Phal new growth!

[jkofferdahl]

Regarding wet leaves/crown I've got to side with Bil. I've been growing Phals for about 38 years. In all that time I've never been concerned about taking care to keep water out of the crowns and off the leaves - if they get wet then they get wet. In all this time I've not lost a single Phal (or other monopodial orchid) to crown rot. Water may be involved in encouraging fungal and bacterial growth, but I believe that humidity levels (excessively high) and temperature (too cool) are far more likely to be what causes the plant to be succeptable to crown rot.

Potting-wise, a Phalaenopsis doesn't care if you center it in the pot or offset it to one side. It doesn't care if you plant it so that the stem is straight up or at an angle. If a Phal is going to grow, it's simply going to grow. There's not a thing wrong about how your Phal is planted.

Finally, centered in your picture is a nice, healthy root. That's a nice sign because it shows that the plant is happy; it's my opinion that healthy roots are the key to growing orchids. Just above and to the right of the root you have a spike developing.

[bil]

Originally Posted by Bulbopedilum

1. Where phals live, there is A LOT of rainfall. If a phalaenopsis is big and grows upright, water will slide down the leaves and seep into various nooks and cranies, promoting rot. This has happened to my oncidium once.

2.Yes, the crown will get wet, but not INSIDE the crown where the water all accumulates and it is harder for water to get into the nooks and cranies. Wet leaves are not a problem.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

Seriously, not trying to start a fight here. When you water in the morning, get a phal, tip it so that the crown points upwards, and fill the crown with water. Over the next minute or so, watch it carefully, and you will see all the water drain out and run into the medium.

Now re your second point. Whether the moisture on a misty morning hits one that is standing up, or is hanging down, all the little crevices will fill with water. It's capillary action, and it will wet everything.

You are right in that you have to be more careful with oncidium and some other orchids where the new leaves are densely folded, which makes them a hotspot for fungal activity.
Even there tho, wetting them is not a guaranteed ticket to rot. This whole business of wetting is a LOT more complex than you think, but the one thing I do kow is that phals don't care.

Note of caution, watering should always be done earlier in the day and with ambient temp water only. NEVER with really cold water.

[jkofferdahl]

Originally Posted by bil

Note of caution, watering should always be done earlier in the day and with ambient temp water only. NEVER with really cold water.

I'd argue that if you use water at room temperature or slightly warmer the plants are quite happy. Due to my work schedule, my plants sometimes get watered in the evening, both mounted plants and also potted. Again, in 38 years I've yet to experience crown rot. I believe that the key is in making sure that the plant is growing in conditions which are otherwise as good as possible.

[bil]

Originally Posted by jkofferdahl

I'd argue that if you use water at room temperature or slightly warmer the plants are quite happy. Due to my work schedule, my plants sometimes get watered in the evening, both mounted plants and also potted. Again, in 38 years I've yet to experience crown rot. I believe that the key is in making sure that the plant is growing in conditions which are otherwise as good as possible.

Yeah, just not cold.

As for your last point, it does't matter what the plant is. Give it what it was evolved for and you can't stop it growing. The further it is away from that ideal point, the more likely it is to succumb to something.

[Bulbopedilum]

Alright I see your point bil. Actually now, maybe phal crown rot IS an urban legend..! But I would still be careful not to get water into the crevices of the leaves. I guess I'm just applying my oncidium experience to phals, which may not be right..!

[Bohata]

Whatever the truth is about preventing rot, do show us another picture when the spike finally blooms.

[bil]

Originally Posted by Bulbopedilum

Alright I see your point bil. Actually now, maybe phal crown rot IS an urban legend..! But I would still be careful not to get water into the crevices of the leaves. I guess I'm just applying my oncidium experience to phals, which may not be right..!

But my point is, outside, on a misty morning, the moisture gets into all those crevices.

I suddenly thought a while back, about wetting other crowns on other orchids. I have a couple of hundred mounts, and when I spray them in the mornings, I go round at a fair old rate, and that spray does tend to go places it shouldn't. I bet there isn't one of my mounts that hasn't been inappropriately watered at one point or another.
My honest opinion is, that this subject is way more complex than it appears.
However, based on my own experiments, it is impossible to give a healthy phal crown rot by wetting them. Excessive heat or cold will give them crown rot, and I imagine that fungus getting into a wound might, but watering?
I just don't see it.