Phal grew new roots but all browned

[estación seca]

If they brown all the time you're scraping them, the humidity is too low, you're using too much fertilizer, the sun is burning them or you're not wetting them often enough.

[Irisha99]

Originally Posted by estación seca

If they brown all the time you're scraping them, the humidity is too low, you're using too much fertilizer, the sun is burning them or you're not wetting them often enough.

I don’t think I scraped them, humidity should be ok since they were wrapped in sphagnum (or not?), there is no sun to burn them and roots covered by moss, not using fertilizer at all, and I kept moss moderately wet all the time... so not really sure what happens to them. Unless not enough humidity ? Should I put it in a bag?

[Ray]

Why are you checking the roots daily? STOP!

At this point, if that was my plant, I'd do the following:

1. Immerse it completely, for several hours, in KelpMax solution.
2. Saturate sphagnum moss with that same solution, wring it out, then use it to moderately-loosely repot the plant in a plastic pot.
3. Set the pot in a tray and add some KelpMax solution to it, this time only.
4. Invert a clear plastic bag over the plant and pot to trap the humidity around the plant.
5. Place it in a shady and very warm location.
6. Water it ONLY by adding to the tray.

Do nothing else. In four- to six weeks, it is likely the plant will have the beginnings of a decent root system, and can be treated normally.

[Irisha99]

I’ll try Ray. Thank you

[BotanicaExotica]

By looking at the "pot" you are growing in would think not enough air circulation.

[Irisha99]

I put it in full water culture. And it’s growing new roots! Yay! Thanks for the thought, it could be the reason. I don’t know..

[Leafmite]

I am glad that your Phal is doing well. Mine were all in NZ moss upon acquisition and so I potted them up in fresh long-fiber NZ moss and transferred them to basket pots. That has been working for me.

[Irisha99]

Only moss, no bark chips?

[SaraJean]

Sphagnum itself isn’t bad, it’s not the best choice of media for a beginner with a Phal, but it’s not evil. I have a lot of things in straight sphag, even phals, even in my super wet and humid climate. You just have to understand how it works in your environment and if it works for your orchid, that’s all. I think people run into problems with this stuff because sphagnum can hold a lot of moisture, it breaks down quickly, and also with temperatures (if the orchid is wet and cool in sphag that can cause major problems in the root zone for warm growing orchids since pot basically turns into a mini air conditioner due to evaporative cooling)

For example since we are talking about Phals:
I have a few no ID hybrids that I keep under my balcony out of the rain that are grown in pots, the rest of mine are mounted hanging in the courtyard. The ones under the balcony are in smallish (under 5”) clay pots. The clay is porous, it breaths, and provides air. For some of mine, I might take a few packing peanuts and put them in the center of the root ball. Then I tightly pack sphagnum around that whole thing, trying not to break the roots. I don’t worry about getting any media in the center of the orchid, I like to leave that open little air pocket, I just start wrapping the moss all around the outside of the root ball so I end up with a wad. Then I just stuff that whole mess in the clay pot. If the sphagnum is too loose it holds too much water, doesn’t dry out, the lovely long moss fibers collapse, and will not allow air around my orchid roots. When it’s nice and tight, that works with the clay, gets evenly moist, never soggy, evenly dries, and stays just airy enough. I started growing some of my phals like this 3 years ago, it’s the happiest they have been and my root growth has been amazing. You just have to find what works for you, in your environment, and your style of growing. There’s a thousand ways to get the same results but phals with bark is a great place to start

[Irisha99]

I don’t know but these plants really get me confused. Some phals that have were not doing too well in bark I put in water culture and they started growing new roots. Others grow pretty well in bark chips. Some don’t grow in bark and don’t do anything in water either... what do they want I wonder...?