help with my phalaenopsis
 

Hello everyone,

I am in desperate need of help! I have attached some images of my phalaenopsis . Sorry about the quality of my images - I took them using my phone. The last one focuses on the stem - I am not sure you can notice what is left of the stem.

I am worried as the roots seem to go overboard, and the stem looks deadish. I am not sure if it needs repotting (I suspect so). I cut off the stem about two months ago.

I would really appreciate your help!

Hi Dani and welcome to Orchid Board :welcome:

Your Phal actually looks quite healthy.

The stem is dead, but that's normal once it has flowered and been cut down. If you want you can cut it down shorter, just be careful not to damage the leaves or roots when you do.

Roots growing over the edge and in the air is quite normal on potted Phals. They do it all the time and it is nothing to worry about. My healthiest Phals have loads of them.

agree with above

From your pictures you have a healthy orchid! The flower stem will turn brown like yours did after the plant has finished blooming. When the plant is ready to bloom again it will sent up another spike, in other words the old stem will never do anything again. Those are normal healthy roots coming out the side. When was the last time it was repotted? Generally phals like to be repotted every couple of years.

Having said that I would be slightly worried about the fact that it seems to be potted in moss.

Some people get on well with that (especially in drier climates) but personally I have found it stayes wet too long and can lead to root rot.

But your plant looks like it's doing well so far, and as you say you cut the spike off two months ago you must have had it for longer than that so you may find it does OK for you. Be very careful not to overwater though.

Oh, and you can probably remove the support spikes, although if they are wodden they could be used to judge watering. You can check how wet the medium is lower down by pulling the spike out and checking if it is damp, then put it back into the same hole.

One more question to add. Does the pot that it is in have drainage holes?

Ah, good question Ted. Yes, if the pot does NOT have drainage holes then I would really advise repotting.

Hello everyone!

Thank you so much, Rosie, Seamonkey, Failingflopsis and Ted for your replies. Rosie, thank you for the welcoming message - it is really nice to be part of the orchid board community.

I have never repotted my Phalaenopsis before. I got it in March. Yes, the pot has drainage holes.

I live in Alberta, Canada and the climate here is really dry. I guess that is why my orchid seems to do OK, even though it is potted in moss. I should also mention that I watered it about an hour prior to taking pictures.

Best regards

Just wondering roughly how long before a new spike should start to emerge?

I find they emerge at certain times of the year. Many Phals (but not all) will start a new flower spike after a temperature drop. Mine generally start in the autum, although cool weather in the spring or summer has also been known to trigger them.

Welcome to OB:)

The 2 aerial roots in the second picture look healthy. It looks like they have active growing tips- although can't be positive from the pic. The spike stub is dead but if it was done blooming and you cut it off that's ok.

orchidbingo

Thank's for that, I look forward to the cooler weather then. Already excited at the prospect and it will be 3 - 4 months before we really get a change in the temp.

Hello Orchidbingo,

Thank you very much for your answer!
best regards!

Phalaenopsis dry roots
 

Hello,

My Phalaenopsis is really stubborn in not blooming. I changed its light conditions and I still have no luck. Since I started watering less frequently a few months ago, I noticed that most of the roots have dried out. Is this irreversible? I am attaching some pictures. Also, two of the leaves have developed some whitish/transparent areas - not sure what to make of those. I do not use fertilizer. I got it a bit over a year ago and I never re-potted it.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Dani

im no expert here, but the leaves look like they are starting to get sunburnt. but i cant tell for sure. b/c the pic isnt great. if it indeed is sunburn i recommend going back to the original place you had it, it seemed to like it there. phals dont always flower when the temp. goes down. sometimes they just like to wait.

You need to unpot and look at the roots you do not see since they are drying out above the moss....You may have rot problems and need to move it out of moss into bark possible ....moss works well for some people but in general I think most of us dont do well with moss.

Bark is a common medium but you really need to research the different kinds of mediums before you choose .It may just be that the moss your is in is old also.

Thank you!
 

Thank you so much for your answer. I took a closer look at the roots. It seems that most of them are OKish, except the ones located on top. I will re-pot it - should I use a larger pot when I change the medium?
Thank you and have a nice weekend!
Dani

Thank you!
 

Indeed, they are a bit sunburnt (they've been in direct sunlight for three days now). I have changed the location.
I will post some progress pictures.

Have a nice weekend,
Dani

Thats going to be depending on how many good roots are in there and if you feel it is too crowded ...probably not.

if you got a good look ate the roots in the pot and most are okish ....can you post a picture of them?That will let everyone advise you better.Okish is getting close to iffy could be you just caught the problem in time.