Should I repot this doritaenopsis in spike?

[DTEguy]

Hello,

I am rather new to orchids and very happy to have found this forum. I have gathered so much from your discussions and information that you guys have kindly shared with us. I am posting here today to get your opinion on this Dtps. which I received about 2 weeks ago.

The plant is very healthy, with 7 old leaves, 1 existing new leaf which has grown about 1-2 inches since I got it and 1 tiny leaf which emerged last week. The initiated spike has grown an additional 4 inches since I got it.

As you can see from the pictures, it is in sphagnum moss (nearing dry) and I will be repotting it in the future. Could you guys please give me some opinion on my questions below?

1) While some roots are healthy, I believe the medium is infested and some roots are dead. In your opinion, should I repot (with fine CHC mix) this Dtps. now or after it finished blooming? I am worried that it will establish a new root system and lose the spike if I repot it now.

2) If I don't repot it, should I drench/soak with some physan 20 at </= 1tsp/gallon?

3) Has anybody try drenching pots with cinnamon extracted in water as a preventive measure or mild fungicide?

4) Is it normal to be pushing out a new leaf while the other is still maturing and a spike is growing? I accidentally used seaweed on it when it first arrived.

I am gearing towards not to repot it since it is very healthy but just wanted to check with you guys about it. Thanks again for taking your time to read my post.

[camille1585]

First off, welcome to OB!

I actually would repot right away. If you don't want to do it while it's in spike and then blooming, that means pushing it back 2-4 months. Phals in spike (in my experience) do not suffer at all from repotting. The greatest danger is actually of accidently snapping the spike.

My concerns are the sphag, as it is usually tightly packed. Works very well at the commercial growers, but it usually leads to problems at home because while the outside may be dry, the center may still be quite wet. That may explain the dead roots. I don't see any infestion in there, the sphag is just green from age/algae.

The other issue is the pot. Those soft pots only have one single, smallish hole underneath. That's not enough for good drainage and ventilation.

So I recommend that you repot in a similar sized pot, clear plastic would be ideal. Use either a good bark mix (soak it overnight before using), or if you are comfortable with sphag, use fresh sphag that is only lightly packed. I'm afraid that a fine CHC mix may be too moisture retentive. But if you use it with other Phals already and have no problems, then why not?

As to your last question, yes, phals can both grow a spike and a new leaf at the same time. If the plant is strong and healthy, it can be a good multitasker. Seaweed extract is usually a very good root stimulator.

[DTEguy]

Hi Camille,

Thank you very much for the welcome and for sharing your experience with me .

In the past, I usually repot my other phals after they have bloomed with CHC mix into ceramic pots with holes on the side and assisted aeration; which dries it out in less than a week. However, they will always abandon their old root system and end up in the ICU for a few months...lol.

After giving it some thoughts, I think I will experiment with this Phal., so be it if I will lose the spike and learn more about my culture.

I will use the same CHC mix but it will go into a clear non-ventilated pot. I will then very slowly increase the aeration by cutting some slits and widening them. If the shock from transfer is mostly due to moisture level, this should help the phal. out considerably.

Alternatively, I can mix in some sphags to help it adjust, but I have taken a personal oath to never touch those hell-spawned fibers ever again

[james mickelso]

Camille is right on. You can easily repot this into a better media without stunting the flowers. Just be very careful teasing out the spagnum. Be careful with the roots which on this plant look very good. If you like spag, then don't pack it. Just wrap it loosely around the rootball and place it in a smallish pot. Phals grow naturally with no media at all. Just growing on tree branches. The moss is ponly to help keep the environment around the roots humid or moist but not wet. I have two smallish phals that are growing in lava rock. Been there for a few years with no problems. They like lots of air around their roots too. And air flowing around their leaves also. Keep them warm and you've got a winner.

[Bud]

Phalaenopsis is a very robust tenacious plant, it can even take so much abuse...I am not scared to repot while it is in bloom...as soon as I get it inside the house I inspect the roots and if the media is still fresh...I soak it for 5 min and then remove the debris around the roots with the aid of the flowing faucet in the sink...

*be very careful with chemicals...I will bring out the 'big guns' if it is badly needed...physan20 can stunt new buds and new leaves...
"if it aint broke dont fix it"...so don't do fungicides and physan if your plant is happy and healthy
you don't like to take immodium when you don't have diarrhea...right?

[tucker85]

Phals will usually continue to bloom even if you repot them in spike or bud. But occasionally the buds will stall and not bloom. If you want to see the flowers first, you could wait for the first flowers to open and then repot it.

I use Physan 20 at 1 tspn/gal on my phals every month or two. It's a mild fungicide/bacteriacide and it won't harm the plant. That routine was recommended to me by a commercial grower and it's also recommended in the book 'Culture of the Phalaenopsis Orchid' by Bob Gordon.

It is normal for a new leaf to start growing before the previous leaf is completely grown. Seaweed mostly encourages root growth.

I always give my plants a dose of liquid seaweed when I first repot them. It seems to work well.

[DTEguy]

Thank you all for the input, I appreciate it.

Unfortunately, my Phal. went downhill . There was a slight hint of yellow color at the base of the maturing leaf (picture #4 but less yellow in actual plant) and the bottom leaves on the right turning yellow rapidly. I quickly repotted it and treated the crown with hydrogen peroxide, cinnamon powder, and soaked the roots with physan 20 for a few hours.

However, the next day, I noticed white mold forming around some roots and yellowing of the leaves did not stop and was spreading rapidly. I then repotted and cut off the affected roots.

Since yellowing of the leaves started first and the roots were healthy when I first unpotted it. I believe the crown rot was not due to the mold, but possibly due to Erwinia (the yellowing leaves also have soft opaque blotch and smelly). Since I do not have Phyton 27 or Cleary, I had to come up with an alternative fast to save it.

I soaked it overnight with tetracycline for a systemic Erwinia eradication and included Physan20 with 2000 ppm cinnamon oil to deal with the mold. The mold did not return, and time will tell if the possible Erwinia has been eradicated.

So, what did I learn from this? That spike is strong! repotting does not affect it from growing!

[camille1585]

I'm sorry, but that last line is too funny. The plant has much more severe issues, but hey, if the spike survived all is well, eh?

Hope that was the last of the Erwinia, it's not a pleasant disease to deal with.

[Island Girl]

Thanks for this thread, I have the EXACT same prob. with one of mine.... Although I do have cleary's