Should I be patient or repot again?

[mook1178]

I bought a Phal Yu Pin Natsume that came completely packed in a 6" pot with sphagnum moss. Most of the plants that I have had die on me usually die from over watering. So I thought that I should repot the Phal into bark. I did this about a 1.5 weeks after receiving it. The bark and pot I used still retained too much water. I ordered some orchid pots from repotme and decided to repot this same Phal again.

The 2nd repotting showed a lot of root rot. I cut off the dead roots and repotted into a 6" pot from repotme. This was about a month ago, maybe 3 weeks. I waited 2 days from the repot to water the orchid, trying to allow the roots to heal.

I have not seen any bad signs on the leaves of the phal, but I am thinking that the pot is too big. I also have not seen any sign of growth.

I am very new to orchids and this is my first non retail store Phal.

My question is should I repot into a smaller pot now or wait until I see signs of desiccation/rot/what have you or wait until spring?

I am just now beginning to mist the tops of the media to try and provide humidity to promote root growth. I need to start doing this every morning I think.

[estación seca]

I can't give a definitive answer, but....

What makes you think the current repotting is retaining too much water? Are there air spaces between the bark? Air spaces are very important.

If you used a large, chunky bark mix, and there are plenty of air spaces for the roots, the size of the pot will not matter. If you used a small chunk bark mix there might not be enough air at the center of the pot.

What are your ambient temperatures? What is the humidity? Winter in the northern hemisphere can be problematic for repotting Phals, which prefer warm temperatures. If you can't provide constant temperatures for your weakened plant in the upper 70s F / 24-27C I would consider getting a heat mat to provide more warmth.

There are two threads you might find useful in the Beginner forum. From the left yellow menu select Forums, then Beginners. Look for and Using skewers to determine when to water and The Phal abuse ends here.

[mook1178]

I think the bark may be a bit small. I am not watering any near as much, really trying to let the bark dry out.

I think the heat mat and humidifier may be my best bet. We keep our house in the upper 60s as the gas heat is expensive and dries everything out.

[estación seca]

Upper 60s F / 18-21C is tolerated by healthy Phals that are carefully watered, but problematic for a sick Phal. Have a look at the sticky thread near the top of the Beginners forum on using a wooden cooking skewer to check the moisture inside a pot.

Any chance you could show a photo of some of the medium on a piece of paper with something included for scale?

[mook1178]

I would say that the largest pieces are the size of a dime, but thin.

I have read over the skewer thread and think I will stop on the way home from work to get some. It seems like a no brainer!

I just read your reply about watering with sphagnum in the other thread about repotting. Wish I had that advice a couple months ago. lol. I have a Phal in sphag that was given to me recently and I will use that method. Thanks for all your help!

[Dollythehun]

My greenhouse window is very chilly. Generally 63f at night and 50-70%rh. I grow in a moss mix and clay pots. I'm successful because I rarely water, maybe 2x a month. I drizzle water on the top of the moss until it trickles through. I believe your temperature is a big factor. I would leave it be and water thoroughly, but seldom. The skewer method never worked for me. I water by the weight of the pot. For instance, I was due to water today, but I lifted my pots and realize they were still heavy- ish, so I'll water tomorrow.

[mook1178]

My house is 65 to 70 F throughout winter.

Sounds about like your greenhouse Dolly, but my humidity is probably no near that. I have been thinking about buying a humidifier and lights for the winter. I think I'll add a heat pad as well.

[Dollythehun]

I run two fans in that window, otherwise it freezes as it's on the north side (with top, east and west windows). It's humid because it's my kitchen window, right above the sink. If you add humidity, also add a small fan. It's a great window for Zygos.

[mook1178]

Well I decided to try 'water culture'with it. I think I've made the right move too.

When I pulled the plant from the media, the bottom half inch it so was still very wet after watering more than 2 weeks ago. There was more root rot, but still quite a few good roots. I cleaned up the roots and placed the orchid in a vase. I have not added water. I'm waiting for a full dry out for the roots. However, after putting in the vase I could see condensation on the inside of the vase. I think it will help improve the humidity around the base of the plant drastically.

On a side note, while doing this I found a new Spike starting in the old Spike and a second keiki starting.