Phal leaves turning yellow and falling off

[kochsydn]

I think my phal is dying. The leaves are yellowing at their base and falling off. There is no spotting or other signs of damage. No sign of crown rot either. I also have taken the orchid out of the pot and the surface roots have all dried and withered while the deep roots look like the beginnings of root rot. 5 leaves have fallen off in the past 3-4 days and now only 3 remain. Is it salvageable?

It is because of over-watering or under-watering that the roots are in such bad shape?

I didn't sterilize my scissors when I cut the spikes after their bloom(3-4 months ago). Could it be infected?

[No-Pro-mwa]

I'm not quiet sure. The roots on top have dried up but the ones in the pot look mostly green, so that is a good sign. It may be that you were just not watering enough and that the plant can't support that many leaves. Or it could be that even if you didn't get water in the crown you could have gotten it inside the bottom leaves and it's rotting from the bottom up. Especially if it is kind of cold in your home.

I have a phal I have had many years and it was always my one that bloomed every year and was a good doer. It needed a re-pot but I was putting it off during Oct. as I didn't have time. I was getting worried I was keeping the bottom of the pot to wet so I was misting the roots with water. I KILLED IT !
And it wasn't from getting water in the crown. The only thing I could figure out was I must have gotten water in-between the stalk and the bottom leaves and since it gets fairly cool at night it just couldn't take it. I still hate myself.

Sorry for the long story. The morel you will have to wait and see.

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[wintergirl]

I think your plant needs to have some air to the bottom, you have media in a glass vase. Take all the media out and just use the glass vase method or put media in a pot with air holes.

[silken]

I agree with winter girl. There is no drainage or aeration in that vase from what I can see. The roots like lots of both unless growing with a semi hydroponic method. The pot should get very close to dry before watering again and the media should be open and chunky so roots can breathe and drain well.

[rbarata]

I also agree with wintergirl. My mother also uses vases like those with her phals but, since I don't live with her, I don't know why it works with her.

[wintergirl]

People that use the glass will fill and soak for a day or 2 then let the plant set in the completely dry vase for awhile before resoaking. The plant has a chance to dry out and get air to the roots. If bark/media is in the vase the plant stays too wet and has no air movement.

[estación seca]

Welcome to the Orchid Board! I think you can probably save your plant.

I'm sorry your first post was for a problem like this.

There is an extensive discussion on how to care for Phalaenopsis on Orchid Board

here.

The above link also covers resuscitating sick Phals.

People succeed with Phals in glass vases with no medium at all, and in containers that have medium and drainage holes. Phals need air at the roots, as the people above have pointed out.

In glass vase culture with no medium, people fill the vase with water from time to time, soak the roots for a few hours, then empty the vase until next time. The roots are hanging in the air most of the time. I haven't used this method, but people posting to Orchid Board use it all the time, and you can find threads dealing with this. Helene has particular success, and has posted some wonderful photos of her monster Phals. You can use the search function in the maroon top menu to find her posts.

The semi-hydroponic (S/H) method works well for Phals, and I use this method. But, it takes them a while to get accustomed to it, and I don't think you should put a sick plant into S/H. There is a S/H thread

here.

Most people grow them in pots with some sort of medium. The type of bark in your vase works well for a lot of people. Other people grow them in pots with sphagnum moss as medium. I can't keep them alive in moss, but many people grow great plants with sphagnum. The first link I gave you goes over all this.

Good luck!

[No-Pro-mwa]

Oops I totally missed no holes in the pot. This is why I try not to give advice much.

[Leafmite]

What temperatures and light are you giving it? Some Phals (and other plants) will drop leaves if they are too cold or not getting enough light.
Good luck!