Phalaenopsis yellowing leaves

[MateoinLosAngeles]

Hi everyone!

I have these two Phalaenopsis "White Dream" with yellowing leaves. They were recently repotted after purchasing on a sale from Hausermann.

I didn't think much of it, but both yellowings started from the stem, instead of the tip of the leaf. The other thing that caught my attention is that the yellowing is spreading through the length of the leaf instead of the width on both Phals.

One of them also has some black patches on the stem, at the end of the leaf, which makes me suspect stem rot. The other one doesn't have any visible damage on the stem.

For the one with black spots I sprayed hydrogen peroxide and a bit of cinnamon being careful not to drop any on top of the roots.

Is this something that requires my immediate attention/action? What would you do if so?

[estación seca]

Phals grown in warm, humid greenhouses carry more leaves than when grown in a cooler, less humid home. Your plants are acclimating to their new home and dropping leaves they can't maintain. This is how old leaves die and drop off.

The roots and medium look extremely dry to me. With such large bark you can water frequently. So long as there is air at the roots Phals can stay moist. The advice to let dry between watering is for people who grow them in medium with much smaller particles and much smaller air spaces. With clear pots it is easy to tell when to water: As soon as the roots are about to turn from green to silver or white, it is time to water.

[Relemitty]

Hey
MateoinLosAngeles
This is just a Phal sloughing off an old leaf.
No big deal.
The roots look good and I bet they get green when you water them.
I see your media has sphagnum moss in it which is good for retaining water and you also have a slotted pot so like estación seca said you can experiment with watering more often.
I would stop the hydrogen pyroxide (Search on this forum for that).
Let the leaf get a little bit more yellow and sterilize a sharp knife and cut it as close to the stem as you can without nicking the stem.

Phals are tough little beasts and yours does not look bad.

[Roberta]

The oldest leaf is on its way out... force of nature. No problem. Personally I wouldn't cut it, just let it drop off naturally. Then there is no chance that you could introduce pathogens, the won't be a "wound" since that's what the plant does naturally. It may look ugly for awhile, but I'd suggest just let nature take its course. Dropping the oldest leaf is quite normal.

[Dimples]

I’ve also noticed my phals will often drop leaves that have had a lot of new roots pierce through its attachment point. Seems a bit like losing a loose tooth. If your WD is anything like the one I just got from H’s, it’s pumping out new roots like crazy.

[MateoinLosAngeles]

Originally Posted by Dimples

If your WD is anything like the one I just got from H’s, it’s pumping out new roots like crazy.

I noticed that!! I just placed quite a big order and they’re all exploding in root growth, even though some have actually started growing a spike. I wonder if they give them anything to pump the growth lol

I got a very young Brassavola Nodosa that came with almost no roots, within a week it’s almost taken over the entire pot.

I do use Kelp extract before repotting though.

---------- Post added at 10:46 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:34 PM ----------

Originally Posted by estación seca

The roots and medium look extremely dry to me. With such large bark you can water frequently..

Thanks so much! I did take the photos in the morning before watering! However, I did notice that even though I use about 30-50% Sphagnum moss the hot weather in Los Angeles is forcing me to increase my watering schedule. The bark is medium Orchiata (I think “power”) which provides magnificent drainage as you pointed out. I’m trying to better gauge when to water as I combine such different media but I definitely water when the Sphagnum is still damp.

[Dimples]

Originally Posted by MateoinLosAngeles

I wonder if they give them anything to pump the growth

Ideal light, temperatures, humidity, water, and regular fertilizer applications will do wonders for growth.
I’d guess if commercial nurseries spray any type of hormones on their stock it’s not on the sale plants.

[MateoinLosAngeles]

Originally Posted by Dimples

Ideal light, temperatures, humidity, water, and regular fertilizer applications will do wonders for growth. .

Ha! True that, I felt like the media was really old in the plants that I received but all the ones that were in moss had springtails which I guess kept many funghi at bay. I was hesitant to repot in the fall but I decided to go for it and most of the moss in the middle had the shape of the 2inch pots they were initially grown in, they just kept adding moss as the plant grew. These greenhouse conditions definitely can grow a stunning plant, I feel if I kept moss that wet and old for years my plant would get stem rot in no time.