Phal has drooping blooms ? Why ? - Page 2 - Orchid Board

Canadian Girl · #11 05-02-2012, 05:58 PM

ya its just bark stuff? i did check em and they were fine but now the leaves are wrinkling a bit? should i check the roots?
thanks for the help ! (: (: (:
CG

Canadian Girl · #12 05-02-2012, 06:00 PM

I had no idea!? very cool thank you!
NOw im really starting to get nervous i think the leaves are a bit wrinkler than when i bought it... i think ill check the roots this evening....
Ya the mix is just bark bits i dont think its the mix tahts the problem... I water once a week is that too much?...
Thanks so much again! (: (: (:
CG

camille1585 · #13 05-02-2012, 06:02 PM

I can't help you about the frequency of watering, it all depends on your potting mix, growing conditions and climate. Is it in a clear pot? If it is, you can go by the root color to know when to water. Green roots= enough moisture, silvery-white = time to water.

Canadian Girl · #14 05-03-2012, 12:15 AM

I pulled up 2 of my phals that have been wilted and wrinkly with my and NOOOOO root rot in both! i have no idea how thought? they had healthy roots when i planted them!
SO upset!!!

So ive trimmed back all the dead stuff and theres only a little bit of nice roots left ): and now i dont know what to do!!! help!

CG

silken · #15 05-03-2012, 12:30 AM

That's too bad. It makes me wonder if you were not letting it dry out before watering. You can't really say once a week is good to water or any set time. You need to figure out when the plant is approaching dryness in YOUR conditions and water it then. It needs to be dry at the bottom and centre of the pot, not just the top. A pot larger than the roots need will just hold too much moisture and encourage root rot. At this point, you likely need to downsize the pot if you cut a lot of dead roots off. If you have some SuperThrive or K-L-N rooting hormone you could soak the roots in that. Then pot it again and if you can, possibly set it on a seedling mat or similar amount of heat source which will encourage roots. Let it get dry before watering well. I use a kebab skewer in my pot which I pull out and test to see if dry or still damp. Good luck. Oh, I also find Phals like clear pots as their roots photosynthesize and seem to grow better in them for me.
You might want to turn the fan off for now as it will help dry the leaves and you don't need that right now. Not too bright light until it recovers. Phals don't take real bright light anyways, but it will need real moderate conditions now. I also mist the leaves lightly but am careful not to get water in the crown as that will cause crown rot.

Canadian Girl · #16 05-03-2012, 01:25 AM

ok now i have a big question .... how much fertilizer should i be useing? im not useing that much? like 2 times a month maybe? is it possible i burnt them all ?when i uprooted both the drooping phals they both had shriveled up roots... not really root rot as i origionally thought?... there was a bit of root rot on each but not enough to cause the wilting... the roots had shrivelled up?... was i underwatering?

silken · #17 05-03-2012, 03:07 AM

It depends on what type of fertilizer you have and the instructions for mixing it. Usually it is suggested to use 1/2 or 1/4 of the recommended strength on the container. "Weakly weekly" and flush with clear water once a month is often suggested. So I doubt that was the problem.

Just as no-one can tell you if watering once a week is too much, I can't tell you it wasn't enough either. It depends on your growing conditions and when the bark dried out. New bark does dry out fast at first because it doesn't absorb as much water as when it gets old. But your humidity and growing temps also play a role as well as the type of pot its in. Phals don't like to be bone dry. So for me.... usually the day the media dries out or comes very close to being dry is when I would water. That could be 5 days in the heat of the summer or 10 days in winter or something in between. When the roots are a silver grey they are dry and if they are green, they don't need water yet. Clear pots are nice for seeing the roots at the bottom and knowing if they are dry or not. You can often see condensation on the inside of the pot too when its still wet. But again, the skewer method is very useful to see what's happening in the centre or near the bottom of the pot.

When you water, run lots of water thru the pot so it is good and wet, but allow it to drain completely. If roots look dry and shrivelled, there is a chance they could plump up again when they get watered if they aren't real bad.

Canadian Girl · #18 05-07-2012, 08:27 PM

Thanks silken!
Im definatly going to loose one of them... still not entirely sure what the mechanism of error is here...
so i should stick a squewer in once a week and check if the squewer comes out most or not?... or leave it in there when i water and keep checking it?...
very frustrated this has happend about 2 phals now... same thing i cant tell if i watered too much or not enough? ):
I have an intergenic one ( beautiful purple with white leopard spots on it ) its an oncidim ...? they like a little more moist then phals right?... i see a little sprout coming up that looks like another spike!! so thats a good sign right?...

I think i realy need to nail down a method for how to water these guys... I have 2 miniature phals that are just blooming away, one giant phal , my intergenic , and then a regualr sized one...

Also what is your thoughts on " misting the roots" a friend told me this is the best way to water an orchid? what do you think?

Thanks again!
CG

silken · #19 05-07-2012, 09:27 PM

I leave the skewer in the pot shoved down near the bottom and center if possible and try to place it in the same place each time so I don't stab roots every time. That way it is sitting in the same conditions as the roots and bark. For me, I let the plant get dry or very close to dry down at the bottom before I water. If it has very few roots now, it should be in a fairly small pot so it can dry out in a reasonable time as there aren't many roots taking up water. They are likely short too and the top will dry first, so you could lightly mist the top of the pot to wet the upper roots without constantly soaking the middle and bottom. Once you have a healthy bunch of roots that fill the pot, I would say misting is not enough. A good flush of water or a good soak and then let it drain well before setting on a saucer or in a decorative pot. Then let it get very close to dry or even dry for a day before watering again. This lets the roots breath and grow in search of water rather than sit there and rot. Good luck with them.