Yellowing bottom leaves on Phal

[hatter]

Hi Everyone

I got engaged about 2 months ago and my mother-in-law to be bought be a beautiful white phal as a congratulatory present. I used to have 3 orchids a few years ago and lost them all to what I can only assume was a virus (being a beginner I didnt know to keep the new plants away from the old ones and they all got sick)

Anyway, I don't want this one to die too - especially because it has sentimental value.

When I got it, I noticed it had one slightly yellow bottom leaf, but assumed this might just be an old leaf. Now a leaf higher up has gone yellow and looks like its rotting. It has taken about 6 weeks for this leaf to go from healthy to the state it is in now (see photos).

The original yellow leaf is still there, and the other bottom leaf is also a bit droopy.

Any advice appreciated.

[Neverend]

Looks like a fungal infection to me, the experts here will give you a better diagnosis.

[Becca]

I two think it is fungal/bacterial. If it were me I would cut the yellowing leaves off, a little into the healthy green part of the leaf, and put regular cinnamon on the cut. This will help seal the wound heal and fight off infection. Oh, make sure you use sterilized scissors for cutting!

[Gin]

I agree , I would remove the bad leaf and treat with a fungicide the whole plant I use Daconil from Lowe's or HD. try to keep the plant top dry , and make sure it is getting good air circulation .. Hope you can stop it . Gin

[caseydoll]

I wouldn't be too worried just yet. It is completely normal for lower leaves on phals to turn yellow and fall off. Even if it looks a little rotted. I have many phals and they all do this from time to time. Especially if you see new growth starting to emerge on the top. Have you repotted it since you have gotten it? If so how were the roots? How often are you watering? If you haven't repotted I would suggest doing that to check on the conditions of the roots. If it's not a natural die off of the leaves you should be able to find out the true condition of the plant by looking at the roots. Leaves will also yellow and die off if the root system isn't doing well enough to support the leaves. Hope that helps a little! I'm sure others will chime in with more suggestions!

[tuvoc]

Hi Hatter. Look really closely at the pot, and you will see that a smaller, clear plastic pot is tucked inside a larger pot. This says to me that the original potting medium is pretty well shot. I think a total repot is in order. The roots in the smaller pot are probably in pretty bad shape. This could explain the deteriorating leaf growth. Follow the advice about removing the bad leaf, and things should perk up pretty soon. Good luck!

Kim

[Becca]

Good eye Kim! I saw that too, but really didn't think anything of it, actually I was a little confused....lol.

[hatter]

You were totally right - the big pot was just for show and the orchid's roots were squashed inside the little pot. It looks like it was planted in a moss - which hasn't been draining very well and now some of the roots are rotting. Some of the roots however look pretty healthy, so Im going to repot it. Should I cut off the rotting roots first? Also, I could only get bark as a repotting medium today - is this ok or should I try find a shop that specialises in Orchids to get something better (Im in South Africa so I cant buy the cool stuff you can get online overseas).

[caseydoll]

Regular bark should work perfectly well. Usually you want to soak it prior to use for 24 hrs. But if you don't want to wait put it in a bucket and pour boiling water over it and let it sit for an hour or so. This just makes it easier to water later on because the bark will suck up the water better. (or something like that ) You will want to take all that moss out of the root ball and cut away any dead or rotting roots. Use a sterile instrument to do this. The dead roots are easy to find, they may be squishy or black/brown. The good news is that it looks like you have lots of nice healthy roots so your orchid should be perfectly fine. Good luck!

[tuvoc]

Sarah, good advice. All my Phals are in bark, and they do very well. I have found that moss can be tricky to get out of the roots without damaging them too much. I soak the whole thing in warm water, and then gently pick the old moss out a bit at a time. It may take a bit of extra time, but your plant will thank you! Good luck, and good growing.

Kim