Home Depot Phalaenopsis

[R3ality]

I just bought one from home depot, first orchid here.

Looking around the roots I see a few brown roots, mostly green, and one dried up root.

The leaves also have these white dots underneath the leaf and little 'dents' on top of the leaf.

Any ideas what's going on?

Brown roots, my guess excessive moisture? I'll be leaving it to dry out for this week.


Thanks

[sweetjblue]

R3ality, First........... to the OB!!

Now to deal with your first orchid.

The brown could be just discoloration from the bark that the plant is in. I personally wouldn't worry about it.

The green is what your roots look like when they are wet, and will turn a silvery/ white color when the mix starts to dry. At that point is when you should give your plant its next watering. Take your plant to the sink and allow water to flow thru the plant for perhaps 1/2 minute or so. Let the plant drain and then place it back into the spot you've chosen for it. Never allow your plant to sit in water, this will rot the roots.

The white dots and dents could be from spidermites, but its hard to tell from the pics. If you have a loupe or magnifying glass you could check for them. Here is a link you may find helpful in indentifying them.

Orchid Pests

If you have any other questions or concerns let us know, you'll find alot of helpful and friendly people here!!

Judi

[ElenaMarie]

Originally Posted by R3ality

I just bought one from home depot, first orchid here.

Looking around the roots I see a few brown roots, mostly green, and one dried up root.

The leaves also have these white dots underneath the leaf and little 'dents' on top of the leaf.

Any ideas what's going on?

Brown roots, my guess excessive moisture? I'll be leaving it to dry out for this week.


Thanks

Soak a cotton ball in rubbing alcohol and swipe the underside of a leaf. If the white spots come off, it's an insect issue. If not, something else is going on.

Good luck! There are lots of helpful folks here and there's a thread just for folks new to orchids wondering what to do with their first Phal.

http://www.orchidboard.com/community...ends-here.html

[R3ality]

Just wiped the bottom, it removed what I assume is dust. The dots are still there, I checked with a microscope and there were no bugs to be found.

The white spots were kind of crystallized spots, milky white.

[sweetjblue]

"The white spots were kind of crystallized spots, milky white"

Some Phal orchids secrete a substance that is called honeydew. If its been on the plant for awhile and dries it looks crystallized, almost looks like a grain of sugar. That might be what you have.
Keep checking your plant daily and see if it reappears, if it is honeydew and you have no pests it just means you have a happy plant!

Judi

[kalanchoe]

Hi R3ality, I think you and I have the same plant! Well, not the SAME, but you know what I mean... I received mine as a gift, so I can't say for sure where it is from. It has the same flowers and the same dimples on the tops of the leaves with the same white crystalline spots on the undersides. To me it does not seem like a matter of honeydew on my leaves, unfortunately. Here's a pic of my flowers with close-ups of the leaves. I haven't noticed any mites or other bugs on it when I clean the leaves, but I rubbed them down with a soap and rubbing alcohol combo just to be safe. It's separated from my other plants for now, just in case.

[jrodpad]

No idea what's going on with the phal - but I'm going on record (and I can't believe I'm the first to do it) saying that the lady vampire poster is bad@ss. Seriously hard core. Maybe the phal is scared and those dots are goosebumps? Black backgrounds are overdone. I like the real-life in situ photos. I've got a few pics in front of a reclining nude myself!

Keep up the good work my friend!

-J

[Oscarman]

She is totally bad@ss,....I think I love her!

Originally Posted by jrodpad

No idea what's going on with the phal - but I'm going on record (and I can't believe I'm the first to do it) saying that the lady vampire poster is bad@ss. Seriously hard core. Maybe the phal is scared and those dots are goosebumps? Black backgrounds are overdone. I like the real-life in situ photos. I've got a few pics in front of a reclining nude myself!

Keep up the good work my friend!

-J

[Zoi2]

The white stuff on the underside of the leaves looks like spray from the grower to me. Probably fertilizer/pesticide residue. It should wash.
Joann

[kalanchoe]

Lol, jrodpad- I didn't even notice the huge vampiress in R3ality's photo! Now I'm wondering what other things I've missed in photos because I was too busy looking at the orchid... some "reclining nudes", even?!

Joann, I can't speak for R3ality's orchid, but if it's similar to mine, the white stuff underneath the leaves does not come off- they're like very shallow pock marks. In the photos I posted, the last one shows that the best, but it's tough to photograph.