the day and 72 at night.


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[MrHappyRotter]

Originally Posted by mrsb102

I want to say I re-potted it in 2015 sometime.

One thing you can do to help keep track of when you last repotted is to put a note of it on the back of the label with a heavy pencil or permanent marker. I'm not the most consistent with that, but generally I just write RP 4/17 or something similar.

[mrsb102]

Originally Posted by jkofferdahl

The leaves and roots of your plant appear to be quite dried out. My feeling is that after you repotted in 2015 you didn't alter the watering; broken down potting media will hold moisture considerably longer than fresh media. A Phal in this condition may be recovered, but you have some work to do and a lot of TLC to give.



The first suggestion I'll make is to take that plant to the sink and thoroughly soak it. Flood the pot, then let it sit in water for 10-15 minutes. Once soaked, use a wooden skewer to test the moisture in your pot - stick a skewer into the pot, let it sit for 15 minutes, then remove it and see if you feel any moisture. Right now you may need to water early, but normally you don't water the plant if any moisture at all is found on the skewer. You should probably check the plant at least every other day for moisture. With hope, you'll soon see new roots develop. However, bear in mind that a Phal as far gone as yours can quickly go South and so be prepared for the possibility of losing this plant.

Thanks! I will do just that. Would you recommend fertilizing or wait and see how it does? You can see a new arial root forming on the side, so maybe there is hope. It was so pretty until I made the mistakes. That one was my second orchid I had ever bought.


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