Whats going wrong with my phals - Orchid Board

brandih · #1 06-09-2018, 08:14 PM

Hello again everyone I’m back trying to find out what’s going on with my orchids. I repotted them about 2 wks ago and it seemed everything was going great then all of a sudden I noticed some wrinkling on my small phal but only some of the leafs. Then my large phal started yellowing on some leafs. Some look super healthy and some horrible. The yellowing on my large went from a stripe to the whole leaf in 3 days and the small is getting a new leaf in the spot where the others are wrinkling. I don’t know if I screwed up when I repoted and it’s just now showing or if I can help them I’m including pics so everyone can see what I’m talking about any help I could get would be greatly the photos are in the attachments

estación seca · #2 06-09-2018, 08:53 PM

I'm not sure what's going on. What is the potting medium? How often are you watering? Could the yellow one have sunburn?

rbarata · #3 06-09-2018, 08:57 PM

Like ES mentioned, there's a lot of information missing (important to find a probable cause).
One more question is what are those pink grains on the medium? Fertilizer?

brandih · #4 06-09-2018, 09:35 PM

the medium is an organic orchid potting mix it is a mix of moss, bark, rice hulls, and worm castings. I put in fish gravel that i had soaked for 2 days to remove any impurities to help with drainage (thats what the pink is). I only water when the soil is dry (i stick my finger in to test for dryness)its about once a week. They are in a north facing window so they dont get direct sunlight beams. Also i placed larger rocks in the base of the pots to help with drainage as well. I have not put in any other fertilizer. Any other info needed to help me please let me know. As i have said in my previous post these orchids have emotional value to me and i am trying with everything i can to keep the alive and thriving. I have search every form of info i can find to try to take care of them i also went into nursery's trying to find help when i repoted them and asked as many questions as i can. Thank you all for your wisdom goodness knows i need it!!

rbarata · #5 06-09-2018, 09:40 PM

I don't think that mix is good. I believe it's too water retentive and very "closed", i.e., too small air space inside the medium.
A larger/coarser medium would be preferible. I use mainly bark with a little LECA.

Is your environment dry? Can you tell us your humidity levels as well as temps?

brandih · #6 06-09-2018, 09:53 PM

i live in south east ohio its really humid here and normally in the 90s temp wise however we have had a cools spell the last weeks it been around 82'. The flowers are inside with air conditioning we keep the temp around 74. As far as the medium i kept thinking it was draining to well. Around 2 days after watering the soil starts to feel dry but i wait to water out of fear of over watering. I have read so much on them enjoying less water so i let them go until the soil feels completely dry and nothing sticks to my fingers when i test it. If it is that the soil is wrong could i repot them into bark or would that hurt them more with me just repoting 2 wks ago. Also the medium they were in before was moss for the little one and a mix of moss and bark for the large does that matter?

rbarata · #7 06-09-2018, 10:05 PM

What is the humidity inside the room? Can you give us a value?

Phals, and most orchids, don't like to be completely dry but I find it hard for the medium to be dry after only two days.

I would repot it again in bark. It seems that medium is not a good one for phals, I think.

But let's see what others have to say...

Leafmite · #8 06-09-2018, 10:29 PM

I wish I could help you but the Phal with the wrinkled leaves has me stumped. The new leaf looks healthy so that is a good sign.

It is possible, as the others has said, that the medium is not allowing enough air to the roots. Phals tend to grow bare-root on trees in very humid tropical forests so the roots are exposed to a good deal of fresh air. When we grow the Phals in our homes, the purpose of the medium is to keep humid air around the roots, not to keep the roots wet. Sometimes, though, the medium can be too compact to allow air to flow to the roots and then the roots will become infected by Phytophthora which will cause the roots to die. If the roots cannot bring water into the plant, the orchid will use the water that is stored in the leaves and the leaves will slowly die. It is possible that this is happening.

Not sure if you live close to any of these places but there are orchid societies in Miami Valley (Dayton), Cincinnati, Akron, Cleveland, Pittsburgh (PA), Columbus and Cleveland but there are orchid societies in these places and it might help to take your orchids there and ask for advice.

You do not need to be a member of an orchid society to take your orchid and ask for help as orchid societies are non-profit organizations that exist to, not only give orchid people a place to congregate but also help others learn about and grow orchids.

Good luck!

Mountaineer370 · #9 06-10-2018, 12:08 PM

I've only been growing orchids for a few years, and I've had my own issues that I've posted about here recently, mainly with getting some of them to bloom, but my Phals do very well, and my growing conditions are similar to yours, so I'll share what has worked for me.

I pot Phals in nothing but medium Orchiata bark. Others here use sphagnum moss, a mixture of bark and moss, bark and LECA, or something else, with great success, but for beginners, I think plain old bark is about the easiest. You cannot overwater with a chunky bark mixture (assuming your pot has drainage holes).

The pictures you attached seem to show a heavy, dense mix. I'm thinking perhaps the roots are not getting enough air circulation. You mention the mix has rice hulls and earthworm castings. These would both contribute to a lot of "fines" in the mix (tiny particles that clog up the root system and prevent good air flow).

You say you test for whether they need water by sticking your finger in the mix to see if anything sticks to it. If it sticks to your fingers, it's also sticking to the roots, again interfering with their ability to breathe. I test for watering by the weight of the pot and the color of the roots (mine are in clear plastic). I water my Phals about twice a week, maybe more, maybe less, depending on the season and the humidity inside my house.

Finally, I don't think the rocks are helping. Rocks (including fish gravel) are heavy and non-porous compared to something like LECA (expanded clay pellets) or lava rock. I don't think they breathe well.

I don't believe it will hurt them to repot again. I've had the experience of repotting one, then it gets knocked over a week later and I have to repot again. No harm done. If you do put them in pure bark, just make sure it's good quality stuff. I really like Orchiata, but it is on the pricey side. (On the other hand, it can last for years without degrading.) I would be very wary of anything you buy at a big box store that calls itself orchid bark. You're better off to order from an orchid supply vendor.

All just my personal experience, for whatever it's worth. Good luck to you!

Ray · #10 06-10-2018, 01:53 PM

Those first couple of images clearly demonstrate mesophyll collapse, not just wrinkling from dehydration. Most often, such cell collapse is a result of localized exposure to cold, whether that be air or water. What makes it tough is the fact that it often occurs 6 weeks or longer after the errant exposure.

It is fairly common among folks who follow the "just add ice" regimen and allow the ice to come into contact with the plant.

The fact that the newest, emerging leaf looks OK may suggest that there is nothing wrong with your current culture. Those damaged leaves will be jettisoned by the plant eventually, and there is nothing you can do to fix them.