Still No Success With Phals

[Cerey]

So after trying what seems like everything to maintain a phal orchid healthy and alive, I still haven't been successful in having one for more than two months.

When I buy one, I would change the media from moss to bark and clean the roots. It usually starts getting root rot a week later.
So sometimes I leave it in moss until I see new root growth. By then it's definitely rotting.
I've tried semi-hydro with no success. The roots rot. And any new roots that had started growing just stop growing and eventually rot too.
I've changed my watering methods along with my fertilizer routine with no positive effects.

The only orchid I've managed to keep alive is a small phal seedling which I'm very proud of.

Anyone else have this problem?

[Wrebbitrocks]

yes lol. there are many of these fine growers on this forum that have had the grace of luck to be able to grow ther first orchids and still have them. then theres the others of us who kill them from love. dont feel bad. what ive learned is that many plants already come made to die. theyre so used to the care of the ideal conditons of their growers that they die when we cant adapt their conditions. try buying a tj's. theyre cheap and plenty and they come in clear pots so youcan see the roots. also let them dry out and water with superthrive. idk if it works or not but i use it all the time and it seems to do the trick since all my plants struggle from neglect lol. and also, dont pamper them. it will only help you cope better when the plant dies (and if i doesnt then its worth keeping ) dont fuss over it. just keep a schedule and monitor what works and what doesnt and keep trying. you WILL succeed

[Wrebbitrocks]

oh, keep off the fertilizer. you could be hurting the plant more if its alreasy stressing out. use at most very week fertilizer until the plant is established and starts showing new growth. one reason could also be the repotting. roots are tailored to the media theyre grown in so changing from soft moist moss to dry brittle bark will definitely shock the roots. they will all die after a repot and new roots will take place. i use sphag with my phals and let them get bone dry (usally 3-4 days here in arizona) and they lift out of the pot. then soak again. it may or may not work for you but you could try, and keep warm

[Cerey]

I will definitely try superthrive. Is one drop a gallon really all you need?
Moss was always my favorite, but they never dried fast enough.

I bow to the orchid experts

Cerey, if moss doesn't dry fast enough -try to change the pot. I only use clay pots or mesh net pots with sphagnum for my phals.
Everything in plastic was rotting and I stopped using plastic pots with sphag for phals.
Don't give up. Good luck.

[NatalieS]

I don't find I have a huge problem with sphag and plastic, but I would rarely use JUST sphag in a plastic pot. I've had great success recently with mixing perlite and bark with sphag. I also prefer to anchor the plant with a stake and fill the pot very loosely with the sphag/bark/perlite mix, leaving a few air spaces, rather than relying on the media to anchor the plant. My theory is pressing the media into the pot just compacts it.

But orchideya's suggestion is MUCH better - and easier. Just change the pot.

[tucker85]

Everyone’s growing conditions are different and people have success with lots of different culture techniques but here’s what’s worked for me.
• It’s very important to use the smallest pot that the roots will comfortably fit in. This may mean that the pot looks way too small for the orchid but it really increases you chances of success. I have 2.5”, 3”, 4” and 5” pots. With a small pot the media should dry out in 4-5 days.
• Clear plastic pots have the advantage of being able to see the roots and the media. It’s easier to tell when the media is dry. The pots are light and you can tell how much water is in the media by feeling the weight of the pot and looking at the color of the roots (green when wet and white when dry). They should have lots of holes in the bottom and anything over 4” should have slots on the sides also.
• I use 4 parts medium coconut husk chips, 1 part charcoal and 1 part sponge rock or expanded clay pellets (LECA). I repot once a year.
• When I water I run water through the media to make sure it’s thoroughly wet. Then I let it get completely dry or almost completely dry before rewatering. If you’re not sure if it’s dry, wait another day. If you’re nervous about it getting too dry, mist the aerial roots a little until it’s time to water the plant. That will give the orchid moisture and let the media dry out.
• I give my phals more light than most people. I like them to get a little direct sun in the morning or the evening but protect them from the sun in the middle of the day.
• I fertilize once a week during the spring and summer. If the media hasn’t dried out in a week I wait until it’s dry before fertilizing. Use a fertilizer that gets most or all of its nitrogen from nitrate (not ammonium or urea). I also use Maxicrop Liquid Seaweed when I fertilize. Superthrive or one of the other plant stimulants may work also but only use one.

[quiltergal]

I agree with everything Tucker said. I think small pots is the key to preventing root rot. I used to way overpot when I first started growing orchids, and also had problems with root rot. Once I started potting snugly that problem went away. I would also be very leery of using Superthrive every time you water. I've seen some very blizzare looking flowers from overusing that stuff.

[silken]

I do pretty much the same as tucker85 and most of my Phals thrive. Instead of his media mix I use part moss and part medium bark and there are good air spaces. I love the clear pots to see what's happening and agree that some seaweed (kelp) will really stimulate root growth.

[The Mutant]

I also agree with tucker85, plenty of good advice there.

I suffer from the opposite problem you have, which is I usually don't water often enough (except in some cases when I manage to water too often ) and I've killed more than my share of Phals before being able to keep them alive and thriving.

What work best in my conditions are; clear plastic pots, a bark/sphagnum/perlite substrate, watering some of the Phals when the medium is not completely dry, while others want to wait for a bit longer, feeding weakly/weekly with K-lite, using seaweed extract, and flushing the pots regularly.

Good luck with your future Phals!