Phal Sogo mini Dog x Dtps. Anna-Larati Soekardi - Rotten Roots
 

Greetings all, I'm new to the boards, and not the best start i'm afraid!

I have this little fella that isn't doing so well. I am a complete orchid keeping noob and got given this little one without any knowlege of how to keep it. I messed up bigtime. Basically it's roots were rotting, even though i tried not to over water it, so stopped watering it allowing it to dry out. What can i do now, can it still be saved?

The label on it says Phal Sogo mini Dog x Dtps. Anna-Larati Soekardi if that helps? Any / all advise greatly appreciated!

That is a dead plant. Throw it away, and chalk it up to the learning curve.

While it is possible that there might be the tiniest portion of living tissue somewhere in that mess, the likelihood of it surviving is minimal, and even if it did, it would be years and years until it was healthy enough to bloom.

For future reference: Air Management and the other stuff here: First Rays' Free Info

Sorry Mate. That is one dead plant. I was given a Phal once that was in a pot like that..... Was not doing well at all. I took it out and put it in a bigger pot solely with coconut husk chips..... now it has grown extra leaves and has a flower spike on it.

thanks for the replies guys. Not trying to diminish my own stupidity and errors, but i dont think it was doing all that well when i recieved it. What would you recommend as a good beginners orchid for my second attempt?

Thanks!

In Thailand?........ Vanda

no, my place in the UK, thanks.

Ooh ok, You have your residence as Thailand on your profile

rogerman - it's a long story - going back to 26.12.04

Back to the orchids - am i right in thinking just a regular phal is the way to go? I'm thinking if they are alive and blooming in the garden centre where they can't be getting that much love, i should be able to at least match that!

Ray, thanks for the link on air management. If i'd only read that when i first got the orchid, i would have repotted it immidiately.

Phals are ok.... Just make sure you don't water them too much.

i guess that's the difficulty huh, knowing how much is too much. Guess it depends on so many variable factors. Are there any general tips to avoid overwatering? Thanks.

Have you thought about maybe a mounted Phal? You can mount it so that it hangs sideways or even upside down thus avoiding water in the crown of the plant. Use a little sphagnum moss to protect the roots when you're tying it on to the mount...a piece of cork or maybe a small plastic basket.

The one drawback with mounts is that they need to be watered or sprayed at the root zone more often than one that is potted.

We have a number of great instructional threads on how to mount a chid :goodluck:

thanks, i'll read up on those!

Politik, sorry to read about your phal. Don't feel under minded, I too (and almost if not all of us) have killed a chid (or 2 :'() due to lack of information on how to care for them.

The upside to the story is that you now know what not to do next time. Don't let this little rookie mishap stop you from growing 'chids.

I am sure you'll be successful with future orchids.

:D

Thanks for the encouragement! :bowing

I think that mounting a phal is not the best idea for a beginner in a home environment. Unless you can keep the humidity elevated and water at least daily, it will be a struggle.

Also keep in mind that phals prefer to be very warm most of the time, and that can be a costly endeavor in GB.

Read the air management link I shared originally, so you understand how not to overwater.

Have you considered paphiopedilums or cymbidiums?

Yeah, thanks, i read that link, very nicely written; in that it explained a lot in terms that my little brain could comprehend!

I'm new to orchids, so I've never heard of the two (species?) you mentioned, but will google them. I basically need to start with whatever will be easiest and most forgiving as i develope my growing skills.

Thanks for the help and suggestions.

As a UK resident I would say I have found Phals quite easy to look after here.

Although they like warmth mine have done well at the general temperature I keep my house. That's no heating and whatever it naturally is during the summer, and about 19C in Winter.

I keep them in an east facing window and they seem quite happy (lots of new leaves, roots, and re-flowering every year).

Oh and the other thing is that Phals are really easy to get hold of in the UK. They are in most garden centers and supermarkets.