Phal Concerns
 

I have questions about a noid phal in spike and was hoping someone could provide some answers about what's going on.

1. I found a bump forming on the otherside of a new leaf forming. I cut it off originally and disinfected with alcohol, but it just grew back next to it. Is this equivalent to a wart? Should I be concerned or is it ok to leave it alone?

2. Is a new root growing here? It seems stuck. Will this eventually make the bottom leaf fall off?

3. This is the second to bottom leaf. It has changed from olive to this dark brown with reddish tint. It's dry and scaly to the touch. The black spots were originally there when I got this orchid during Christmas, but they have gotten considerably darker and more sunken in. It is also droopy and floppy now. What should I do? Should I cut it off?

Thanks for the help as always!
Susan

1. Not sure what it is.

2. It is a root. Don't worry about it, it'll be fine and will not make the leaf drop.

3. The leaf is going to drop.

For what it's worth, it looks to me like the orchid may not be getting enough light or moisture. I could be wrong of course. The leaves are very dark and they look dehydrated. If it were me I would try to give it more light. I haven't had much success with phals planted in hydroton. I don't think it holds the moisture long enough. My favorite medium is coconut husk chips. If you're going to leave it in hydroton I would consider misting the surface of the medium daily. The bump could be scale or a bacterial infection. Usually I just use soap and water with a paper towel to clean it off the leaf. Don't worry about the root. Sometimes they grow through the leaf but usually they find a way around it. The plant knows how to do it better than we do. The bottom leaf will probably have to come off but I leave them until they're completely yellow before removing them. Good luck.

I have it growing in front of an eastern facing window. I pushed back the sheer curtain to make sure it gets full morning sun. It's interesting that you say it may not getting enough light, because I have a phal sogo grape right next to it and another person posted under "Phal Leaf Dying" that it may be getting too much light since the bottom leaf on that one dropped. I'm not really sure what to do. There is low humidity in the house and some air movement as the central air vent is on the ceiling above the orchids. I will post another photo of the leaves tomorrow so you can get a better view of the other leaves. The other leaves are not brown like the one that's going to drop. It's an olive color and feels firm to the touch.

I think it's getting too much light. I am no expert but when I placed one of my orchids in full morning sun for about a week the leaves got really red and the orchid died. from what i've read online and in books if your leaves are reddish it's sunburn so it's getting too much sun

Oh WOW! Is your phal really that purple color all over?! If so, that's a sign of WAY TOO MUCH LIGHT! If there is even a slight purplish tinge on the old leaves (not a newly forming one), this is an indication of being exposed to too much/too intense of light. You should be searching for a place where the leaves stay a nice, plump and healthy dark green and not turning purple.

Each person's east/west/north/south windows in their home come with different sets of circumstances that determine light levels. I know most people and books say place them in either a north or east window, but if there is nothing there to block the direct light falling upon it then that's bad. I have a neighbor's house right next to my house (maybe 4 feet away) so my phal's don't ever get direct sun in most of my eastern windows. The same neighbors used to have a large tree in their backyard until they cut it down late last year, now I can't put orchids in some of my eastern windows because the sun is way too intense.

If you place your hand about a foot above where you want your orchid to go while the sun is shining full strength in your area, if you can see the shape and outline of your hand in the shadow, then the light is too much. You are searching for a shadow that still holds your form but has no distinct edges.

Thanks for the feedback and suggestions everyone! :) I just put the rest of my orchids, except for a cym backbulb, behind a sheer curtain.

The phal is not purple all over. That photo was just the underside of the new leaf in the first picture. The top of the leaves are actually olive. I thought they looked dark, which is why I had them unshaded during the winter. It did get lighter to this olive color after I moved the sheer curtain away in the winter. However once the warmer weather hit, the olive color did not change except for that 2nd to bottom leaf and bottom leaf on the other side. The bottom leaf never really looked great to begin with so I'm not surprised if that drops.

Here are some more photos:
1. Photo 1 - Overall view of phal.
2. Photo 2: I originally thought this orchid was in spike and was growing roots all over. However, as it started to get bigger, it looks like leaves rather than nodes. Is this really a keiki?
3. Photo 3: Is this a new root?

2. Yes, those are keikis.

3. Yes, that is a new root.

Hmm... I guess I still don't have my first home grown spike then. Woops! Still can't complain about a keiki! :D This is very exciting! My very first phal keiki! Thanks for the clarification! No wonder there are new roots growing everywhere!

I have a Phal. that has naturally dark maroon leaves. It receives the same amount of light as the others. It's a harlequin. I have a Hilo Lip that has very dark purple flowers that also has dark purplish leaves. Some are just that way naturally, so it may not be too much light. What color are the flowers on this one?

That's good to know quiltergal - now you've got me searching to add that to my collection, lol...

Just generally speaking though, the one's you buy from grocery and home stores tend to not be harlequin's and purple is generally a sign of too much light. But know that I know about harlequin's, I'll have to revise my statements about coloration and light!

Scy, when was the last time you checked the roots below the surface of your medium? I'm just curious because phal's produce keiki's for one of two reasons - either they are extremely happy or they are attempting to save themselves before dying. Based on the fact that you have new roots going everywhere I'm tempted to say you are just fine, but I would still suggest checking the root mass underneath your medium just to be sure they are healthy.

