Wilted leaves, yellow, spotting..? - Orchid Board

AndreaSow · #1 04-14-2009, 03:36 PM

Hi everyone,

This is my second Phal and I just can't seem to get it right! The first one I had, I overwatered and by the time I figured out what I was doing wrong, it was too late. I went to re-pot and all the roots were rotted.

I have had my current phal for 2 years, and it has not re-flowered since i got it. I thought I had been very careful not to over-water it, but when the leaves started wilting i decided to repot it and inspect to see what was going on. It was planted in spagnum moss. Most of the roots looked fine, but i trimmed away the brown ones and potted it in orchid bark just to be on the safe side. That was over a month ago and it just keeps getting worse! I thought maybe I was underwatering since putting it in the bark so I've been watering it twice a week and misting it daily. Now I am afraid I may have given it crown rot!

All of the roots (both in the bark and growing on top) look healthy. All of the leaves have gotten limp and wrinkled. There are currently 6 leaves. One of the leaves- the second from the bottom-has a yellowish tint to it and is brown and dried up around the edges. I am used to a leaf being shed here and there, but usally it is the bottom most leaf. Even more concerning to me is that the newest leaf which is still smaller than the rest has turned slightly yellowish, seems to be pitted and has folded in on itself. Is is crown rot? When I was misting every day i mistankingly misted the leaves as well as the roots....

Another change that has taken place is that I moved the Phal from a south facing window in my bathroom where i was afraid it was getting too much light to the middle of my living room where it get's very bright, indirect sunlight....could that be the problem? All of the leaves are dark green..

As far as fertilizer goes, i held off right after repotting it and waited 2 weeks before it got a watered down dose of orchid fertilizer....it would be time to fertilize it again this week but i wanted to get an idea of what was wrong and if i should even fertilize now.....

I am so sorry for bombarding you all with such a long post! I really want to get good at keeping orchids, and everyone says that Phals are so easy....but I just can't seem to get it right....

Does anyone have any idea what the problem is, and can this orchid be saved??

Sorry for being a pest! I know you all probably get sick of these "I killed my orchid!" posts....Ugh!

Thanks so much!

Andrea

quiltergal · #2 04-14-2009, 04:32 PM

Andrea did you soak your bark at least overnight before repotting? If not the bark is probably still too dry to retain much if any water. I'd try soaking the plant in the sink for a good 20-30 minutes. Stop misting it. It doesn't do much good, and as you have noticed can lead to crown rot. Is the new leaf squishy? If so you can pour regular hydrogen peroxide in the crown and leave for a few minutes then dump it out. The peroxide should halt the rot if it hasn't gotten too far.

AndreaSow · #3 04-14-2009, 05:19 PM

Hey Terri,

Thanks. I did not soak the bark overnight. I only soaked it for 3 hours or so. I will try that tonight. The leaf isn't mushy...should i try some peroxide just in case? will it hurt it if the problem isn't rot? Thanks so much!

RosieC · #4 04-14-2009, 06:54 PM

I agree with Terri, that you should stand the plant in the sink for a while. I've done this for a couple of hours in the past with no problem, but most people advise just 20-30 mintutes and I don't know if I've just been lucky.

Your bark is very likely too dry if you did not soak it first and may need extra watering.

Do you have a clear pot? If you do then use the colour of the roots to determine watering frequency. If the roots right down to the bottom are still green then don't water yet. If they have gone silvery/white then it is time to water again.

I also agree that misting does not really help. The best thing is to get the watering balance right (which is what the clear pot and looking at the roots can help you do).

I'm afraid I don't know the answer on whether you should try peroxide even if it's not mushy. I've not had experience of crown rot (as yet).

AndreaSow · #5 04-15-2009, 09:35 AM

I soaked the Phal last night for 30 minutes- I do have a clear container, and before I soaked it I looked at the roots and they were green all the way to the tips.

Should I try this soaking for 30 minutes thing often, like once a week or once a month, or will having soaked it this once properly hydrate the bark? Also, should I cut off the damaged leaves? Thank you both!
Andrea

RosieC · #6 04-15-2009, 05:52 PM

Personally I soak for 30min every time I water on all of my Phals.

If the roots are green right to the tips then leave it to dry out until they go silver/white. Often the danger is that when the leaves look limp people end up watering too much and killing the roots, which just makes things worse.

Not sure why your leaves are so limp if the roots are not drying out too fast. My first thought would be that they are rotting and the plant is struggling because it can't get enough water from rotting roots... but you said you had checked the roots so I am not sure.

Can you post a pic as it may help?

AndreaSow · #7 04-17-2009, 07:20 AM

Yep, I will post a pic this evening when i get home from work. It's so frustrating b/c it seems like most of the symptoms I am having with my phal can be either from underwatering or overwatering, and I can't decide which is the problem! Thasnks!

AndreaSow · #8 04-17-2009, 11:11 PM

I really hope I did this right! Thanks you guys!

Picasa Web Albums - Andrea - MarchApril 09

AndreaSow · #9 04-17-2009, 11:14 PM

ok, i didn't do it right, but if you go to my web albums link and click on the back button you can see all four pictures of the phal....

quiltergal · #10 04-18-2009, 02:50 AM

Andrea, that top leaf is a gonner. I think I'd cut it off about 1/2/ 1/4 inch from the bottom. You'll lose that other leaf as well. That bark doesn't look like regular orchid bark. It looks more like a mulch you woud spread in your garden to help keep weeds down. What you need to look for is a medium that is more chunky not slivery. Chunkiness helps maintain airspaces so the roots can breathe. The roots I can see on your plant look relatively healthy. So, the only conclusion I can come to is it's not getting enough water. You said the roots were good when you repotted. I'd be tempted to pull it out of the pot and check again just to be sure. If the root system is in fact intact then you need to increase your watering or move to a different medium that will retain more water than what you're currently using. Good luck!