Rootless Phal in s/h.

[SallyO420]

Trying rootless Phal in s/h. Would heat underneath be helpful?

[MateoinLosAngeles]

Yes, very. Heat underneath and a bag to keep it from losing too much moisture through the leaves. It may take several weeks to months for new roots to form, I usually notice them after a month. It's okay to keep plants under lower light as to prevent excess heat under the bag. Something that has worked nicely for me to rescue rootless Phals is to pot them in veeeery tight sphagnum moss in as small of a pot as it will fit, after a month or two when the plant pushes out new root tips I transfer it to s/h without setback.

[plantxart]

You can but it’s not necessary. It’s the warm season and my phalaenopsis have been producing active root growths

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by plantxart

You can but it’s not necessary. It’s the warm season and my phalaenopsis have been producing active root growths

How warm it is, depends on precisely where in So. Cal. Near the coast, where I live (and coastal San Diego a bit farther south), it is still on the cool side. (Warm enough for most things, but a rootless Phal may still need a little extra pampering... evaporation from SH setup can cool root zone and at this point not something desirable.)

[plantxart]

Yes, indeed. Rootless phalaenopsis need a lot of pampering. I find heat underneath can be drying. OP should watch closely not to let it dry out

[sunfire]

I used a heat mat and also a humidity dome (well, covered aquarium) to "re-alive" my rootless phals in S/H. They went from rootless to blooming in less than a year. They also continue to push out buds and have had blooms for about 6 months now with more buds appearing!

Phalaenopsis petals didn't unfurl

[MateoinLosAngeles]

Originally Posted by plantxart

Yes, indeed. Rootless phalaenopsis need a lot of pampering. I find heat underneath can be drying. OP should watch closely not to let it dry out

OP is using S/H. Does your S/H dry out, including the reservoir?

[Ray]

Originally Posted by SallyO420

Trying rootless Phal in s/h. Would heat underneath be helpful?

Sally,

The fact that you're trying semi-hydroponics is essentially irrelevant to getting it to recover. Consider the following:

1. Immerse the entire not-yet-potted plant for 1-2 hours in a 1 tablespoon/gallon Kelpak solution.
2. Pot it up however you plan to grow it, long-term. S/H is fine if your conditions work well with it for something warm-growing like a phalaenopsis.
3. Water it in with the Kelpak solution.
4. Invert a clear plastic bag over the pot and plant to trap humidity, but don't seal it. Without roots, the plant has no way to take up water, but still loses it to transpiration. Maximizing the surrounding humidity slows that.
5. Keep it very warm (use a heat mat if you want) and shady.
6. Don't let it dry out. Use the Kelpak solution as needed for the next month.

In about 4-6 weeks, when new roots have emerged and are growing in the potting medium, remove the bag and return it to your general growing care and environment.