Root wilting/drying up...Help
 

Hello! I am new the the Forum so forgive me if someone has already posted this question and I overlooked the post.

I am a beginner to orchids. My boyfriend got me my first plant for Valentines 2 years ago and a second plant last year. Both are Phals. I re-potted both plants in fresh dark bark mix about 2-3 weeks ago after noticing that the roots of the plants. Some were mushy (like they had root rot) and others were all dried up like they were not getting enough water or to much water. Now the leaves of the plant are limp and I have a gnat problem (that I did not have before I re-potted.)

Im not sure what steps I need to take in order to get them back to a healthy state. I really want to succeed in growing these orchids and would love to see them bloom again. They have not had any new spikes or growth in the last year.

I can say the I do not have a lot of natural sunlight coming in to my apartment :( but try to get them as much sunlight as possible in the morning.

Welcome to Orchid Board :welcome:

They can take a while to adjust after repotting especially if roots are poor. Try and water when the medium has dried and the good roots are silvery rather than green. Be sure to check those at the bottom of the pot as well if you have a clear pot, or you can use a wooden skewer to test if the medium is damp at the bottom. Push it in, leave it 10min then pull it out and see if it's damp.

As for the mites... these can be horrible to get rid of. I've not had them on Phals, but on my Dens I've tried to use alcohol (rubbing alcohol) to wipe down the leaves and remove the mites, this needs doing regularly for quite a while to keep them at bay. Unfortunately I've not fully got rid of them on mine :(

gnats = too damp, and decomposing medium....sometimes the stuff you buy for potting in the big box stores has been kept in too damp conditions and has started decomposing, nasty stuff! always make sure whatever you use for potting is large hard dry chunks! soak it overnite, then use it to pot....after potting firmly in the media, leave it for a week to ten days then water as usual....don't get too frequent with the watering, it rots the roots, and encourages gnats....good luck!