Trouble with Phal Sun Passat

[Golfluv]

I had 2 Phal Sun Passats that I grew in semi-hydro. They appear to be Phalaenopsis that need a little tlc. Does anyone out there have any experience with these orchids? ALSO…. Does anyone out there have or know anyone that has any for sale? I can’t find any online…

[estación seca]

Welcome to the Orchid Board!

What kind of trouble are you having?

What are your growing conditions? Temperatures? Humidity? Light? How are you watering them in S/H? How often do you flush the containers?

[Ray]

The biggest problem folks have with plants established in S/H occur when they grow them too cool.

[Golfluv]

They are grown indoors in semi-hydro environment. They are in small clear containers that have 2 holes punched about an inch from the bottom of the containers and are filled with hydroton pellets. Water is mixed with a very small amount of fertilizer, Physan 20 when needed, and is flushed once a month. Humidity is maintained at 55%, temperature 72 degrees, and at least 5 hours of filtered sunlight.

[Ray]

Do you know the lineage of the hybrid? I cannot find a registration under that name.

The reason I ask is that plants with “heavy doses” of bellina, venosa, and/or a couple of other species prefer it to be really hot, and the evaporative cooling from the S/H medium can chill the roots even when the room temperature is reasonable.

[Mr.Fakename]

Originally Posted by Golfluv

Water is mixed with a very small amount of fertilizer, Physan 20 when needed, and is flushed once a month. Humidity is maintained at 55%, temperature 72 degrees, and at least 5 hours of filtered sunlight.

When do you need Physan20? If it's to get rid of algae; they're bound to happen at some point, and I can't help but think that it's a bit overkill.

Secondly, I can't answer for Ray, but linking some of his work, I think flushing once a month is too scarce and doesn't help your plants: Flooding versus Topping Up › First Rays LLC

Finally, 5h of light is not enough for most Phal, and they'll considerably slow their growth down.

In regard of those comments, my guess is that your trouble comes from a toxic environment in the reservoir, and plants in a dormant state.

[Golfluv]

Originally Posted by Ray

Do you know the lineage of the hybrid? I cannot find a registration under that name.

The reason I ask is that plants with “heavy doses” of bellina, venosa, and/or a couple of other species prefer it to be really hot, and the evaporative cooling from the S/H medium can chill the roots even when the room temperature is reasonable.

Unfortunately I don’t think that it is a registered hybrid. You hit on the type of answer I was looking for. Thank you. If you have any other recommendations let me know. Right now I just have to find one to purchase. I can’t find one anywhere.