Save My phalaenopsis
 

I have a phalaenopsis gifted and it was bought from Kroger. It was in full bloom when i received it in March and had some buds it bloomed well and flowers fell off naturally by June. I water my Phal weekly checking if its dry by poking the wooden stick. I have kept it on the window sil facing north. It is in clear pot and has enough holes. i keep them in a plate over stones so that it gets medium to drip water as well. However, one of the leave has turned complete orange, one has become dark blueish black and others have developed blackish spots. I am attaching the pics of my phalaenopsis. I hope it is not dying. Is it some kind of virus that has attacked?Please advise what can be done to save it.

looks like some of your roots are bad.

I see the pot isn't sitting on top of pebbles in the humidity tray, but in the tray were the bottom media would be sitting in the water? The yellow leaf is below some new root growth, Although the roots below the yellow leaf looks bad.

You might want to post this in the phaleanopsis or beginners forums, rather than they cymbidium...

Having said that, doesn't look too far gone to me. It's not the end of the world if a bottom leaf dies off occasionally, and you've got some lovely new roots growing.

Are you finding the moss dries out OK in the middle? Wondering as your roots do look dry on top and I'm wondering if it's drying unevenly. I'm not great at growing in moss, so if it were me I'd probably change to bark. But moss might be better for you if it is drying out well. You could also try spraying the top roots a bit between waterings (making sure water doesn't get left in the crown of course).

There's a sticky at the top in the beginners forum called 'The Phal abuse stops here' that you might find helpful.

Thankyou everyone for your replies. I will post this in Phal section instead.

Rowangree : Yes it does dyr out in middle portion as well as i check by poking in the wooden stick. I am planning on repotting it and will check in the phals section which repotting mixture will be good for Phals. Thanks again for your suggestions.

Well the bottom leaf looks like natural leaf drop, old leaves will eventually do this.

The top leaf which you describe as dark blueish back actually looks to me to have a dark red tint over the green. It looks to me like it's reacting to brighter light. I often notice newer leaves do this more than older ones. At this level the light is not too high, but it is just getting more than it used to perhaps.

The spotted leaf would be more of a worry to me. Keep an eye on it and make sure those dark patches don't spread.

The new roots growing look really good, the old roots around the top of the medium look really bad. Have you ever taken it out the pot and looked at the roots inside, how are they, are they good roots or soft/mushy/hollow ones? I think it would be worth checking them.

Your post appears to be in the right section by the way. I didn't think you could move it yourself, though moderators can :dunno:

Sorry, Rosie - I had merged the threads started in different forums. I forgot to post that I did so

ThankYou Sonya for merging the posts.

Yes Rosie i had posted it in cymbidium section and then requested for move.

I have moved the Orchid to a shady area to avoid exposure from high light. It was sitting on my north end window sil and i am in houston,tx so with the increasing heat the sunlight is strong.

How can i avoid spreading the black spots on the leaves? I am thinking of repotting the orchid as i saw that the roots inside don't look good as well.So might move it to the medium that has barks as suggested for better air circulation.I have attached a pic for the roots inside and also the medium that i have boguht for repoting.
Also please suggest if I can use some kind of spray or medicine to avoid the rottening of roots and dark spots? Totally new in this area :shock: and appreciate all your advises:bowing!


Thanks,
Niketa.

And also do i cut those grey and shriveled looking root at the top while repotting?

I use moss all the time, but that moss is packed way to tight to dry out well in between waterings. If your roots feel totally flat when you squeeze them, they're most likely dead, also if they don't plump or green up when watered that's also a good indication. Soak the new media for a couple of hours in warm water before you use it, helps the bark to maintain water in the future. Also just use a pot that the roots will fit into snuggly, don't over pot too big. Make sure what ever pot you use has a lot of good drainage holes. That helps with air movement and to dry the media. Good luck.