This phal has orange-pinkish blooms. The photos I included below are from when I first received this orchid. I always thought that dark leaves meant that it is not receiving enough light. So, does this mean I should put it in front of the sheer curtain instead of behind it?
Photo 1
Photo 2

This was a Christmas gift from my sister. I remember she called from the nursery and said, "Do you like orange?" LOL

As for the roots, I repotted it into s/h back in March because the bark mix I put it in beforehand in January was rotting. I went away on vacation in April and asked my in-laws to water it for me. During the ride back home, it shifted out of the pot so I repotted it back and anchored it when I got home. There were some good roots and some rotted roots from s/h. Shortly after, it started the new growth with new leaves (2 new ones growing now), roots nubs growing everywhere and branching off old ones beneath the medium, and the keiki.

Does this mean I should put it back in front of the sheer curtain or leave it behind it?

I came home today and misted my orchids only to find that more leaves are turning red. As you can see in the first photo, 3 are already reddish orange. The bottom most green one on the right side is starting to turn red too (in the last photo). When they all drop, I'll be left with only 2 full size leaves and 2 baby leaves (2nd photo).

1. Is there anything I can do to save the leaf in the 3rd picture?
2. What can I do to help ensure that it gets better? I'm sure the stress of mother plant putting out the keiki doesn't help.

That looks like the classic die back of leaves from dehydration to me and is probably due to the root problems you mention having.

One of my large ones died back to just two leaves because it's smaller root system (after a rot problem) just could not support so many leaves. The leaves went orange like that.

I notice lots of new root nubbin's so I think this plant is on it's way to recovery. I don't think the leaf in the last picture will recover, but you may get the plant to hang on to it a bit longer while the new leaf grows, it really all depends how much water the roots are managing to draw up.

I've actually found that Phals don't necessarily loose roots when moving to S/H (unlike finer rooted orchids like Oncidiums). However in S/H it's easy for the plant to get too cold (S/H caused cooling in the root zone due to evaporation from the lecca) and over the winter I had a problem with root rot on my S/H phals which I believe was due to this. I lost one orchid before I realised what was wrong, the others I saved by putting on a heat mat (and the weather was starting to warm again anyway).

Along those temperature lines I would ensure you water with tepid water and if you can, put it on a seedling heat mat.

Hi Rosie! The phal came loose from its pot when I transported it recently, so I decided it would be a good idea to clean up any dead roots and anchor it down this time. In the process, I accidentally cracked a root and now I see it's growing some mold (white stuff). I'm afraid of unpotting it to clean it up again, as I don't want to stress it out any more plus I might risk damaging the new root nubs if I accidentally bump them with PrimeAgra.

Thanks for the warning! I did take the cooler temperatures into account when I switched to S/H and I have it normally sitting on a heating pad. I just moved it off to the side to take the photo. It's currently off, but I turn on the heating pad in the winter, when the temperatures drop lower than 60 degrees F. I have my dens in the same set up too. Is that ok too?

I do water with room temperature water to try and avoid shocking the roots. I started misting the top layer of PrimeAgra when I noticed that it was dry (through the side of the pot) to keep it moist. I try to spray carefully so I can avoid the sides and crown. Should I stop doing this?

Sounds like you are doing the right things. Not sure about the mold but I would keep an eye on it and see if it spreads.

I mist the top of the lecca as well. Just make sure you do it in the morning, so any water that does accidentally get on the crown will evaporate before it goes dark.

I think the mold is from old roots that were questionable about whether it was going to make it or not, but since it still felt firm, I left it on and didn't cut it off. I guess it's held on for as long as it could and starting to die off. I see this on a number of roots, but since they are not on the side of the pot, I can't tell how much for certain.

1. Do I need to unpot to clean it up or just leave it as is?
2. On a separate note, there is a lot of algae/moss growing on the sides of the pot, because it's in a clear pot. Do I have to do anything about this or can I leave it as is?

Another leaf started to turn red, so I knew something had to be up and decided to unpot the whole thing. I was shocked to find that the little bit of mold I saw initially had spread to all the roots underneath! All of the roots rotted except for the new roots. So I rinsed off all the mold, trimmed the dead roots and then soaked it in physan. I repotted it and watered with kln. I going to turn on the heating pad and hope for the best.

Sounds to me like you've done the right thing, and the root loss certainly explains the leafs dropping.

I think you have a chance if there is any growing root and if there is at least one good leaf. Good luck :crossfing:

Looks like you acted just in time to save this one! I would move this out of the light until it recovers. The earlier pictures to me look like too much sun. In the morning, when the sun is shining on the leaves, you should feel them and if they are at all warm, it is too much.

As for phal leaves turning purple, I have quite a few that have some purple on their undersides and leaf margins. They sit side by side with bright green ones! I find it is usually the plants that have purple or pink colouring in the flowers. With Phals, I have some very bright green leaves and dark green leaves also and I think it is just their different genetics as mine are healthy, and many in bloom and all living on the same shelf in identical conditions. Almost all of mine are NOID's If the entire leaf is turning red or brown tho, it is likely sunburn.

Good luck with that one and I hope it recovers nicely. Some grow keikis readily and others do when under stress.

I mist the leaves of any sick phals I have and if you are careful not to get it in the crown, I find it to be a big help in getting moisture to the plant until it has more roots.

Over a year ago I had the problem described in the #1 on one of my NoId phals - those bumps on the leaves.
After some research I decided that it was edema or oedema.
Here is some information:
PP244/PP164: Physiological Disorders of Orchids: Oedema
It did not spread on to other orchids and did not affect my phal's growth - it successfully grew new set of leaves and fat aerial root since then.

Thank you for sharing this information!