My Phal repotting problems!

[Izzie]

You make a good point Rosie. It is hit and miss with these. I've been lucky so far- I also leave the bag open and mix it for several days just in case, to really get it dry. And I sniff it when I get home. If it smells funky, it gets returned. That's only happened once though.

When I've gotten the Better Gro mix, I always try to get there right after they get a new shipment in, or take from the back/bottom of the shelf where newer ones are often stored.

At this point, I just can't afford to buy online.

[Izzie]

Nope, the nice thing about the listerine is that you can use it straight out of the bottle- they've diluted the alcohol for you! It's very well loved around here.

[RosieC]

Sounds like you take good steps Izzie.

Mine smelt musty and unfortunately I didn't realise at the time that that was a bad sign.

The stuff I buy online is so dry it has warnings on it that you should wear a face mask to avoid inhaling the dust.

After the first 3 I was wondering what on earth I was doing wrong because I was carefully following all the instructions I could find online and I was using listerine and just could not see why the roots kept dying. When I bought the new stuff online I suddenly found the problems disapeared and I was doing nothing else different.

[Izzie]

Originally Posted by RosieC

Sounds like you take good steps Izzie.

Yay! Call me simple, but it's always exciting when I hear I'm doing something right!

[Izzie]

and fyi- the store brand of the brown mouth wash is exactly the same, a quarter of the price, and works just as well.

[glitchathon]

interesting. Can I pour Listerine into the pot (media and all) or should I take it out and spray the roots only?

[Izzie]

Originally Posted by glitchathon

interesting. Can I pour Listerine into the pot (media and all) or should I take it out and spray the roots only?

Sorry I wasn't clear. I mentioned that you can pour and soak it.
When repotting, most people spray the roots.

When in pot, you can either pour copious amounts through the pot, or soak it for a few minutes- depends on how much of the product you want to use.
Could be a good thing to do until the physan comes in.

[RosieC]

I've only ever used it on bare roots, then rinced it off. Not sure if it can be used in the medium or not.

[Izzie]

Originally Posted by RosieC

I've only ever used it on bare roots, then rinced it off. Not sure if it can be used in the medium or not.

I've never had problems the several times I've done it in pot.

ETA: okay. that's not true. I did forget that I had a mini phal in a teeny pot soaking, and it ended up being in the listerine for an hour. The roots were NOT impressed.
So now I set a timer for a minute or so.

It's kind of like cooking shrimp. Absolutely positively do not leave the area, ignore the phone and visitors at the door, or bad things happen.

[RosieC]

I agree with Izzie. Chill out and don't worry too much, just watch how the third one goes and do what you can for the others.