Help me save my Phals, a summer of neglect - Orchid Board

sarahlydear · #1 08-16-2011, 05:02 PM

Hello everyone. So this summer was BAD for my poor Phals. I decided to move them outside and then of course we had many bad storms. So I moved them into my garage to protect them....and forgot about them.
Thus they spent about a month in the back of my garage with no light or being watered...Yes I feel terrible but it's been a very busy summer.
Finally I remembered them and brought them inside where I moved them from spagh moss to a bark, coconut, and charcoal orchid mix.
Many had been reduced to a few or no roots. The ones that seemed like they could go on I potted and 2 already have new leaf growths (yeah!!!). The others at least haven't lost any more leaves...
All of them have very droopy, thin, distorted leaves.

What else besides regular watering (after they dry out some) and light and TLC can I do?

I have to put one in spagh-in-a-bag but I have to get the root stuff for that.

Any suggestions would be VERY appreciated. I feel horrid and really want to save these guys and I can guarantee this will NOT be happening ever again.

PS: The really large one is a recent Wal-Mart rescue and not my doing. :P It has been doing great for me though and growing like crazy.

[IMG]http://i1135.photobucket.com/albums/m635/sarahl
ydear/Plants/100_3413.jpg[/IMG]

sarahlydear · #2 08-16-2011, 06:58 PM

Come on people, 24 views and not a single comment?

I Know I messed up and I'm trying to fix it. ANY input that might be SLIGHTLY helpful would be appreciated.

stefpix · #3 08-16-2011, 07:02 PM

what can you do? some maybe will grow roots, others may just die. prob bright shade and high humidity will help. How many Phals are in that condition?

Some people swear by Dynagro KLN, bought some yesterday but never used it before. Maybe someone may chip in.

I may make them sit on damp moss.

I would not water much if they have no roots, just keep high humidity with some air movement

Eyebabe · #4 08-16-2011, 08:46 PM

I agree....
The ones with no roots at all will require high humidity and the shriveled leaves will eventually be replaced by new ones.
I use KLN with good success to stimulate root growth; but you really only need one application and it will either work or not.

They will be more susceptible to crown rot in this condition and you have a long road ahead of you.

So bright shade, high humidity, weak fertilizer, and appropriate watering schedule should give the best results.

Take care not to overwater! The plants have no roots and can't really absorb the water anyway so high humidity is the best. When new roots grow, you can water more frequently. (I can't really recommend a schedule for watering as it depends upon your conditions etc.)

Good Luck!

mmursuli · #5 08-16-2011, 08:55 PM

I'm currently trying to save a rootless catt that my neighbor gave me, and I got creative--I created a mini-green house.
I used the plastic containers that strawberries come in and filled the bottom with some river rocks (you can get them anywhere) or you can use hydroton. Then I laid some sphagnum moss (I had the moss soaking for an hour in water and rooting hormone--KLN or Hormex work fine). And I placed my rootless catt on top of the moss, closed the lid.
I went an extra step (I think I was just bored) and covered "the roof" with green-colored duct tape.
I have mine sitting in my back porch in an area that receives bright shade (no direct sun). I live in Florida, so the humidity is an extra plus.
It's only been about two weeks, so nothing significant has happened. The leaves did perk up a bit

I hope this helped!

FairyInTheFlowers · #6 08-16-2011, 09:16 PM

I would pot them in sphag, as they will probably respond better to the moisture and extra humidity.

plantluvver · #7 08-17-2011, 03:29 AM

I am sorry this happened to you. Wish you luck in saving them.

Paul Mc · #8 08-17-2011, 10:25 AM

WOW, I am so sorry to hear about this, but it does happen even to the best of us.

Keep us informed on what happens.

My only thought is that since they were not getting light, be careful about how quickly you bring them back to the desired light level. Not having the roots to support the leaves will hurt them if they get moved into light too quickly. The light will make the water in the leaves disappear and that appears to be the only thing making some of them hold on at the moment.

If you have more than say 2 or 3 leaves on them, I would remove the lower one's so the plant doesn't have to support those leaves. I know it sounds crazy, but the lady who cares for the orchids at the botanical gardens here (one of the largest collections in the U.S.), stated that this can help them to recover. They are not wasting needed energy on maintaining leaves and can focus more on healthy root production.

I'm not so sure switching medium was wise at this stage in the game, as bark mixtures dry out faster. You will have to be very diligent and increase your watering schedule (but still making sure the medium is not water logged when you water). They need the moisture and humidity but too much in this state might kill them as well. I don't know, I just know that my phal's have to be watered several times more when they have neglect issues until they recover.

One thought might be to try some DynaTek ProTekt (I think that's the name and the spelling). It's some sort of chemical that's supposed to help suffering plants recover by making the roots stronger. You add it to the water. I would suggest using just a little bit of this every time you water. I have and had great success with it - they all recovered.

I think that's all the thoughts I had at the moment.

Best of luck!

WhiteRabbit · #9 08-17-2011, 03:07 PM

The view count includes views by non-members ...

My suggestion is to pot them in media you are comfortable with, keep them shaded, and care for them. You have some new foliage coming on some, so that's a good sign. You have roots - I think it's just a matter of patience.
Don't expect improvement on the thin distorted leaves, but with proper care, new foliage should be better looking.
The damage can't be un-done, just need to wait for new growth

gl

sarahlydear · #10 08-17-2011, 08:31 PM

Thank you everyone who responded. I'lll definitely look into those products and try to figure something out for a mini-green house....

Sorry if I seemed snippy I just tend to get ignored when it comes to responses on forums. :P

I think the spagh was a bad match and I would of repotted them before moving them outside because I didn't like it but I didn't want to shock them too much. The current mix has spagh moss in it, it's just mostly bark, ect.