Phal help?

[leafgirl115]

Well It's been a year since I got my first Phal. I love orchids and well dont seem to have a lot of luck....

I got a new one today and early easter gift from my mom! But would realy like to help the orchids we have to prosper.

Here are a few pictures and questions:
New Phal:



One of moms:

As you can see a new stem has grown but it seems to have stoped and dried out... any ideas? What should we do?

Plants that have never flowered againa nd are over ayear old:

1:

Stems still green...

2:
This ones stem is all dried up should I cut it off?


I was told they shoudl bloom once a year is this right? We were also told to use an orchid fertiliser and my mom bought the one at home depo i think that is a spray. Thats supost the be sprayed on the leaves and roots/ poting material once a week. We were using it but my mom though the plants seemed to look worce so we stoped. Should we try a gain?

Could our plants not be geting enough air? I know they need it around the roots.

My mom found this article:
Orchids need hight humidity about 50% and potted plants may be set on a tray filled with pebbles and water to provide the humidity. rather than set the pot on the stones it is best to invert pot over pebbles. Mist the foilige with water allowing the pot to drie befor night.

Thats about it. We dont do any of that but should we? I know we have a lot of questions but pleas help us! We are sick of Phal's not doing anything.

Morgan

[Ross]

Morgan, the first picture shows a dried up root, which is common with Phals. I get mine to bloom by exposing them to cooler temps in winter (easy here in Northern Michigan with cost of heating as it is). My winter temps run 60-62F at night and rarely above 67F during day. Then from spring to fall it's back up to 70s and 80s. Hope this helps. Don't spray the leaves. Too much chance of crown rot from water dripping down into crown. Humidity averages about 30% for me, so I don't think that's an issue. When flower spike is done, I normally trim it off. It's common for some Phals to go a couple years between blooms, but with proper care they should bloom every year. Be sure roots are not waterlogged. This means you need to be able to repot into fresh potting bark (or something) every year. Best to set up a condition where roots can get plenty of air. They really should be turning back to white between waterings. I use slotted clear pots so I can inspect them. Here's one source: Orchid Pots

[philoserenus]

welcome, ok lots to say so lets get started ^^ u ready? hehe

(1) well for starters, u could definitely repot those 2... the media there looks like mud after all the decomposition of the media, and thatz guarenteed to kill them **shivers** but nonetheless the plants still look like they are far away from dying anytime soon, but repot plz... and i agree about using clear pot (i use tupperware and deli-containers, they all work well as long u poke some holes here and there for air); it helps with watering (u can see if itz dry on the inside).

(2) as for the dried roots, it happens but itz not detrimental. as long there's enough healthy root growth below, itz all good. the pebbled try thing... i dunno, i dun use it... and i doubt my humidity is any good at all, haha

(3) as for the spikes (the flower stem), i usually cut off the whole thing once itz done flowering (brown or green), but one can induce flowering on the same spike if u wanted to (if itz green). some ppl get them to bloom once every 2 years, once every year, or a few times a year. they will bloom if they are given the right temps. my flowers about 3x a year and each time the blooms last about 3-5 mths. so pretty much that means i get flowers all year. **key = temperature drop, 10 degrees between day and night**

(4) as for sprayin, i agree with ross... water in crown is not a good combo unless u know it will evaporate in about 2 hrs. fertilize in the water u water with and thats usually sufficient.

[leafgirl115]

OK what media should i use when repoting? Do i cut the dried off roots? Never done this before....

[philoserenus]

(1) what media to use? there's a wide range of media, but i would suggest a commercial mix for the time being since u're still a beginner--rather than making a complicated mess. commercial media generally are composed of bark, perlite, and charcoal.

later on when u get a little more experienced, u can start creating ur own mixes that suit ur personality and habits. i water very very heavily and very frequently b/c i have the time, so for me i use clay pellets as media. it maintains enough moisture to last a few days and then i can water again

(2) for dried roots, my philosophy is that if itz not mushy, i'd leave it. b/c i dunno how much good roots u have down there. a side note--a root can have both a dried up and shriveled section (exposed to air) and a 'normal' section (in media)--dun cut those, haha. and also for anything u cut, dust the cut with some cinnamon--u know that brown stuff u can cook with...itz keeps problems from arising.

[quiltergal]

Hey Morgan! Nice new Phal. You've gotten some good advice here already. I would definately repot all of them. Your new one looks like it's in yucky old Sphag moss. Bark is much easier for beginners to work with. The old Sphag is most likely very compact around the roots and if not monitored very closely will develop root rot. For now just don't water it as often as the others. When it's done blooming repot into bark.

The only thing I would add to encourage blooming is fertilize regularly. I do once a week with Greencare MSU. You can get it from Ray Barkalow here on OB. You also need to be sure you are giving them adequate light. The leaves look like they are a very dark green. This indicates to me they aren't getting enough light. They should be a light to medium shade of green. I have mine sitting in a bay window facing south with blinds and I am also supplementing with T5 flourescent lights. Ross has already covered the cooler winter temps. Keep us posted.

[leafgirl115]

Originally Posted by quiltergal

The leaves look like they are a very dark green. This indicates to me they aren't getting enough light. They should be a light to medium shade of green. I have mine sitting in a bay window facing south with blinds and I am also supplementing with T5 flourescent lights. Ross has already covered the cooler winter temps. Keep us posted.

Um well I live in canada and well its been Winter so our suns not that strong. The room has a skylight and should have plenty of sun for the plants...

For the media can I buy that like at Home Depo or something? I had a look at the one plant and it needs a biger pot size... the roots have gone through the holes in the pot.

[quiltergal]

Yes, winter can be tricky with regard to adequate light in the north. I live in Oregon and that's why I use lights.

[cupcake]

Most of my phals bloom once or twice a year, Primrose Petals is hardly ever out of flower! However, I have a Phal Gold Vein that sulks and refuses to flower. I haven't seen a spike for over 4 years! It grows leaves, it has more light, less light, temperature drops, everything and still it sulks! It was the reason I came on the boards!It's throwing a new leaf now! When it eventually blooms I shall throw a party!

[philoserenus]

well i come from toronto, and i find that most phals get enough light in the winter to bloom especially if u have an unobstructed south window. but from the looks of ur orchids, definitely needs more light regardless... should be a nice light green colour.

as for the media, ya pretty much anything that is for orchids from walmart or home depot or garden centre will do.

u do not need new pots... the pots that u have them in looks quite suitable for a long long long time... once u clean and cut off wats necessary. soak the roots in some warm water for about 20minutes to make them more flexible, and then fit them back into the same pot and gently bend the ones that are 'sticking out' bac into the pot.

any orchid is better under-potted than over-potted b/c it wont dry out as evenly and u're gonna have a lot of problems between should i water or not since it appears to be very dry outside when itz still really wet in the center.

hence when u unpot, u're most likely gonna find the most dead roots in the centre of the orchid which where in the centre of the pot. and most of the good live roots around the outside of the pot