Leggy Phal

[FrankP999]

I have a NOID phal that has lost some lower leafs. Consequently it has an ugly "neck" with no leafs. The "neck" has lots of roots on it. It needs repotting.

Can I just cut off the lower "neck" then repot? Do I need to treat the cut surface before repotting?

Thank you

Frank

[RosieC]

Can you just sink it lower in the pot rather than cutting?

[FrankP999]

I suppose I could. There are remnants of one or two leafs that would be buried. Would that be OK?

[orchidsarefun]

Originally Posted by FrankP999

I have a NOID phal that has lost some lower leafs. Consequently it has an ugly "neck" with no leafs. The "neck" has lots of roots on it. It needs repotting.

Can I just cut off the lower "neck" then repot? Do I need to treat the cut surface before repotting?

Thank you

Frank

I have read online that its OK, so I would say go for it and post your results here. Its a method of reproduction too.
Couple of conditions - there should be roots above and below the cut, and you should dip or dust the cut surfaces with cinnamon powder. A leaf or 2 on lower portion can only help.
You should also use a razor blade dipped in alcohol, or something sharp enough that doesn't "saw" through the plant and crush the "stem". Also, don't water for a couple of days, to allow the cut portions to dry properly.
You should then have 2 plants. Apparently the lower portion will also grow.

[tucker85]

You can cut off the lower part of the main stem. It won't harm the orchid. I usually don't treat the cut but if you want to treat it, you can get rootone or one of the other fungicide rooting products from Home Depot or Lowes.

[RosieC]

Originally Posted by FrankP999

I suppose I could. There are remnants of one or two leafs that would be buried. Would that be OK?

If you were going to sink it rather than cut, I would pull off any lower leaves so they don't go below the medium.