Can't quite figure out what to do for Phalaenopsis
 

Hello out there in Orchid Land! I have a Phal. that in about 4 years has bloomed for me many times and last time last spring/summer with two long spikes. It seemed healthy with consistent and increasing leaf growth About two months ago it lost its bare spikes and two of six leaves I checked the roots and found only the surface roots were healthy! Yes the media seemed wet though I only watered once a week. I repotted in medium bark and used Fungicide/Bacteriacide soak on bare roots and media. I let this orchid dry out for 8 or 9 days and then have soaked pot and all in Dyna Grow root tone every two weeks. There are four rather flaccid leaves and one new one which has stopped growing sometime ago. I see one new healthy root under the media surface and the plant seems to dry between weekly watering. I check the medium before each watering. Today two of the leaves are yellowing(old). What can I do for this Phal? P.S. I fertilize weakly weekly alternating fish emulsion with seaweed 3-2-1 with MSU fertilizer at half strength. Might the fertilizer have a adverse effect?

If you don't mind me asking you to backtrack a bit...

How was it grown for the past 4 yrs?

How was it being grown during the decline?

How is it currently being grown?

Take your time to reorganize the information. It doesn't matter how long the message is. As long as it's organized, a long message will appear short.

Phillip; I can honestly say that it was raised on weekly watering and the only change was in fertilizer regimen some months ago from biweekly to weekly. Medium has been changed two or three times in those 4 years. During its decline I stopped the fertilizer for one month and after the Fungicide bath and repot in new medium bark I used Dyna Grow Root Tone every two weeks or twice total. Now I am back to weekly watering when dry and Weekly fertilizer in the last few weeks. Using fish emulsion with seaweed and MSU Fertilizer for Well Water at half strength. I have a new root under the media, but today two of the five remaining leaves are yellowing. Any suggestions please.

Maybe watering once a week is too much. You should be watering only when the plant needs it, and not when it suits you to do so. Depending on climate, in most cases people need to water every 4-7 days in summer, and then maybe every 7-15 days in winter. Completely depends on individual conditions.
Also in my experience phals tolerant dryness much better than excessive wetness. When in doubt about watering, wait another day!

To help your plant survive while it's putting out new roots you need to try to keep it in a warmish place, and to maintain humidity you can place a transparent bag over it. By slowing down the evaporation rate the plant may hang on to more leaves. Keep it out of direct sunlight though, or else it will fry.

Is it good to fertilize so much? I think the problem is too wet. If it can get some new roots it may put out some new leaves, but I don't think there is not a lot of hope for the old ones once they start to go.
I am still pretty new to this so could be wrong. Hope for you that I am.
Becky

What you have not said and I suspect is that you have not been changing the potting medium.

Most Orchids need to have the medium replaced at least every other year.

The medium starts to decay and the roots decay with it.

You should never have any schedule to water. There are days I water 2-3 times a day and then will skip a month when the plant needs to dry.

Phals should be kept medium moist and not allowed to dry for long periods, but if they are moist they should not be watered again until starting to dry out.

Okay...

Well...

Let's see if there's more info that's being left out...

What was the medium?

In fact, what kind of pot were you using?

Did you know for a fact that the roots didn't start dying off within the 4 yr period?

What kind of fungicide did you use?

Stopping fertilization for a month will not hurt your plants, btw. There was a 1 or 2 year period where I did no fertilizing. My plants are still alive. They just don't grow optimally.

Is this watering regimen with bark?

Sounds fine to me.

Do you use well water? If so, do you know if it happens to have toxic contaminants that happened to seep into the well water? Have you tested it? Do you have a way of doing so?

If the well water is contaminated, I think your community should know about it, and hold the government and the party responsible for the damage accountable for their blunder.

Do you mind me asking when you repot how do you do it? You know, your repotting procedures and habits, what are they?

Do quite a bit of roots tend to break during repotting?

Do you trim the roots during repotting? If so, are the cutters sterilized?

Do you soak the roots in water prior to repotting?

Do you pack the media down nice and firm, or does the media have a little give?

If the roots are not breaking off, do they get damaged during repotting?

Do you have pics of the plant?

Thanks for the advice to all of you! The orchid in question has been repotted two or three times and is now in medium bark, ( no bark break down seen). Sorry folks I was not clear on that point. I use a plastic pot with good drainage , but not a clear pot. I agree the phal was too wet a couple months ago and with this plant I did not check the roots in a long time. My other orchids I do check to see how moist they are, so I will plead guilty there. Now I have been trying to dry this phal. between watering by sticking my finger in the bark a couple inches. Phillip, when repotted I did use sterilized scissors to trim dead roots, they were soaked in Python Fungicide and no healthy roots were broken. Roots were already wet before repotting. I tried to be gentle in repotting and I did not pack firmly for fear of breaking the healthy roots left. The phal. leaves are flaccid and the new growth leaf which started when I lost the first leaves two months ago is firm but not growing. Well water is used with all thirty orchids, but no testing has been done in probably years, (we drink this water). No mines or industry for many miles around our water source. This plant was doing so well its what seemed to be sudden decline surprised me. Pictures to follow shortly. Thanks again all! AL P.S., Camille great advice about clear tenting this orchid, I'll do that!, and it is staying warm in indirect sun,(not under 68 degrees F. or above 75 degrees F.).

It's over potted. That was your problem.

Yes Phillip I think your right! I hate to repot after all its been through, but I may not have a choice. Thanks for baring with me, its appreciated.