Trouble getting pals to grow roots - Orchid Board

jwhitley527 · #1 08-25-2017, 03:45 PM

Hi everyone,
My name is Julie. I am new to the orchid hobby and could use a little advice. About a month ago I was given three phals. My niece had gotten them at her place of employment. They were going to be trashed because they had lost floors and spikes were dying. She brought them to me to see if I could "save them".
I had created a small grow shelf for them it has a humidifier, fan, lights, as well as being placed in a room that has a lot of sunlight.
I had taken them out of an original pot and checked the root system. 1 of the phals had only two roots alive and the other had a little more. Leaves on one were floppy and on the other kind of firm. I placed them on humidity tray in grow space. The last phal smallest seemed ok. just out grew the pot so I repotted her. a month later the one that seemed ok has floppy leaves and lost roots. the others are making no progress. Please help me. They are lightly potted in bark mulch when repotted I used sanitized shears to cut dead hollow roots, they are watered once a week, misted daily, they are sitting in a bright room under grow lights. Should I be watering more? Also, I just got another phal two days ago that was struggling. someone gave it to me because she could not figure out how to keep it alive. It has two keiki on it

. I would love to see these orchids make it please let me know what I am missing.

Optimist · #2 08-25-2017, 05:34 PM

Do not over water. They grow very slowly. Orchids are among the worlds slowest growing plants. One leaf a year, and one flower spike (in a lot of the monopodial types like Phals). You will not see much growth until the next year comes around. They grow on a cycle. (They may have been artificially induced to bloom before, so they need to get into their normal cycle). Potentially, of they are set back they may not bloom again next year. They need black nights, I hope you are turning off your lights. They need air flow. You have a fan? They are okay under lights/natural lights. I have a few grow lights because mine are about 10 feet away from the window, but they do get natural light too. Make sure they are very well drained. Water in, water out. All they need is a bit of residual moisture, like the condensation you see on the inside of a plastic container. I am sure you are doing okay, I think that you may be expecting faster growth, and that is not going to happen. Keep the roots happy, and give it a year. With only one month, you are not going to notice much growth.

---------- Post added at 02:34 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:24 PM ----------

Got to add that spag and bag method (probably posted 1000's of times) and semi-hydroponic work well also, but they will not "speed up" root growth, they will just assure that there is enough ambient moisture around the root area.

fishmom · #3 08-25-2017, 06:15 PM

Hi Julie, and welcome! It sounds like you are on the right track, just be patient, as Optimist says. Once leaves have reached the floppy stage, they are not likely to firm up much, but as long as they are green, they are still helping the plant.

At the top of the page in this Beginner section, there are two great "sticky" threads: "Using a skewer to determine when to water" and "The phal abuse ends here". I suggest you read them when you begin to doubt yourself. However, it sounds like your phals are going to come around and be with you for a good long time.

Soon, you won't know where to put all the pots of phals people are going to be bringing to you!

j_orchids · #4 08-25-2017, 06:44 PM

Hello Julie,

Did you repot these into fresh media when you got them? What media did you use? Did you put them into fresh pots or at least clean and sterilize the old pots before putting them back? When repotting, put them into a pot that is just big enough to fit the roots in and no bigger. Also, don't try to force the aerial roots in that were growing into the open air orignally (especially if you really have to bend or twist them to do so) - they have been adapted to grow in air, and will appreciate the humid environment you are creating for them.

Regarding the advice from Optimist that "All they need is a bit of residual moisture, like the condensation you see on the inside of a plastic container", I have found that is not true for one of my Phals. I have found that the leaves will go floppy even with noticeable condensation on the inside of the clear pot, and it needs a good soak to revive the leaves.

But, I also have a Phal that I am trying to "rescue" that has floppy leaves that eventually yellowed and shed. I have been told that an insufficient root system may be to blame - it can't collect enough water to support the leaves. This may also be happening for you. Eventually, if you are providing the right conditions, new roots and leaves should emerge, as they are for my rescue plant. I echo the advice to be patient.

It sounds like you are doing the right things and giving the plants plenty of water and humidity, but don't overwater - the plants should be well soaked when they are approaching dryness (whenever this occurs in your conditions), not necessarily on a weekly schedule. Light misting of the roots is fine on a daily basis, but probably not necessary if you are providing the right humidity (and also be aware that misting the leaves, especially if the plants are already in a humid environment, can lead to disease like crown rot)

Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.

~ Jon

estación seca · #5 08-26-2017, 04:29 AM

Welcome to the Orchid Board!

The above advice is good.

jwhitley527 · #6 08-26-2017, 09:08 AM

Hello Jon,
When I repot my orchids I used a sanitized area lay down a piece parchment over the top of the counter and sanitize all my tools. I purchased plastic orchid pots with lots of holes for proper draining. At the moment they are in a bark mulch (yes fresh). I have a ceiling fan that is very strong it is on all day circulating air but I also have a small floor fan pointed toward the grow area for them.

---------- Post added at 08:08 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:03 AM ----------

Thank you, I will read those thank you so much! I am looking forward to growing my collection I just got a healthy perfect Dendrobium Kingianum seedling a week ago and her cane is already growing. I am so excited.

nogreenthumbs · #7 08-26-2017, 11:43 AM

Don't despair. Phals can come back from the dead (at least it would seem so). Keep them in a humid environment and they will probably eventually start to grow new roots. Once that happens, the roots can actually seem to grow fairly quickly. Then it may be a bit before you see other growth.

How are you feeding them? Definitely don't over feed. You are better off feeding at a super low dose.

Check out Ray's site for lots of good info
Free Information - First Rays LLC

Also, check out this thread for hope
Is it really still alive and not dead?!! Pics

flowerpower · #8 08-27-2017, 09:14 AM

I agree, I've had a lot of phals recover from a rootless state. The new leaves might grow small. The lower leaves may drop but the top two usually don't. Once you start seeing the new root nubbins the rest of the roots will follow quickly. In 6-9 months it will generally have a full new root system. The leaves seem to take a long time to become stiff again though!

Merita · #9 08-27-2017, 05:55 PM

I have been cultivating orchids for some years, and experience has shown me that all plant transplants cause them stress. Slowly they recover and in some cases, roots die and the leaves weaken when the roots are few. When I used a fan in the room where the orchids were, the relative humidity went down so much that the leaves were dry, also because of the constantly working air conditioner. Here pay the hazing when a plague of mites on the plants dispersed quickly, and I lost a few. Now I pass all my plans for a small greenhouse and are developing many roots and leaves, although I am still struggling with the aftermath of the mites. And I continued without letting myself fall, with optimism going forward

jwhitley527 · #10 08-28-2017, 01:48 PM

thanks I will look.

---------- Post added at 12:48 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:31 PM ----------

I am so sad guys. one of my babies leaves started to yellow and the phal that was in rough shape with the keiki on it looks good but the keiki is starting to turn a light pale green and leaves are getting limp.

My grow space is very humid I leave the humidifier on all the time because it's in the living room and our AC is running. So I created a green house in my living room. Not sure if the set up is right. Humidity is never lower than 50% on high 90% the temp is 77-85 degrees and there is a small fan inside. I am sure I sound ridiculous because I am such a newbie but I love feedback I want to learn how to grow in my home