Phal Orchid with broken leaves.. will it thrive?

[Orchid grower]

Hi everyone! I was able to finally find an orange Phal! So excited!

However.... it wasn't in the best shape. It has two broken leaves that are just hanging on. They seem to be still a part of the plant and haven't died off or anything. The roots also weren't looking too good at the top. But right when I got it home I did remove a lot of the moss medium so that it could breathe easier and so I get a good look at the roots. They seem to be doing pretty good on the inside with most of them being green with a couple black spots.

I also gave it a good watering because it was looking quite dehydrated. I've attached pics plz let me know what you guys think! Love this colour Orchid really want it to be with me for years.

Thanks in advance!!!

[Roberta]

Don't worry about the broken leaves. The growth point (the "crown", the pocket where the newest leaf came out) looks fine. The white roots in the first photo also look fine. I'd worry more about the ones down in the pot. They're nice and green, but likely have stayed too wet and may eventually rot. However, the fact that the plant is putting out new one closer to the top of the pot says that it's doing OK. If that pot does not have a nice big drain hole in the bottom (many decorative pots don't) you will want to get it out. I suspect that there is a flimsy plastic pot actually holding the plant. Long term, the plant will do much better in bark, in a pot with excellent drainage. You may not want to mess with it too much while it's in bloom (except that if the decorative pot doesn't have drainage, you'll want to put it in something that does) but once the flowers fade, time to go to work so that you do have that plant for a long time.

It's a beauty! That color is sometimes called "art shade" - a blush of lavender over yellow background gives that rich peach color.

[estación seca]

The leaves will continue to function normally. They will have scars and will be easier to tear at the torn spots. It is nothing to worry about from the perspective of plant health.

The moss looks old, and seems to be breaking down. Many vendors sell them in bloom at the end of the medium lifespan. If the vendor kept the plants they would need repotting.

I would repot right now into the Phal medium you know best. Don't wait for the plant to finish blooming. Phals don't mind being repotted while in bloom. If you aren't sure what to use you can read about options in this thread:

The Phal abuse ends here.

[jkofferdahl]

Originally Posted by estación seca

The leaves will continue to function normally. They will have scars and will be easier to tear at the torn spots. It is nothing to worry about from the perspective of plant health.

The moss looks old, and seems to be breaking down. Many vendors sell them in bloom at the end of the medium lifespan. If the vendor kept the plants they would need repotting.

I would repot right now into the Phal medium you know best. Don't wait for the plant to finish blooming. Phals don't mind being repotted while in bloom. If you aren't sure what to use you can read about options in this thread:

The Phal abuse ends here.

Ditto that.

[Mountaineer370]

Those flowers are indeed very pretty! I'm glad you found what you were looking for. With the right care, I'm sure it will thrive in spite of some scarring on the leaves.

Originally Posted by Roberta

It's a beauty! That color is sometimes called "art shade" - a blush of lavender over yellow background gives that rich peach color.

I've seen that term used to describe color and never knew exactly what it meant. Thanks for the explanation!

[estación seca]

Art shade = color of dirty mud.

[Mountaineer370]

Originally Posted by estación seca

Art shade = color of dirty mud.

As opposed to......clean mud? Sorry, I just couldn't resist. Seriously, though, I have seen mud in certain places where the ground is rusty red-orange clay and would match that color pretty much. The stuff is darned slippery to drive on, too!

My apologies to the OP for veering off topic. Sometimes, we just have to have a little fun.

[Orchid Whisperer]

Originally Posted by Mountaineer370

Those flowers are indeed very pretty! I'm glad you found what you were looking for. With the right care, I'm sure it will thrive in spite of some scarring on the leaves.



I've seen that term used to describe color and never knew exactly what it meant. Thanks for the explanation!

Art shade is often used to describe orchids with variations in coloring, not readily or accurately portrayed by stating the color is "pink" (or green, or orange, or whatever). This includes pastel colors. I most often see the term applied to "warm" colors (variations of pink, orange, etc.).

I have quite a few that could be described as "art shade".

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by Orchid Whisperer

Art shade is often used to describe orchids with variations in coloring, not readily or accurately portrayed by stating the color is "pink" (or green, or orange, or whatever). This includes pastel colors. I most often see the term applied to "warm" colors (variations of pink, orange, etc.).

I have quite a few that could be described as "art shade".

In the case of Phals, the peach/orange color doesn't exist in this genus in nature. So the breeders fool the eye by crossing a yellow one (color does exist in nature) with a lavender one (most common color) so that the lavender overlays the yellow. When these flowers age, often the yellow fades and they end up sort of a muddy lavender toward the end. A similar trick was used to get "red" although now they seem to be getting much closer to a true red (since there are a few species that have that color that they can breed in)

[Orchid grower]

Originally Posted by estación seca

The leaves will continue to function normally. They will have scars and will be easier to tear at the torn spots. It is nothing to worry about from the perspective of plant health.

The moss looks old, and seems to be breaking down. Many vendors sell them in bloom at the end of the medium lifespan. If the vendor kept the plants they would need repotting.

I would repot right now into the Phal medium you know best. Don't wait for the plant to finish blooming. Phals don't mind being repotted while in bloom. If you aren't sure what to use you can read about options in this thread:

The Phal abuse ends here.

Thank you so much for the advice! I found the Phal abuse thread very helpful.

I bought it yesterday and right when I got home I removed a lot of the moss media because it was packed very tightly and then gave a thorough soak in water. When I did remove the moss from the middle I did notice a smell so it probably does need a repot but I'm a bit nervous..

Do you have any advice on how I should go about repotting with the least shock to the system? I usually use a bark medium made by the brand pro mix.

Would the Orchids system be disturbed by me going from moss to bark?

Thank you so much for your help and everyone else for replying! So happy I found a community to guide me through my Orchid journey.