Phalqenopsis Leaves limp and wrinkley

[dls10]

Here is a pic of the roots they dont look good at all,,,,, what is this from????? to much water or not enough water or what? Should I cut off the brown dead looking stuff?

[dennis]

Originally Posted by dls10

Here is a pic of the roots they dont look good at all,,,,, what is this from????? to much water or not enough water or what? Should I cut off the brown dead looking stuff?

debra the brown roots are dead you need to cut them off. do not cut the ones that are green, white or firm. this happened from to much water. this is why people do not like moss it is a little trickier than barki read your first post but it was to late. you said you only water once a week but the moss was always damp. that right there was the killer to the root system. i have some in moss and the only time they get water is when the moss is dry which is right around a week. if it starts staying damp any longer than that then it is time to check and see what is causing it. it might just be humidity is high that week or the roots are going bad and the plant is not taking the water in like it should. after you get the roots cleaned up you can sprinkle a little cinnamon on the cut ends only not the entire root ball it can help.next you need to decide how nice the flowers are and if you want to keep them, the plant has gone through alot of stress and the blooms are taking all the energy from the plant. i would cut the spike off repot and maybe enclose the plant in a bag to help raise the humidity around the plant so it can recover. if you go this route place it in a low light and warm area and leave it in for at least three weeks. continue to check on it every few days, once you see new roots start to develop you can take it back out and replace it in your window so it can recieve the light it needs. alot of people will tell you to trash it and start over you can buy a new one for less than 20 dollars personally i like the challenge and the gratification i get by saving them. you need anymore help feel free to ask we are all here to help you and your phal

[dls10]

Dennis,
I did cut off the dead roots and put it in a orchid mix mainly bark, I watered it good and let all the excess water drain off. I put it back in the same window. We live in florida and the humidity is usually high and we still dont have the air on ( I hate to be cold ) anyway if I were to cut off the flowers as you are saying where would I cut them? Down by the main leaves or what? Or can I wait alittle bit to see if it starts getting better? Oh and should I give it orchid food? I did that 2 weeks ago now.

[dennis]

no food just water if you keep the blooms on just watch it the higher the humidity the more it helps i run mine into the 80% range on alot of my rescues it does wonders. water it maybe once a week no more unless it is really dry . it is better to underwater than to over water

[dls10]

Thank you for the help I will keep you posted.

[Lagoon]

Hi Debra, welcome aboard

Lots of root loss there, I would cut of the spike and allow the plant to recover.
Humidity is wonderful for orchids!!

Get yourself a BBQ wooden skewer and stick it in the pot. The little stick will help guide you when you need to water and when you need to leave it alone.

Good luck with your 'chid

[Ross]

Originally Posted by Lagoon

Hi Debra, welcome aboard

Lots of root loss there, I would cut of the spike and allow the plant to recover.
Humidity is wonderful for orchids!!

Get yourself a BBQ wooden skewer and stick it in the pot. The little stick will help guide you when you need to water and when you need to leave it alone.

Good luck with your 'chid

I'm agreeing here. Firstly, welcome to the board. As a fellow Phal grower (I get bored with Phals after a while and right now only have 2, but have had as many as 10) I really detest sphagnum as a phal growing medium because it is SO hard to get everything right with this material. Most folks think Phals need constant moisture to survive, so they over water either with too much water or with medium that retains too much water. Actually, Phals, in nature, grow on tree limbs where the roots get daily (or frequent) watering, but dry out overnight. Sphagnum won't let this happen. I personally choose to use coarse fir bark as a rooting medium and water 1 or 2 times weekly during winter (northern hemisphere) while plant is normally not in active growth and every 2nd to 3rd day during summer when plants are in more active growth. I use dilute fertilizer every single watering (125ppm Nitrogen MSU mix) and rely on the dunking to "flush" excess salts away. I have never lost a Phal to rot, root loss or any other pathogen - only hail!

[Dorothy]

As you can see, you will get different advice from different people because of different conditions their plants are subject to. Orchids are a learning experience with the knowledge of others to direct and guide you but nothing is carved in stone.
I can tell you of my experiences .. with phals and repotting , I have found I lost no open blooms. This was after removing many rotten roots and adding high nitrogen fertilizing( half strength from the directions) and a bit of rooting hormone to waterings. Less than 2 months, my phals recovered . During the time before repotting and rebloom, some of the undeveloped buds dried and fell off but the small shock was worth it because the spike end regained strength and began growing buds again.. granted, they won't be as grand as the initial buds but the plant endured, survived and is happier than ever.
The reason why the rots rotted was because they were grown in sphag moss and with the conditions here .. my roots remained soggy and didn't dry out as well as they should have.
Good luck !
Great growing !

[dls10]

Thank you all for the advice I will cut the flowers back if someone will tell me where to cut, do I cut a the whole stem to the leaves or what I'm not sure where I should cut them. I really dont want to loose this plant it was given to me just a few weeks ago in the hospital with a get well card from a very special friend.

[Dorothy]

If you must cut .. the 3rd node up from the bottom of the base of the spike is the standard.
But don't panic .. phals are quite resilent ..
Good luck!